Making cotton behave more like synthetic fibers

Most performance fabrics used in athletic clothing, such as Spandex, are made from synthetic fibers—plastic, essentially—but Natural Fiber Welding (NFW), has found an alternative to synthetic fabrics.

NFW’s Clarus performance cotton textile can be used for clothing. The fabric is made from cotton that has been treated to partially break down the organic material and leave it stronger and denser. The result is cotton yarn that behaves more like synthetic fibers.

The process was discovered when NFW founder Luke Haverhals, working with a team of scientists, wondered what might happen if they partially broke down natural fibers and then welded or fused them together. The result is a kind of monofilament cotton. While the original fibers might be only a few centimeters long, the partially dissolved and fused fibers can be made much longer. This creates a stronger yarn that mimics the performance characteristics of synthetic fibers. Photos: Natural Fiber Welding.