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                                 Madras cotton is defined not only by its texture and look, but also by the way it's made or constructed. Thus, though the madras cotton of today differs slightly in look and feel from the cotton woven in Madras, India 5,000+ years ago, there is little doubt in historians' minds, given the similarities and technique and process, that madras cotton can be traced back to as early as 3,000 B.C. At the time, what can more or less be called madras' “ancestor” was a gauzy, hand woven cotton that was spun from karvelem patta, the tip skin of ancient...

                                                                 Boat shoes have become associated with frivolity and playfulness, yet the story of how the shoe came to be suggests that the product was anything but unnecessary. The boat shoe was inspired by Prince. Yes, Prince, but no, not this Prince. You see, Prince was also the name of a cocker spaniel owned by Paul Sperry, the creator of the boat shoe, and in 1935, when Sperry watched his dog slide across a patch of ice without losing traction, Sperry was struck with curiosity. After all, for years, Sperry, an accomplished sailor, had risked bodily harm while walking along...

                                                     Earlier this year, we wrote about Tencel, an eco-friendly, branded version of lyocell, a biodegradable fiber made of wood pulp. When we wrote about Tencel, we sung the fabric's praises and if we didn't want to lose our audience, we'd gladly do it again. But today, we're going to talk about two things that just might give Tencel a run for its money: bamboo and Sorona. Bamboo fibers come from the bamboo plant, which grows naturally, free of chemicals and irrigation. All it needs to grow is a little sunshine and rain, and even after being cut and used,...

                                                      The tee shirt is about as ubiquitous of a garment as there'll ever be. People just love wearing tee shirts and over time, they've continued to find new ways to sport the tee. What has always been worn as an undershirt then also started to be worn on its own, but primarily by those with certain jobs that allowed for it to be worn. But today, the tee shirt is worn everywhere, by everyone, and in seemingly every environment. We've gone on a tee spree, and I'm not sure about you, but I sure as heck hope it never...