Sustainable materials: a trend we need to focus on. Colombian organic silk, an option

Mariana Ocampo Montes

【Abstract】The silk, important in the history and development of many cultures and countries, a fiber well developed in China, has been spread along the globe. In that process, even Colombia, a country in South America has been part of it. And since around 50 years ago, they started cultivating it. Nowadays, there is a region called Cauca, where peasants cultivate and process the fiber to convert it in fashion elements with a seal of sustainability behind. As the processes are artisanal, natural dyes, small quantities of pesticides, and good work conditions, it becomes to be a ecological product with high value.

【Key words】Sustainability；Silk；Colombian Silk；Colombian artisanal silk；Colombian sustainable silk；Fibers development；New textile materials； Handmade silk；Natural dyes

Introduction

Sustainable means a general strategy that integrates economic, political, environmental and cultural sustainability. Sustainability embraces the collective and the individual in order to reach and maintain the quality of life whether in times of scarcity or periods of abundance of resources. The aim of sustainability is the cooperation and solidarity between people and generations.

In a world increasingly fast, and the same happens with textiles, every day unimaginable quantities of fabrics are used and disposed, and those fabrics and garments disposed, are a big concern to the cities, because there is not enough space to throw all this. Pollution is a result of all this rubbish, and is a bigger problem, increasing, with difficult and minimal solutions.

Sustainability is a topic more common nowadays, everybody hears about it. Combining technology with traditions, and something that was impossible to wear because of the characteristics of the material, like hemp, and other natural fibers, is possible now through crazy designs, made by creative minds, which develop new materials and tests.

China is a worldwide pioneer in new materials developments, and at the same time combination of this materials, creating interesting textures and extraordinary concepts as cellulosic bamboo fiber, this fiber is sometimes blended with other materials such as cotton, making the fabric reachable and new.

But also new advances as the new way of linen, knitted or jerseys, with nice texture and numerous characteristics of an ecological textile, offering to the designers infinity options with sustainable stamp.

The usage of synthetic fibers is increasing lately, as per 2011 the worldwide consumption of textile fibers was as follows: cotton 29%, synthetic fibers 59%, cellulosic fibers 5% and other natural fibers 8%. There is not discovered yet which fiber is better for environment than the other, because in one hand the cotton growing there is irreparably waste of resources, but in the other hand, overuse of synthetic fibers, most of them petroleum products, also causes severe environmental problems.

Sustainable fashion could be a challenge for designers and producers to have innovative ideas. Using creativity to change the way of consumers see fashion. But also respecting all the people involved in the production chain. Since the people involved in this chain is often exploited and have poor working conditions. The biggest sample is Bangladesh, a country with many clothing manufacturers, where prices are low but working conditions are very bad. But as this there are many countries with same problematic.

One important idea to have a better use of resources is the silk culture, which although very expensive, has at the same time several benefits; as pesticides used in mulberry, which is the food of worms, is very small because worms are very sensitive to this poison.

The silk produced in Colombia is a fiber with sustainable features for several reasons, the first one as mentioned; very few quantities of pesticides are used in growing the mulberry, nourishment for the worm. Is taking place on small farms , where farmers own their own business , so working conditions are good and in a healthy environment , and clean, although working hours are long, but working days are regulated by themselves by owning their own crops. And in the processing of the silk, simple methods are used; most of them are crafts, including the fiber dyeing using natural elements with no harmful effects for the environment.

The history of silk production in Colombia dates back to the 70's when the Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers decide to invest in sericulture as a program for coffee crops diversification and develops in the coffee region and the Cauca, with research on varieties of mulberry, silkworm species and technology transfer.

In 1986, at the initiative of the Federation and the Committee of Coffee Growers of Cauca, a group of peasant women in the municipality of Timbio, initiate an experimental and investigative transformation of cocoon thread processing second quality fiber and later the process is enhanced by a Chinese mission in silk yarn production wound.

In Risaralda has its beginning in the 80's when the administration decides to create a plant with technicians in the continued regular cycle of silk production. They had several farms dedicated to the production of silk, and it was an interesting project because for the climatic conditions in some regions, because it was possible to get up to 12 crops of silk per year, however due to mishandling of the economic resources and the industry did not evolve and broke.

But the peasants who were already trained for production and some institutions and foundations decided to continue with the process of silk, in an artisanal and small scale.

In 1990, Colombia Crafts, a company dedicated to promote the production of handicrafts and marketing thereof, started training artisans and peasants in the technique of looms for weavings, this to add value to the silk thread. Currently, the Company works to articulate silk production to improve productivity and competitiveness through the peasants organizations and integration of each of its links, which involve mulberry growers, the sericulturists, fiber weavers, entrepreneurs and marketers, in the Department of Cauca.

Today they create original design elements, using natural dyes and with high added value, as they are developed exclusively handcrafted by farmers in the Cauca region.

Colombian peasant working in vertical loom with silk threads

They create different things, not just fabrics and scarfs but womens accessories, babys clothes and so on. They also use the cocoons, in accessories and furniture elements as lamps.

The Colombian silk is a new trend for the Colombian fashion market; some recognized designers have been cooperating with peasants, using silk in their collections. This is a first step to divulgate the material and spread the culture around the world.

At the same time many universities are involved in the investigation process and professors and students are helping in research on the fiber and development of new concepts as well teaching peasants more techniques.

Earrings made with silk cocoons dyed with natural elements.

There are some associations, which are part around 200 peasant families. Those associations do technical training and help the local people in the production and sells of the silk. They produce very small quantities, and the process is completely artisanal. The final product is unique with organic seal.

Both silk cocoon processing thread, as the tissues development are developed completely by hand, and most of the times each peasant family member participate in the process.

In the countryside dozens of skilled craftsmen in the technique of cultivating and processing the silk, with years of experience also produce the tissue, after cultivate the silk by themselves make the tissues. They have cultural legacy of their indigenous ancestors years ago, who had developed interesting textures and techniques, mixed with the knowledge of oriental countries that has come to Colombia as China, Korea and Japan, where the silk culture is ancient.

And one of the most contaminating processes in the fashion industry, they make using natural methods, they use local plants to give magic to the interesting fiber.

This is an example of the most common colors and materials they use,

1.Chachafruto Tree

2.Ruda Tree

3.Coffee tree

4.Lemon balm

5.Escoba tree

6.Guava tree

7.Fern

1.Coffee leafs

2.Nacedero tree

3.Sangregado tree

4.Guamo tree

5.Mispero Tree

6.Lemon orange tree

7.Juglans regia tree

8.Fresno tree

All of them have neutral colors, but they also had used fruits and flowers as the ancestral did before.

Although new efforts and ideas to produce fibers is sustainably are interesting, and the sample of the Colombian silk produced in a healthier environment, the scale of production is still very small compared with the required to produce global fashion. There are many reasons why the industry is not big enough, and the main one is economic resources, because peasant families dont have the capacity to grow by themselves.

But there are also more samples as fiber production in Africa, in the North West, the Northern Cape and Limpopo provinces of South Africa, as well as in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Where the silk cultivation is completely wild, the worms live in natural environment in trees and plants, and there are no pesticides involved. Then the fiber is processed, although the silk quality is not premium because has a cream color, but is a different concept of fiber.

When the threads are short, and not enough to make 100% silk fabrics, they mix with other fibers as cotton. The southern African region is rich in natural resources of textile-based fibers, notably wool, mohair, cotton, sisal, and unexplored or under-explored fibers that could be derived from indigenous plants and animals. That with research and trials could become an interesting development.

But at the same time, African countries have economical needs, and those projects are still very small. There is a big opportunity of offering special fibers but needs better infrastructure and resources to grow and establish as an important industry, offering to their people better life opportunities and way of life.

There is still much research and testing, and that makes the fiber more interesting, as there are many possibilities for future developments. We already have the example of China, a pioneer in the development of new textile textures, where bamboo blended with cotton and jersey linens have been developed.

The Chance to use this beautiful fiber mixed with different materials making it more commercial, as it is a high-cost fiber.[科]

【References】

［1］Sustainable fashion and textiles, Design Journeys, Fletcher Kate,2008.

［2］Sustainable Fashion, Why now?,Janet Hethorn and Conie Ulasewicz,2008.

［3］Corseda,aColombian foundationin charge of the production and commercialization of the silk,helps the peasants during the processes.

［4］Red andina de la seda researches and articles provided by Red Andina de La Seda.

［5］http://www.ecofashionworld.com.

［6］http://redress.com.hk/.

［7］http://www.unido.org.