EGYPTIAN COTTON
Esmée-E is a Lecturer in Fashion at Central St. Martins and a collector of silk route embroidered textiles and garments. She has worked as a Fashion Designer for labels such as Kenzo and Moschino and has travelled extensively in the near, middle and far east studying cloth and silk route languages.
As an antidote to fast fashion and pollutants from the fashion industry. I wanted to focus on pure white GOTS certified Giza Egyptian Cotton. Egyptian cotton, although from the pima cotton family has unique properties due to the hot, very dry climate of the nile valley. The extra long staple length, finer fibres, and hand harvesting processing of Egyptian cotton are unique. The result is luxuriously smooth fabric that feels like silk.
Egypt’s cotton crop rotation and production is controlled by government agencies and certification is managed at many levels both nationally and internationally.
Egypt’s cotton industry was galvanised by Ottoman Pasha Muhammed Ali in the mid 19 Century at one point production even eclipsed that of The US.
Cotton production is currently under threat as it is such a water intensive crop and the United Nations is warning that Egypt could suffer water shortages in the near future. There is a waiting list for every crop.
Visiting Sekem a bio dynamic farm and community in the Egyptian desert was the inspiration for the collection that I showed in collaboration with The World Sustainability Organizaton during Milan Fashion Week in September 2023.
Garment shapes were inspired by narrow loom pattern techniques of Japan and nomadic cultures of `The Silk Route. Pieces to treasure, that improve in look with wear and washing. A collection suitable for the medditerranean climate on land, shore and at sea.
Images courtesy of Esmée-E
Find out more and follow Esmée-E:
www.esmee-e.com
As an antidote to fast fashion and pollutants from the fashion industry. I wanted to focus on pure white GOTS certified Giza Egyptian Cotton. Egyptian cotton, although from the pima cotton family has unique properties due to the hot, very dry climate of the nile valley. The extra long staple length, finer fibres, and hand harvesting processing of Egyptian cotton are unique. The result is luxuriously smooth fabric that feels like silk.
Egypt’s cotton crop rotation and production is controlled by government agencies and certification is managed at many levels both nationally and internationally.
Egypt’s cotton industry was galvanised by Ottoman Pasha Muhammed Ali in the mid 19 Century at one point production even eclipsed that of The US.
Cotton production is currently under threat as it is such a water intensive crop and the United Nations is warning that Egypt could suffer water shortages in the near future. There is a waiting list for every crop.
Visiting Sekem a bio dynamic farm and community in the Egyptian desert was the inspiration for the collection that I showed in collaboration with The World Sustainability Organizaton during Milan Fashion Week in September 2023.
Garment shapes were inspired by narrow loom pattern techniques of Japan and nomadic cultures of `The Silk Route. Pieces to treasure, that improve in look with wear and washing. A collection suitable for the medditerranean climate on land, shore and at sea.
Images courtesy of Esmée-E
Find out more and follow Esmée-E:
www.esmee-e.com