Rami fabric: composition, properties. Nettle tissue

A trend in the fashion world is clothing made of natural materials. More and more people prefer products manufactured on the basis of natural tissues. One of the proofs to this statement is the huge success of the fashion house Corpo Nove, which became famous for the fact that in 2010 he began to make a variety of clothes from nettles. The buyers of such products appreciated not only the originality of the materials used, but also the high quality of the fabric. In addition, such clothes have a health-improving effect due to the useful properties of the plant used for its production. In this article, we will talk about what is Rami fabric, what are its features and benefits.

Rami plant

Such plant, as rami, belongs to the family of nettle. In natural conditions, the shrub grows on the roadside in China and Japan. Two types of rami (scientific name - biometry) are used for making clothes: green and white. People even in ancient times learned to cultivate this culture, using it in spinning skill. Rami Snow White reaches 1 meter in height, unpretentious to external factors (temperature, humidity). The plant is sufficiently resistant to small frosts, but such a factor as a result will negatively affect the quality of the fibers. Cultivated in the mills of East Asia, in particular China, Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan.

Cultivation

Homeland ramie is China. It is in this country that people, since ancient times, began to grow this plant purposefully as a spinning culture. A little later, the cultivation of such plants began to be practiced in Bavaria, Belgium, Algeria, Mexico, Brazil, America (in Louisiana), Thailand. In our country in the 1990s an attempt was made to grow a ramie on the Black Sea coast, but the undertaking did not justify itself. Difficulties in processing ramie, the lack of a sales market led to the fact that today this culture in our country is grown only in small quantities.

Harvesting Chinese Nettle

First of all, in order to obtain a quality Rami fabric, it is necessary to properly harvest the harvest of Chinese nettle. Such a process should be carried out when there is a slowdown in plant growth and a change in the color of the stem from green to brown. In the event that Rami gather earlier, the fibers will be fragile. Fabric of such material will turn out to be substandard, without a characteristic luster, with a broken structure. If the grass is collected later than the required time, it will be practically impossible to separate the fibers from the stem. This will lead to a loss of time and volume of the finished material, and will also increase material costs.

Since rami is a perennial plant, its harvest is collected 2-4 times a year, depending on external conditions.

Fabrication of fiber

Even literally a few decades ago, the fiber from Chinese nettles was made exclusively by hand. And today, in separate Asian villages, masters process rami without the use of chemicals and mechanized vehicles. The biggest difficulty of fabrication of Chinese nettles is the separation of fibers from the stem. Such manual labor requires a lot of physical effort and time.

After the creation of special "Favier" and "Fora" mechanisms designed to separate fibers from the plant stems, the process of rami processing became much faster and easier. Nevertheless, after the separation of the fibers, their prolonged drying is required. This process takes on average 3 to 7 days, depending on the external conditions. Sometimes manufacturers of clothes from natural material do not pay enough attention to the process of drying fibers, which leads to a significant deterioration in the quality of raw materials and, consequently, to a negative effect on the finished product. In addition, another difficulty in the treatment of this plant is the elimination of stickiness and friability of the fibers. To do this, use a variety of chemicals.

The Rami process consists of two stages. The first is the primary treatment of the plant stem. Such a process includes directly separating the yarns, then drying them and winding them into rolls. The second stage is the weaving, that is, the fabrication of the matter from the obtained fibers. Thus, the creation of tissue from Chinese nettles is a long and time-consuming process. These factors directly affect the cost of such material and, as a consequence, the price of finished products. Therefore, such nettle tissue has not yet gained great popularity in European countries.

History of clothes from ramie

As already mentioned above, the ramie plant was used in spinning skill even in ancient times. People not only appreciated the unique properties of natural raw materials, but also noticed the healing effect of clothing made from a material such as ramie fabric. Therefore, things from Chinese nettles were sewn to order for the imperial family and the closest associates. Such clothes differed graceful shine, ease. Soft fabric was made exclusively by hand. But for commoners used damaged, improperly assembled fibers, hastily woven fabrics. From such raw materials, the clothes of a coarse style were obtained.

Today, also with the incorrect processing of such delicate material as Chinese nettle, poor-quality fabrics are obtained. That is why modern connoisseurs of clothes from Rami prefer to purchase raw materials in China or India - these countries have centuries of experience in processing a plant, making quality fibers from its fibers.

Traveling to the European countries was the white ramie. As the historical facts indicate, Queen Elizabeth I appreciated the fabric brought from far away countries. They say that even the bed of this noble person was made of nettles. In addition, similar in their characteristics materials were brought to the Netherlands from the peninsula of Java - a fabric called cambric.

In the XIX century, cultivate the plant steel in European countries. In some areas production of Rami fiber fabrics was established.

In Russia they spun from different herbs, including nettles. But such plant, as ramie, does not grow on the given territory, therefore the raw material has not won wide popularity. Nevertheless, the plant is still cultivated in the Caucasus.

Ramie in modern clothing production

To date, ramie fabric again becomes popular all over the world. Famous fashion designers make clothes from such material for world shows. Produce things from the fibers of Chinese nettles brands such as Twenty and Twill, Barberry, Lanvin. Some brands prefer combined materials, others sew things with 100% content of such natural raw materials. Consumers who appreciate the high quality and safety of natural materials, note the durability of ramie fabrics, as well as such characteristic properties as silky shine, weightlessness, the ability to keep cool.

In Korea, there is still a long-standing tradition of carrying a festival of Chinese nettle tissue. It usually takes place in the middle of June. Within the framework of such a festive event, several days in a row there are demonstrations of clothes made from Chinese nettle. Everyone can demonstrate their craftsmanship of making various souvenirs from rami. In addition, guests are treated to dishes that are used in the preparation of this plant.

Fabric Properties: Benefits

According to external characteristics, rami looks like a natural fabric, like flax. But studies have shown that the nettle material is 7 times stronger. In addition, this fabric is water resistant. Therefore, from the fibers of this plant, ropes and sails were first made and only later they began to sew clothes from this raw material. In addition, the quality fabric of this plant is distinguished by its airiness, beautiful, silky shine. These characteristics, of course, are the advantages of such a natural material as ramie (fabric). The properties of Chinese nettle threads make it possible to produce things that are different in density: rope, rope, paper and even banknotes are made from such raw materials, sewing towels and bed linens, and creating daily and festive clothes.

In addition, we point out another advantage of Rami fibers, as lightness in painting. After drying the plants, the filaments become white. This allows us to produce high-quality, repainting without the use of additional chemicals.

Nettle tissue practically does not rot, which greatly prolongs its useful life. Also note that such material does not shrink after washing, retaining its color for a long time.

Disadvantages of Chinese nettle tissue

But we can note the shortcomings of such material as Rami fabric. First of all, we will point out such a property as fragility, the appearance of faults at the folding site, and the lack of elasticity. In addition, such a fabric easily crumples, which gives a lot of inconvenience to the owners of clothes made of this material. But modern manufacturers eliminate such shortcomings by adding the necessary components to the fabric.

Rami: the composition of the material

Modern manufacturers, taking into account the characteristic properties of raw materials, practically do not manufacture products consisting exclusively of Rami fibers. After all, such clothes turn out rough, quickly wearing out. Therefore, to eliminate such shortcomings in the fibers of Chinese nettle, add wool, cotton or linen (depending on the purpose of the finished product). Thus, the combined composition of Rami fabric is obtained. What does this give? Clothing made of this material is durable, air-permeable ("breathing"), less friable and brittle, while retaining its characteristic beautiful shine and structure.

Note that many jeans manufacturers are increasingly adding denim fiber to Chinese nettles. This produces a soft cloth that can pass air. Consumers have appreciated such a novelty in the market of jeanswear and are increasingly choosing this natural material.

Manufacturers of clothing from ramie

To date, many popular brands - clothing manufacturers produce products made on the basis of such raw materials as Chinese nettle. In particular, such world brands as "Zara", "Mango", "Collins", produce clothes from a combined material, which includes fibers of Chinese nettle. So, the specified brands of clothes make jeans, business suits, blouses and shirts, trousers and skirts from such fabric. These products enjoy great success in the world market. Therefore, companies continue to expand such production, increase the volume of supplies.

In addition, manufacturers of products for pregnant women and children are increasingly opting for such raw materials as ramie. In addition to the unique external properties, clothes made from natural fabrics, according to the research, contribute to the normalization of blood pressure, blood flow, elimination of headaches. It is also important to note that this tissue is hypoallergenic. That is why clothes made of such material are recommended for people who are prone to skin reactions, as well as future mothers and babies.

Care of the cloth

Rami clothing does not require any special care. Products made entirely of the fiber of such a plant should be hand washed. Such a method will eliminate the formation of material fractures. You can also use the washing machine by putting the program "Delicate clothes" or "Silk" beforehand. The water temperature should not exceed 40 degrees. For washing you can use special powders and conditioners for silk. To wring out clothes from such a fabric is better by hand or at low speeds of the washing machine.

Drying is recommended so that the material does not undergo a sharp bend. In this case, the thing can deteriorate due to the formation of a tissue break. In addition, this material may leave traces of clothes pegs, which will be difficult to smooth out. Therefore, it is better to hang clothes from ramie loosely on a wide crossbar.

Clothing made from natural fabrics (in particular rami) is ironed at high temperature. At low it will be difficult enough to achieve the desired result. In addition, it is most effective to iron more wet clothes from rami.

Has other components of Rami fabric? How to wash combined materials? In this case, follow the instructions on the label. So, if the composition includes wool or cotton, the product should be washed at a temperature of 30 degrees. To iron such materials is recommended from the wrong side or through a cotton cloth. Also remember that cotton gives a shrink after washing. Therefore, it is not recommended to dry such a fabric in a washing machine.

Reviews of Chinese nettle tissue

Of course, it is difficult to find a consumer who does not appreciate the beauty and unique properties of clothes made from such natural fabric. Nevertheless, in European countries, as well as on the territory of the Russian Federation, ramie material is not widely used. This is primarily due to the high cost of such products. While such common materials as flax and cotton, possessing properties similar to rami, are much more affordable for domestic and European consumers.

Despite this, the owners of clothing made of such material as Rami fabric, indicate a high wear resistance of things. In addition, note such properties as softness, weightlessness. Also, consumer feedback indicates that the material is pleasant to the touch, and the extraordinary shine gives the clothes from ramie nobility, high cost.

Thus, natural material from Chinese nettle has unique properties that are the driving force that guides world companies to expand the production of Rami fabrics.