For all you salty sea dogs, or anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors or on the water –have you ever thought about the hat you choose to wear and what it’s actually made of? Don’t get us wrong, we love Dundee and his leather but for the inner (modern-day) pirate in all of us – we think cotton is best!
When you think about other materials these days, what actually is nylon or microfiber made from? And what is cotton? No doubt they all have their advantages but why do we think cotton is actually better?
Cotton grows from seeds of the cotton plant called gossypium. It is biodegradable and a renewable resource – that’s a big tick when you’re thinking about the environment. Only a very small amount of the crop is considered non-usable. Most other clothing materials are synthetic and require significant energy consumption and water use to manufacture.
When wearing cotton it is also naturally hypoallergenic (non-irritating) and moisture-wicking*. If you stash your cotton products in a cupboard and forget about them for awhile you’ll find they’re resistant to dust mites. But if you’re out and about sporting the goods then you’ll find them to be most breathable and still extremely durable. Cotton, although thick and strong, can also be light and soft. And yet because it is biodegradable (at a much quicker rate than synthetic fibres) which is fantastic, a well-stitched cotton shirt or hat will still last you a lifetime. That is, unless you actually misplace it or someone else likes yours better than you!
If we look at the real crown jewel though, ultimately organic or ‘green’ cotton sits at the top of the tree when it comes to environmental benefits because the growing process means no pesticides. But in our view, cotton in general still rates pretty darn well. It is worthy of noting that our cotton fabric is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified. This means that our entire fabric range has been tested and is certified free of over 100 known harmful substances. It’s a healthy fabric that is socially responsible in production.
Now it’s quite hard to completely avoid some synthetic fibres in today’s world. Even the Ozbrero contains polyester breathable mesh side panelling but that is only a small section of the whole hat. A section that we are further investigating to see how it can be potentially improved.
But what’s got us thinking even more (and writing this piece, especially because we are in the business of producing wide brim sun protective cotton hats) is… If people choose to protect themselves from the sun’s harmful rays by wearing a hat, then why not also choose a hat fabric that’s protecting both yourself and the environment from just as much damage? A win-win really.
*we say moisture-wicking which is true, but we also encourage those that work long hours outdoors during the hottest summer days to wear an Ozbrero wide brim hat after wetting it in cold water to provide an ideal, natural cooling system 🙂
SHOP our Ozbrero Cotton Hats online and have one delivered asap.