So you thought you knew…..but…….
The South African market has been flooded by
forgeries and misconception of the meaning of percale and the higher the thread
count the better the quality.
Many
retailers are selling products that are labelled as ‘Egyptian Cotton’,
1000Thread Percale, but they do not carry the logo, nor do they state the
country where the fabric is originally from. Not only has the public been duped into
believing that what they are buying is genuine Egyptian, Italian or French
cotton, but they have also been lead to believe that Percale is a type of
cotton.
We at Good Night Linen would like to help you understand small
things that cost you a lot of monies, a little bit better.
So what is percale?
The term describes the weave of the fabric, not its
content, so percale can be a 50/50 blend of cotton and polyester, 100% cotton, or a blend of other fabrics in any
ratio. A percale weave has a thread count of 200 or higher, and is noticeably
tighter than the standard type of weave used for bed-sheets. It has medium
weight, is firm and smooth, and warps and washes very well. It is made from
both carded and combed yarns. Percale fabrics are made in both solid colours and
printed patterns. The finish of the fabric is independent of its weave, so it
can be either printed or unprinted, mat or Satin Sheen.
Percale was originally imported from India in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,
then manufactured in France. The
word may originate from the Persian pargālah, 'rag', although
the Oxford English Dictionary (Dec. 2005) has traced it only as far as
18th-century in French. (Info wiki)
So
what is the difference between 100% cotton and Egyptian cotton?
It
all is cotton. Do not laugh or delete….
It is true.
Gossypium barbadense, also known
as extra-long staple (ELS)
cotton as it generally has a staple of at least 1 3/8" or longer, is a
species of cotton plant. Some types of ELS cotton are American Pima(The world’s
largest exporter of cotton to China), Egyptian Giza, Indian Suvin, Chinese
Xinjiang(the world largest supplier and importer of cotton) , Sudanese Barakat, and Russian Tonkovoloknistyi.
It is a
tropical, frost-sensitive perennial plant that
produces yellow flowers and has black seeds. It grows as a small, bushy tree
and yields cotton with
unusually long, silky fibers. To grow, it requires full sun and high humidity
and rainfall
This plant contains the chemical gossypol, which
reduces its susceptibility to insect and fungal damage.(That is why it is good
enough to be called a green product.
Less insecticides and fungal sprays needed)Egyptian cotton
The term Egyptian cotton is usually applied to the extra-long staple cotton produced in Egypt and to import true Egyptian cotton you need a citation certificate stating your product is from Egypt and is labeled with the Egyptian cotton trade mark.
Egypt has spent millions of dollars to rebuild their cottons industry and remarketed in 2001.
In 2001, The Egyptian Ministry of Economy and
Foreign Trade along with ALCOTEXA developed a logo consisting of figurative
elements (the drawing of a cotton flower) and the words “Egyptian Cotton” to
promote and increase the export of cotton products from Egypt. The two entities
jointly registered the Egyptian CottonTM logo
as an international trademark under the Madrid System.
The logo is protected in specific national
jurisdictions too. In 2001, ALCOTEXA and the Ministry of Economy and Foreign
Trade registered the logo as a certification mark in the United States. The
certification mark applies for cotton products (such as bedding, bed sheets,
bed linen, quilt, comforters, etc.) made wholly or substantially from Egyptian
cotton. According to the registration certificate, the mark can only be used by
authorized persons and “is intended to certify that the products…contain 100%
Egyptian Barbadence cotton”. The logo is also trademark protected in some
European countries such as Denmark. In the United Kingdom, the logo is
registered as a trademark and can be used only for raw cotton of Egyptian
origin.REF: WIPO/Cotton from the land of pharaohs’
Export data for the year 2012. 566 metric tons France, Italy and Switzerland took the
bulk. Making Europe the biggest importers of Egyptian cotton. REF: Bloomberg 2012/21/10
What do we mean by staple?
Staple length, a property of
staple fibers, is a term referring to the average length of a
group of fibers of any composition. Staple length depends on the origin of the fibers.
Natural fibers (such as cotton or wool) have a range of lengths in each sample, so the
staple length is an average. For synthetic
fibers which have been cut to
certain length, the staple length is the same for every fiber in the group.
Staple length is an important
criterion for spinning fiber, as shorter fibers are more difficult to spin than longer ones,
the former also resulting in more hairy yarns.(Leads to fluff and small cotton
balls forming on your bed linen) especially when mixed with long staple
fiber’s.
For cotton and wool, staple
length was originally tested by hand, the tester removing a clump of fiber and
then arranging it on a dark cloth for measurement. In the 70s machines were invented
to do this task, taking around 5 minutes for cotton and for wool around 20
minutes. Today, machinery can take the measurement in seconds.
Extra-long staple cotton
ELS cotton are American
Pima(The world’s largest export of cotton to China), Egyptian Giza, Indian
Suvin, Chinese Xinjiang(the world largest supplier and importer of cotton) , Sudanese Barakat, and Russian Tonkovoloknistyi.
These above mentioned
countries produce the world’s best cotton. With extra -long staples, cotton can
be woven to produce a product of higher quality that can pro-long the durability and, longevity
of the product produced. But is comes with
a price.
In South Africa there is only one certified carrier
of the Egyptian Cotton logo , which therefore ensures that their products are
all exclusively made out of 100% PURE
Egyptian Cotton. This logo has been developed by the Egyptian Department of
Trade and Industry, in an effort to stamp out forgeries. It is also essential
in verifying the authenticity of the Egyptian cotton product.
THREAD COUNT LISTED ON THE PACKAGE IS ACCURATE??????????
Many times,
nothing could be further from the truth. In recent years, many manufacturers
have been twisting together fibres to create a 'longer' yarn, yet counting the
twisted fibres as individual Threads. The result has been essentially a
falsifying misrepresentation of True Thread Count, which has been based on only
the final fiber being counted as one Thread and not twisted fibers being
calculated into the equation. This method of calculation has prompted an outcry
from confused and angered consumers, statements from the FTC (Federal Trade
Commission USA) and investigations from organizations utilizing
professional labs such as Consumer Reports. Sheets Sets and Duvets made of
Multiple-Ply yarns can dramatically skew and falsely inflate actual Thread
Count per square inch by up to four times or more the True Thread
Count. For instance, it's not uncommon for findings such as an Egyptian
Cotton Sheet Set listed as 1200TC Thread Count on the package to test at only
297 Threads per Square Inch.
Many manufacturers have been calculating
Thread Count by including every fiber used-inclusive of Multiple ply Threads
that are really only creating a longer Thread. This has basically been a loophole,
or grey area, for manufacturers to create False Thread Counts. Consumers have
not only been confused, but often outraged, as this practice has been very
misleading for consumers who have been led to believe that the higher the
Thread Count, the better the Sheets. The belief that High Thread Counts mean
better Sheets is an incorrect one.
Consumer Reports and other well-known
organizations have performed thorough testing with Sheet Sets labelled at
Thread Counts that tested at only 1/3-1/2 the Thread Count listed on the
exterior package. For instance, Sheet Sets commonly labelled as 1000TC were
found to contain only 297 Threads, less than one-third what the manufacturer
stated. And 1200TC Sheet Sets can have only 400 Threads. Keep in mind that the
actual Threads measured by labs.
To
know more about how the USA protects their consumer read. http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus25-calling-it-cotton-labeling-and-advertising-cotton-products
What are you buying?????????
Good Night Linen does not say
they know it all, but we will keep on digging to give our clients as much info
as possible and strive to ensure that our product and service is staying on par
with the European Standards that Beaumont & Brown.uk is expecting from us.
