Clothes

Most of the clothes we sell are made of bamboo, a fabric we fell in love with a long time ago due to it's sustainability, softness and durability.

Growing bamboo takes a lot less water than cotton, doesn't require good arable land which frees it up for food production instead and it also doesn't require pesticides given the natural resilience of the plant.

As a textile it's breathable, highly durable and wicks well which makes it ideal for use in exercise or yoga with some gyms now completely forgoing things like lycra in favour of bamboo. There are also studies which suggest that the natural anti-bacterial properties of bamboo do manifest once it's processed into a textile but reports, at the moment, are conflicting between various reports so take that one with a grain of salt.

The process of making bamboo into a textile has, in recent years, been a subject of some controversy as in most commercial production it involves chemical processing to turn it into a viable, viscose fabric. We've thought about and discussed this issue here at Karavan and while we'll always advocate for more eco friendly processing methods we do believe that the benefits of the growing process, where bamboo beats cotton hands down, outweigh the negatives of the manufacturing process. As always though we'll keep talking to our suppliers and pushing for more sustainable methods in the future and, we believe, the more prevalent bamboo becomes as a textile the greater the likelihood of improvements in the overall process are.

Caring for bamboo is just as easy, if not easier, than cotton. While it can be put on the same washing cycle as cotton can we do recommend against using fabric conditioner, it won't do any harm but bamboo will stay naturally soft wash after wash without it and prolonged use can effect the absorbency of the material. Do not tumble dry.