Industrial hemp is a versatile plant renown for its wide range of uses. One of the most common and widespread uses of hemp is in the creation of a hemp-based fabric, which can be used in clothing, bags, linens, and much more. Hemp fabric offers some major advantages over other types of materials, so it’s natural to wonder whether it could be blended with them to leverage the best of both worlds. Luckily, the answer is yes. Let’s take a closer look at hemp fabric blends and why they are advantageous for creating high quality products.
What is hemp fabric?
Hemp fabric is a textile product derived from the industrial hemp plant. Made from the outer layer of the stalk, known as the bast layer, hemp fabrics are strong and durable. In the past, hemp rope was commonly used in the maritime space, mainly as the rigging for ships, while hemp fabric often served as the sails. Today, the bast layer of the industrial hemp plant is commonly used to make hemp yarn, which can be used in a wide range of textile products.
What are the characteristics of hemp fabric?
Hemp fabric is most notable for its extreme durability. It is common for hemp clothing, for example, to last nearly three times as long as its cotton counterpart. Hemp fabrics are rough to the touch, with an unmistakable canvas feel; however, they remain lightweight. They also allow air to pass through easily, making them highly breathable and useful for warmer climates. UV properties keep harmful rays out.
Unlike other fabrics, hemp fabrics are shrink-resistant. Pilling, the loose strands and tufts of fiber that often appear on rugs or clothing, is also unlikely to occur to a hemp fabric. In addition, hemp fabrics are not susceptible to molds and mildews like other materials, making them ideal for high-impact activities such as working out.
Why blend hemp fabric with other types of fabric?
Blending hemp with other types of fabrics allows textile manufacturers to harness the best characteristics of each material, while shoring up one another’s weaker qualities. Using hemp with another fabric can increase the final product’s durability and extend its lifetime wear.
Other materials can help soften the final product and reduce that rough, canvas feel that is characteristic of hemp fabrics. Depending on the material, blending hemp with more cost-effective materials could also reduce the price of the final product. Hemp is relatively affordable, but not as widely cultivated as cotton, for example, and so is somewhat pricier than other common fabrics.
In addition to these benefits, blending hemp with other fabrics can reduce the stress placed on the environment in the cultivation and production of textile products. Hemp is a highly sustainable crop to grow, requiring little water and few, if any, chemicals. It also matures quickly, in as little as 70 days, and can be replanted on the same patch of land. Hemp roots aerate the soil as well, preparing it for future plants that might grow there. Many other types of crops used in fabric making result in degraded soil.
What kinds of hemp fabric blends are available?
Hemp fabric and hemp blends are nearly as versatile in the textile industry as hemp plants themselves. Hemp blends can be used in a wide range of products, including outerwear, work wear, bedding, rugs, and drapes. Basically, if it’s a woven textile product, it can be made in a hemp blend. Here’s a look at some common hemp blends available on the market today:
- Hemp/silk blend: A hemp/silk blend incorporates the characteristic softness of silk with the durability and longevity of hemp fabric. Blending hemp with silk also helps keep costs down, as silk is a relatively expensive fabric.
- Hemp/cotton blend: Hemp and cotton share a few similarities, chief among them the ability to retain dye for vibrant colors. However, cotton is far less durable than hemp, so blending the two together can extend the life of a textile product. Moreover, hemp is far more sustainable than cotton, so blending the fabrics can help reduce the environmental impact of a product compared with its 100% cotton counterpart.
- Hemp/linen blend: Linen is generally regarded as a strong fabric that is comfortable and resistant to pilling. It is also more cost-effective than hemp, helping to bring costs down in a hemp/linen blend compared with a 100% hemp product. Both materials absorb dye well, and adding hemp boosts linen’s durability even more.
- Hemp/polyester blend: Polyester is a synthetic fabric made of polymer fibers linked together in a chain. It is strong and dries quickly. It is also resistant to mold and wrinkling. Blending hemp with polyester adds a natural fabric that is also mold-resistant, as well as heat-resistant. Hemp fabrics are prone to creasing and wrinkling, but a hemp/polyester blend reduces this inclination somewhat.
- Hemp/Tencel blend: Tencel, also known as Lyocell, is a cellulosic fiber derived from wood pulp. Like hemp, Tencel is a sustainable product intended to recover or decompose all solvents and emissions required during the manufacturing process. A hemp/Tencel blend emphasizes environmental consideration and adds Tencel’s considerable softness to the blend, reducing the rough, canvas feeling of hemp.
Hemp’s versatility allows it to be added to many other types of fabrics as a blend. These are simply some of the most common or popular blends available today. Keep an eye out for your favorite fabric in a hemp blend, because chances are its already out there.
Hemp fabric blends offer the best of both worlds
Blending hemp fabric with other materials helps leverage the best qualities of hemp while making the finished product more comfortable or cost-effective. Hemp also serves to boost the durability of weaker fabrics in a blend, as well as lend its heat-resistant and anti-mold and mildew traits to the mix. Best of all, hemp blends help reduce the environmental impact of more water-intensive or pesticide demanding crops like cotton, offering consumers an ecologically ethical way to get the best of both worlds. Whatever your reasons for buying a hemp fabric blend, you’re sure to be satisfied.
