Colored Cotton

Coloured cotton that no longer needs to be bleached and dyed? Does that exist? Yes indeed, and soon you will see it in our collection. Last year it came to our attention that some cotton growers were experimenting with coloured cotton. After considerable detective work, we found a local scientist in Turkey who is developing coloured cotton. We committed ourselves to this project and together with her, we dare to continue this innovative project. So Girav has now become not only a clothing brand, but also a cotton grower!

Coloured cotton that no longer needs to be bleached and dyed? Does that exist? Yes indeed, and soon you will see it in our collection.

Last year it came to our attention that some cotton growers were experimenting with coloured cotton. After considerable detective work, we found a local scientist in Turkey who is developing coloured cotton. We committed ourselves to this project and together with her, we dare to continue this innovative project. So Girav has now become not only a clothing brand, but also a cotton grower!

What is coloured cotton?

Coloured cotton grows in various beige and brown tones. You could also call it “primal cotton” as this is how cotton emerged thousands of years ago. Because these colours were not practical for the fashion industry, over the years cotton has progressed to white. After all, white cotton can be bleached much easier and dyed in a variety of fashion colours. With coloured cotton, you can skip this dyeing process, thus saving a lot of water and energy and eliminating the need for chemicals.

What is coloured cotton?

Coloured cotton grows in various beige and brown tones. You could also call it “primal cotton” as this is how cotton emerged thousands of years ago. Because these colours were not practical for the fashion industry, over the years cotton has progressed to white. After all, white cotton can be bleached much easier and dyed in a variety of fashion colours. With coloured cotton, you can skip this dyeing process, thus saving a lot of water and energy and eliminating the need for chemicals.

The first ‘real’ production

From the very first small harvest in 2022, we made several hundred beige t-shirts. This turned out to be a great success. The t-shirts sold out within a few weeks and received a lot of positive feedback. After the second larger harvest this year, we have now more coloured cotton available and can make more yarns and fabrics. Therefore, we could increase our assortment of coloured cotton t-shirts.

The first ‘real’ production

From the very first small harvest in 2022, we made several hundred beige t-shirts. This turned out to be a great success. The t-shirts sold out within a few weeks and received a lot of positive feedback. After the second larger harvest this year, we have now more coloured cotton available and can make more yarns and fabrics. Therefore, we could increase our assortment of coloured cotton t-shirts.

“Girav has now become not only a clothing brand, but also a cotton grower.”

Cotton Grower 2.0

Right now we are focussing on growing coloured cotton in beige and brown shades, two colour that are a great match for our popular “invisible undershirts”. Meanwhile, we are investing in research and development to offer coloured cotton in other colours as well. This will allow us to produce more garments made of coloured cotton in the future, thus taking the bleaching and dyeing of cotton (and the associated environmental impact) out of the production chain.

Cotton Grower 2.0

Right now we are focussing on growing coloured cotton in beige and brown shades, two colour that are a great match for our popular “invisible undershirts”. Meanwhile, we are investing in research and development to offer coloured cotton in other colours as well. This will allow us to produce more garments made of coloured cotton in the future, thus taking the bleaching and dyeing of cotton (and the associated environmental impact) out of the production chain.

Coloured cotton is the future

The team at Girav is very proud to be part of this project, but to really make an impact, more parties need to join in. Right now, coloured cotton is a costly exception throughout the chain. Scaling up is crucial to achieve an acceptable price. Right now, the project is not profitable, but we believe that it will be once demand increases. Are you a fellow apparel entrepreneur and also interested in experimenting with coloured cotton? We are happy to share our knowledge and experience. Please contact us at [email protected].

Coloured cotton is the future

The team at Girav is very proud to be part of this project, but to really make an impact, more parties need to join in. Right now, coloured cotton is a costly exception throughout the chain. Scaling up is crucial to achieve an acceptable price. Right now, the project is not profitable, but we believe that it will be once demand increases. Are you a fellow apparel entrepreneur and also interested in experimenting with coloured cotton? We are happy to share our knowledge and experience. Please contact us at [email protected].

Colored cotton T-shirts

From cotton plant to T-shirt