Cotton is one of the world's most popular fibres with evidence of its use even having been linked to prehistoric civilisations. In 2016, archaeologists found fragments of indigo-dyed cotton in Huaca Prieta, northern Peru, which were dated to around 6000 years ago.
The cotton plant produces soft fluffy bolls, growing in tropical and subtropical regions all around the world, including the Americas, Africa, Egypt and India. The bolls are picked and spun into yarns before then being woven into the familiar cloth we all know.
Britain has played a big part in cotton production over the centuries. During the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s, two important inventions for cotton were the spinning machine in 1738 and the cotton gin in 1793, both having a great effect on the speed manufacturing. Manchester was nicknamed “Cottonopolis” because of its sprawling cotton factories; it is said that the wet, humid weather offered the perfect environment to work with the fibre.
John Spencer is a sixth-generation family brand of cotton manufacturers. The company’s mill is the last remaining traditional cotton weaver in a town that in the late 1920s boasted over 100,000 looms. (More than one for every man, woman and child in the town.) The mill is still producing cotton fabrics today, from upholstery cotton for sofas to chef aprons. Take a look at the production process in the video below:
Of course, the story of cotton is broad and colourful with many ups and downs, but during anxious times, there’s nothing more satisfying and relaxing than a simple set of crisp white cotton bedding…