Often advertised as an eco-friendly fabric alternative to many oil-based textiles, the story behind soy fabric is not as peachy green as it may seem. As with any textile, soy fabric has its pros and cons, which are important to understand. So read on and we’ll give you the skinny on soy in this edition of the Fiber Watch series.

The Lowdown

Soy fabric is soft in texture and comparable to silk in the way it drapes. It is also very durable, and lends itself well to many different types of garments or home textiles like sheets. Thick soy fabric has even been proven to be warmer than wool, and definitely warmer than polyester, making it ideal for winter clothing and soft, cozy cover-ups. Soy fabric is also easy to care for, doesn’t wrinkle easily and is often more durable than natural fabrics of the same grade.

How It’s Made

Soy fabric is considered a man-made cellulosic material, meaning that it undergoes chemical manipulation in order to be turned from a plant into a fabric. The extensive production process involves breaking down the proteins in the soybean by exposing them to heat, alkalis or enzymes, after which they are filtered and pushed through a spinneret to separate the fibers into long strands. The fibers are then cross-linked to lengthen them using formaldehyde, which is an irritant that is mutagenic in certain bacterial and animal species and has been classified as a probable human carcinogen.

The Cons

Although the chemicals used in the process are often re-used, making soy fabric production a mostly closed-loop process, factory workers are totally exposed to the detrimental effects of these chemicals, as is the environment. And how many of the chemicals used end up on the wearer’s skin?

The Pros? 

However, soy fabric is made as a by-product of soy foods like tofu and soybean oil, meaning that the waste of the food industry is utilized by the textile industry, and soy is a renewable resource. This may seem like a positive solution considering that soy is used as an ingredient in many of the processed or packaged foods we eat, but no so much so when considering that 80% of it is GMO soy. The plant requires a large amount of water and pesticides for cultivation, although organic soy can successfully be grown on a smaller, more lower-impact scale. Another agricultural and environmental issue with soy production is the amount of rainforest land becoming compromised for the sake of this crop, which is causing massive habitat destruction, food shortages and rapid environmental change. So, soy’s sustainability and whether it is an eco-friendly fabric can vary depending on how the soy itself was grown.

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm…..

The story behind soy fabric is not cut and dry, which is only to be expected in our agriculturally confused age. If you are tempted by the texture and softness of soy fabrics and soy blends, try to look for garments, fabric or yarns (for the knitters among us) that use organic soy. You’ll find it through labels like Xylem (which is also made in the USA) and Intertwined Designs on Etsy, or by buying your own fabric through Eureka Fabrics. Hopefully the story behind soy can soon turn into a more positive one that involves far less GMOs and chemicals.

Main Image courtesy Intertwined Designs; Second Image: beggs; Third image courtesy Scent Station.

Related on EcoSalon:

Biobased Synthetic Textiles: Actually Better or Another Case of Greenwashing?

Are Eco-Fabrics Better Than Conventional Cloth?

The post Is Soy an Eco-Friendly Fabric? Fiber Watch Series Investigates appeared first on EcoSalon.

As Fashion Editor of EcoSalon and owner of an eco-boutique I talk to a lot of designers. This was my first time going to Market Week in NYC as both and it was as thrilling as it was tiring.

Market Week, if you haven’t been, is where clothing designers worldwide show their seasonal collections in New York City. Buyers from stores large and small come here to buy what best represents their brand. It is a tough, tedious job and forges a deeper appreciation for the fashion industry beyond hitting the shops with a girlfriend to check out the newest duds.

D&A, Coterie, Train, NOW Showcase and two individual appointments in studios kept my boutique partner, Amanda, and I busy as devil’s advocates representing an eco-boutique. (I admit, it surprised me how many people raised their eyebrows when we said that.)

Since we knew we’d really have to grill the designers about their knowledge of their lines for our eco-minded purposes, we anticipated this process was going to be a hard pill to swallow for some.

We were right.

If the price is too low, somebody’s getting paid to make it with rice.

On at least three occasions when we asked eco-designers why their price was so low, they didn’t have a real answer except, “We just like to keep the prices low.”

One designer in particular, looming over me at 6’2″ in her super chunky platform heels, couldn’t offer me much in terms of information and fumbled with sheets of paper as I inquired. Her heavily made-up eyes and fierce Frankenstein eyebrows finally communicated the message loud and clear: get the hell out of her booth. (I’m not kidding about the eyebrows.)

But cheers to my two new favorite eco-designers, Ethos and Toggery, who seem to keep it all in balance, designing truly beautiful pieces as well as producing at amazing prices. I’ll be telling you their fantastic stories soon – can’t wait.

Some eco-designers think just tossing up a sign that says you’re a sustainable designer makes you part of the eco pack.

Note to designers: one organic piece out of many does not an eco brand make. Thank goodness my partner and I scrutinized each and every label to make sure we stood by our boutique mission, which is to sell 100% sustainable materials. 10% soy and 90% conventional cotton? Thanks, but no thanks.

A caveat, though. I actually believe a compromise like that is fine if you’re just starting out with eco manufacture, because it takes time to learn and test. But for experienced designers, claiming eco status when you’re really not is just greenwash. (I wish I had the cojones to name names.)

To that point: Evolving into a sustainable designer is not a bad thing!

In one vendor’s booth (many of you would recognize the label) they’d pushed all their eco-apparel into a corner that was being dripped on from a malfunction in the ceiling. When asked about the eco-friendly part of their line, they were timid to show us what they had. Sensing their embarrassment, we walked away.

Highlights?

– Meeting Howard Brown of Stewart & Brown and getting to hear about his and his partner’s (Karen Stewart) passion for their line. And the fact that they were actually there instead of letting reps do all the hard work!

– Meeting Doucette Duvall in their studio and their offer to search remnant fabrics for us to create the pieces in their line that are not yet eco because they “love going on a hunt.” (Hunt more, ladies, and make it all eco!)

– Meeting Kate D’Arcy of Toggery, who designs from the perspective that every woman deserves to wear sustainably designed clothes made in the U.S. (that means beautiful and fairly priced).

– Learning from the ever-exuberant Celeste Lilore of Restore Clothing just how the plastics used in her line are recycled and made into fibers with touch bowls and great literature.

– Meeting the one and only Starre Vartan, founder of Eco Chick, editor of Greenopia and author of The Eco-Chick Guide To Life. Thanks to all her great social media head shots, she was easily identified.

– Eating as much delicious ethnic food as possible.

– Sitting and spending time with eco-designers I love and support.

I write all this and wonder if it’s interesting to you, this behind-the-scenes detail. I hope it is. I want you to understand how much work goes into those shops you love. All those online eco-boutique shop owners were there in the throes of Market, picking out some really great things for you.

You see, it’s not just a shopping free-for-all. They’re personal shopping for you.

Image: The Train New York

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