Organic Clothing

Cotton has a romantic, clean and healthy image, but commercial cotton production is quite a nasty affair for both the people that harvest it and the environment—the facts of which have only coming to light in recent years. Quail believes that organic cotton ought to be the choice of discerning clothing buyers.

The organic cotton Quail has sourced is grown from non-GM seed in the north of India and certified organic by the Dutch inspection body, Skal, (similar to the UK’s Soil Association). The spun cotton is hand-loomed by a workforce of 300 weavers in a rural district in southern India. All fabrics are dyed using non-Azo dyes and only rice water starch is applied to assist the weavers in controlling the warp threads as they stretch them out in the streets of the weavers' quarter. As such, the cotton occasionally has small imperfections, but these add to its character.

The cotton also carries the Fairtrade label. Our primary source of Fairtrade organic cotton fabric is Bishopston Trading. Read more about the provenance of this superb fabric.