Ramie was used as a linen-like fabric as far back as the times of Ancient Egyptians.

Ramie is an age-old fiber plant that has been made into yarn and textiles for millennia because of the extremely long fibers contained in it’s stalk. Though very similar to linen, ramie produces a lustrous, silk-like material that is soft to the touch and eight times stronger than cotton.

The first recorded use of ramie fabric dates as far back as 5000-3000 B.C., when it was used for the mummy cloths of the Ancient Egyptians. Considered a useful and versatile fabric by the ancient culture, the Egyptians obviously treasured it since it was used to swathe the bodies of their deceased kings. Historians have also found evidence of the textile’s use in eastern Asia in prehistoric times, from where it eventually spread to Europe in the Middle Ages. Ramie was seen as a cloth for nobility in Asia, whereas its counterpart, hemp, was considered more suitable for the peasantry.

Commonly called “China Grass” ramie is predictably native to China, from where it has been formally exported to the western world since the 18^th century. The plant is part of the cellulose bast fiber group and belongs to the nettle family, with Boehmeria Nivea being the species most often cultivated for yarn and textile applications. Primarily grown in Asia and Brazil, nowadays only a fraction of the material is shipped overseas to Europe and the USA, making it practically unknown to much of the western population.

Not only is ramie a natural fiber, it is also similar to other bast fibers like hemp and nettles in that it needs minimal amounts of water and no pesticides or herbicides to thrive, also providing nutrition for the land it is grown on through it’s biomass. The stems of ramie plants can reach 8 feet in height and can be harvested up to 6 times a year. Following harvest, the stalks are peeled to extract the fiber by scraping off the bark from the fiber layers and hanging them to dry. After this, the fibers are split into thin threads and hung to dry again before the spinning process.

Although ramie fabric is very similar to linen in appearance, the properties and behavior of the material can be different. Ramie yarn is naturally white, making bleaching unnecessary and allowing it to take dyes (yes, including natural ones!) very well. Like the other fabrics made from bast fibers, ramie textiles are extremely strong and actually strengthen when wet without shrinking at all.

The downsides of ramie fabric are similar to those of linen, in that it doesn’t take creasing well and wrinkles easily. Although ramie fabric holds dyes very well, heavy use of dyes or strong dyes can cause discoloration of skin or other materials that the dyed ramie is rubbed against, especially if the fabric is wet or damp.  Ramie, however, has the advantage over other natural fibers of being naturally mold, insect and bacteria resistant, storing well and acting as a shelter of sorts when worn.

Unfortunately, Ramie is still often processed chemically on a larger scale, making these manufacturing methods unsustainable. Several textile companies such as Habu Textiles and Telio use hand-processed ramie, and because the fiber is biodegradable, the two combine in making ramie fabrics closed-loop. Ramie stalks are said to contain the longest extractable fibers of any cellulose fiber plant and so when blended with cotton, wool or silk creates a large range of durable and versatile textile types.

Climatex Cradle-to-Cradle certified upholstery  textiles are made out of ramie and wool blends for furniture and interior design applications. Several fashion designers use ramie fabrics or blends in their garments including Donna Karan, Lanvin, Michale Kors, MiH Jeans, Levi’s and Gary Graham, whose ramie dress from S/S 2012 collection is featured above. Textile artist Mackenzie Frere has been experimenting with different dyeing techniques for ramie, creating wonderful renditions that truly showcase the beauty and texture of the material. Hopefully this fiber will continue keep alive the value of versatility in textile fibers and hand-crafting so we can continue to explore the wisdom of natural, sustainable textile solutions.

Image: Mackenzie Frere, Habu Textiles, Gary Graham , Mackenzie Frere

The post Fiber Watch: An Ancient Textile Is Making Its Way Back appeared first on EcoSalon.

From Philip Lim’s Fall 2009 RTW

One of fashion’s best design trends to enter the current style scene is the element of draping.
Some of you are fanning yourselves wondering if I’ve taken a punch to the head but I tell you, it is a gift to us.
Luscious fabric looped and laying in places you need it to camouflage abdominal imperfections, draped dramatically to show one’s décolletage or side-swept to pull away the eye from areas beyond our control.
Yes, draping.

According to the Institute of Draped Clothes, (there is one), “In the ancient world, whether in Rome, Greece, Egypt, or Mesopotamia, draping was considered the most civilized way to dress. It was the art of the elite to gracefully arrange the folds of elegant togas and other draped garments. This tradition survives today in the unequaled grace of the sari. Yet at the same time, draped clothing has been the daily working attire of ordinary people, from the old ‘great kilt’ of Scotland, to the sarong and dhoti of southern Asia.”

Current fashion draping trends have steered away from the kilt and sari proper but inspiration from the ancient world lingers in pieces from internationally-recognized designers like Philip Lim (above) and here with Donna Karan:

For a more eco-approach to draping I suggest these burgeoning designers who prove that draping can be done responsibly:

Sublet’s Catherine Dress at Greenloop

She-Bible’s Monarch Top at Beklina

Prairie Underground Mothette Light Dress at Embodies

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Donna Karan, whom many know as the famously successful clothing designer, has gone far above and beyond her call to duty.

Karan recently donated almost $1 million to Beth Israel Medical Center in New York for a Zen center that will provide holistic healing therapies to cancer patients, USA Today reports.

Her “Urban Zen Initiative” being piloted in Beth Israel Medical Center will feature therapists and caregivers’ integration of yoga poses and breathing techniques taught to cancer patients to ease the pain and anxiety that so often come with their cancer treatments.

Among the participating team is Woody Merrell, Karan’s own physician and the director of integrative medicine at Beth Israel, and her yogis, the husband-and-wife team Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee.

Karan’s own husband died of lung cancer in 2001, and a close friend died of brain cancer last year. The Urban Zen Foundation is based out of his former art studio.

Her initiative, which reflects the idea of mind-body wholeness, adheres to the belief that by naturally aligning the body, mind, and spirit through meditation, self-awareness and healthy living we’ll have greater personal peace as well as increased mental and physical health.

Beth Israel is hoping this holds true for their league of cancer patients looking for some new treatment options.

“If this is something we’re going to go out and convince hospitals around the country to replicate, we have to be able to show it saves money in the long run or at least is cost-neutral and you end up with happier patients,” says Benjamin Kligler, director of the research at the Medical Center to USA Today.

Karan believes the research attached to the one-year grant will undoubtedly show that hospital stays can be shortened and fewer anxiety drugs administered, which would save the patient and insurance companies money.

The videos – which include Hilary Clinton, the Dalai Lama and Edie Falco – are not embeddable, so visit the site to view them.

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