June 29, 2012

Huge collection of rich Indian Handloom Fabric: Folksmarket.com

Check our rich collection of Indian handloom fabric through this short video. 

                                         (Indian Handloom Fabric Collection by Folksmarket.com)

We are an R-Commerce (Responsible Commerce) Company with an objective of providing the market to the highly skilled and amazing weavers and artisans of India and worldwide.

Geographical Indication registration process in India: Folksmarket.com

India is a vast country with immensely rich traditions. It is innate to the soul of India that its folks have been utilizing the Earth to make life of fellow folks useful. In the process, Indians have truly developed their skill so much that it had taken a form of a full-fledged industry which was appreciated by the world over. 

However with the modernization knocking the door and traditional way of production start replacing by the machine, the life of millions of such folks reached to a cross-road.

The human hands can’t match the pace of the machine.

At the same time, this tradition remained their identity for centuries, how can they just let it go?

Then came the realization of the limitation of the machine and its monotonous effect, not to talk of the environmental deterioration. The people at different corner of the world once again found themselves appreciating the folks skill and folks traditions. But then the dark side of the human greediness came. People knowing well the appreciation of the different crafts start selling their own lower grade products under the disguise. This is the precise reason why many times the sale of Darjeeling Tea registered more than its actual production.

This spoofing is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it snatched the ethical right of the people of different geography from their right of livelihood and on the other hand, it also brings a sense of the disappointment among its connoisseurs for their inability to appreciate the original product as they have experienced the spoofed product.

The Uruguay round of WTO was the harbinger of bringing a mechanism world over to prevent such anomaly in the market. 


 As per TRIPS Agreement 1994, “Geographical indications are, for the purposes of this Agreement, indications which identify a good as originating in the territory of a Member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin”

The GI Act contains a system of registration. Registration is prima facie evidence of validity. While the initial registration is for a period of ten years, it may subsequently be renewed. A GI may be registered under more than one class of goods.

Commensurate with the TRIPS Agreement, the Government of India has drafted their own GI Act: The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act (GI Act), 2003

How Geographical Indications product are registered in India
(This section owe a lot to a paper published by Mr Kasturi, Fellow, Center for WTO titled 'Social Economic Impication of GI' )

Section 11(2) of the GI Act specifies the documentation requirements for applying for a GI in India. Section 32(1) of the GI Rules replicates these provisions and in addition stipulates a few more documentation requirements that include, among other things, the following:

• A statement as to how the GI serves to designate the goods as originating from the concerned geographical territory in respect of specific quality, reputation or other characteristics that are due exclusively or essentially to the geographical environment, with its inherent natural and human factors; and the production, processing or preparation of which takes place in such geographical location;

• The geographical map of the territory concerned;

• The particulars regarding the appearance of the GI as to whether it is comprised of the words or figurative elements or both;

• An affidavit as to how the applicant claims to represent the interest of the association of persons or producers or any organization or authority established by or under any law;

• The standards benchmark for the use of the GI or the industry standard as regards the production, exploitation, making or manufacture of the goods having specific quality, reputation, or other characteristic of such goods that is essentially attributable to its geographical origin with the detailed description of the human creativity involved, if any, or other characteristic from the definite geographical territory;

• The particulars of the mechanism to ensure that the standards, quality, integrity and consistency or other special characteristic in respect of the goods to which the GI relates, which are maintained by the producers, makers or manufacturers of the goods, as the case may be;

• The particulars of special human skill involved or the uniqueness of the geographical environment or other inherent characteristics associated with the GI to which the application relates;

• The particulars of the inspection structure, if any, to regulate the use of the GI in respect of the goods for which application is made in the definite territory, region or locality mentioned in the application. 

 Upon receipt of an application, it is scrutinized by the examiners and in case any deficiencies are found, a notice is sent to the applicant to rectify them. After rectification, the applicant is required to send her reply within one month from the date of receipt of the notice. The next stage is the constitution of a Consultative Group of technical experts, chaired by the Registrar, to ascertain the correctness or otherwise of the particulars furnished in the application. Subsequent to examination, the Registrar may refuse the application altogether or may accept it either absolutely or subject to certain conditions, modifications, etc. Accordingly, on the basis of the comments provided by the Consultative Group, an Examination Report is issued by the Registrar. 

Compliance, if any, is to be done within two months from the date of communication of the Examination Report to the applicant. 

Once the objections raised in the Examination Report are satisfactorily responded to by the applicant, and the application is accordingly accepted by the GI Registry, it is advertized in the GI Journal, which is a bi‐monthly, bi‐lingual (English and Hindi33) statutory publication. Upon advertisement, any person may, within a specified time period (generally 3 months, but if needed 4 months), oppose the application in writing. If the application passes through the specified time period unopposed, or in the event of an opposition,if it is decided in favour of the applicant, the Registrar is required to register the concerned GI as well as the authorized users and include the particulars in the GI Register.34 Upon registration of a GI, the Registrar is required to issue each to the applicant and the authorized users a certificate sealed with the seal of the GI Registry.

Notably, the date of filing of the application is deemed to be the date of registration.

June 26, 2012

Rich Indian handloom Silk Fabric collection: Folksmarket.com

77S7WS93BDQM  The fabric made from the Protein fibre can be classified into two:
      - Keratin (hair/fur) fibres and
      - Secreted (insects) fibres

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It is the Secreted fibres that we are dealing with today. The Keratin fibre is already posted with the title Amazing fibres from animals.

The silk fibres are produced from various types of ectodermal glands in the mites, spiders and other insects. The silk for commercial purpose is obtained from the larvae of special kind of caterpillar Bombyx Mori. The silk worm either fed with Mulberry leaves in case of domestication or worm feeds Natural Oak wood Sal leaves etc

One single filament of the silk is the outcome of several process and hardship. Various steps involved right from harvesting the mulberry plants to domestication of the Bombyx Mori to reeling.

During the caterpillar stage the silkworm secretes a liquid protein from two large glands to wrap itself. This liquid protein hardens with the exposure in air. This resulting filament is bonded by new excretion of the liquid protein Sericin which forms a solid sheath or cocoon. Normally the moth breaks this cocoon to come out. But in sericulture the cocoon are boiled much before the moth can come out. The boiling loosen the Sericin and then the resultant filament is reeled into a reeling machine or charka. 

The silk industry is very specialized one. The entire process of silk reeling (that includes batching, cooking, drying, mounting, segregating etc) can not be done by the machine alone as lot of discretionary human intervention is required at all stages.

The different varieties of the silk can be obtained depending upon its feeding, reeling process, cocoon variety and human intervention. In general, the silk fibre/fabric can be categorized into following types:


It is one of the most widely available commercial silk produced from Bombyx Mori variety of the silk that is fed mulberry leaves and only mulberry leaves.


Muga Silk worm Antheraea assamensis is native to Assam, India. The larvae of this moth feed on Som and Sualu leaves. Owing to its low porosity it can not be dyed or bleached easily and hence its golden color is retained. The silk has a glossy texture and very durable to use. It is said that if cared properly the silk can outlive its owner!


Eri cocoon are open mouthed with discontinuous filament that makes them suitable only for spinning. The silk worm feed on Caster oil plant. As the moth come out of the cocoon and then the baves of cocoon collected for further processing, this silk is also known as Ahimsa Silk or Non-violent Silk. Like Muga, they are also reared in Assam. 90% of the Eri comes from Assam, India


When silk fabric woven with satin weave (where the warp cross over 3 or more weft threads). The satin finish give it a floating appearance. It drapes well and the silk gives it a luster and rich look. This is also a lightweight fabric. It makes stunning outfit. These days the synthetic fibres are also used for different purpose. However original French Charmeuse can’t be thought of without SILK!


Tassar cocoons have a compact structure different from the mulberry cocoon. They are single shelled and oval in shape. They are non-mulberry silk and do not produced from Bombyx Mori and as such not fed by mulberry leaves. They breed on local tress like Sal, Arjun, Saja . The Tassar silk worm also feed on any tree they live on. A high quality of Tassar will have a count of approximate 42-60 denier.  They are also referred, sometimes, Wild Silk as they are not domesticated with mulberry leaves. 


There is a natural adhesive present in the silk filament which is degummed. If the silk is not degummed, it is called as Raw Silk.


The silkworm Antheraea mulitt , live on oak leaves and fed on oak leaves. The oak leaves produce an irregular and coarse filament that is hard to bleach and dye. Wild silk is less lustrous than cultivated silk as about 11% sericin is removed in the degumming process. Standard wild silk filament is made from 8 cocoon and the count is 32-34 denier.

Floss Silk

Floss silk is processed from pierced, end-missing, and double cocoons. Floss silk is beneficial as paddy against cold weather and as a basis for hand spun yarns. The procedure to create floss silk involves degumming, opening-up and finishing


There are many waste materials eliminated during manufacturing of good quality silk. These wastes have commercial value. During rearing, pierced cocoon and double cocoon are created. Double cocoons are processed to make Dupion silk.


Silk reeling generates brushing waste, end missing cocoons and pupae. The rejected cocoons are re-processed to make Spun Silk. The count system of Spun Silk is same as Cotton with the slight difference for plied yarns. While 2/120’s cotton means effectively a cotton staple of count 60’s, the Spun Silk are generally represented as 60’s/2 that means the resultant count is now 60’s made from two ply filament of 120’s each. 


Noil and Gheecha are silk waste while brushing during the reeling process. They are re-processed and used for less expensive silk fabric. They have lower luster but still they are at par with 80’s cotton. 

Organza

An informative post was posted few days back about this. Follow the following link: http://folksmarket.blogspot.in/2012/06/types-of-indian-fabric-ii.html


Chiffon

An informative post was posted few days back about this. Follow the following link: http://folksmarket.blogspot.in/2012/06/types-of-indian-fabric-ii.html


Satin

An informative post was posted few days back about this. Follow the following link: http://folksmarket.blogspot.in/2012/06/types-of-indian-fabric-ii.html


Taffeta Silk

An informative post was posted few days back about this. Follow the following link: http://folksmarket.blogspot.in/2012/06/types-of-indian-fabric-ii.html

June 25, 2012

Handloom Silk Fabric Care by Folksmarket.com

Silk, not only, a smooth fabric but it also has inherent luster in it. Washing a silk fabric therefore requires bit more care than for any other fabric. But its not difficult as silk has in built tendency to repel the dirt and not always require the dry cleaning.




The below checks and process, if followed, can help sustaining the delicacy of the silk fabric and increase its life.

First of all make sure to read the instructions given in each fabric by the manufacturing group. If it says Dry Clean Only, then do not compromise or idle and get it dry clean only. If it says handwash, it must be washed by hand only, no machine wash. If the instructions permits the machine wash, even then, always prefer hand-wash.

Sometimes the instructions may not be there. At that time, you must check it on your own to confirm if you need to dry wash it or will the hand-wash do. So our step by step clothing will start from here only.

Step 1: Check color fastness of the silk fabric.

Rub the hidden part of the silk with each other and ascertain whether the color is transferring or not. If the color is transferring, make sure to dry clean it. If no transfer, you should go ahead and hand clean it.

Step 2: Shaking off

Shake off the silk fabric lightly to remove any dirt and crumbs of pollutants. The bigger and lighter dirt will be removed upto an extent and now you can go ahead and wash away more stubborn dirt.

Step 3: Choose the detergent

Go for a mild detergent. In India, you may wish to go for Baby Soap from Johnson and Johnson or Ariel Oxyblu . Abroad you may choose to Woolite or Dr Bronner’s baby soap. If none of them is available, you may choose any mild shampoo or baby soap.

Step 4: Soaking:

Soak the silk fabric in lukewarm water for 5-7 minutes. Avoid using hot water as it will brittle the fabric and may fade the luster, silk fabric is known for. Sometime the extreme temperature water may also stretch or shrink the fabric if the fabric, while manufacturing, was not shrunk.

Step 5: Rubbing stains

Gently rub the stains after soaking the fabric for 5-7 minutes. Do not rub it too hard to avoid damage. Also rub the stains in circular motions going inside from the circumference. This will likely to bring all the dirt together at one place which then can be washed off easily.

Step 6: Rinse and rinse again

Rinse the fabric till the time all the soap is not removed from the fabric. Rinse well so that no soap scum remains in the fabric to damage it. One smart idea is to take ¼ cup of vinegar mixed water and rinse the fabric. Vinegar will remove any soap-scum. Finally rinse with cold water.

Step 7: Do not wring or twist the fabric

Remember not to shake off the fabric to remove water. Do not twist the fabric to rid water off. Instead take a cotton towel, spread the fabric over it, and roll the towel up. The cotton towel will absorb the excess water from the fabric. There will be delicate wringing but that’s alright. Leave the fabric for sometime wrapped in towel. This will absorb good amount of water.

Step 8: Dry and iron it

The final step is to dry the fabric in a clothing line under shade. Do not expose it in sunlight as the sunlight makes the fabric fragile. Sometimes it is a nice idea to keep the towel wrapped fabric inside the refrigerator for 40-45 minutes. This will prevent the drying of the natural oil of the fabric.

Iron it using the silk indicator or very lightly warm iron. Its better not to connect the silk fabric directly with the iron. Use press cloth instead.

Follow the above instructions to care your silk fabric. Don’t forget that the silk is a natural fibre that requires your tender attention. Never use chlorine bleach as the protein fibre (silk fibre) will be damaged by this.

June 23, 2012

Indian Handloom Silk Fabric: Folksmarket.com

Good Eve folks! Today we would like to touch the silk fabric briefly. Silk often rhyme with elegance, softness and handloom fabric. Lets see how it is evolved and a cursory look at its properties.
  
The Chinese legend says that silk was first reeled by the Empress Hsi Ling She around 2700 BC. Archaeological evidence suggests that silk is used since 5000 BC, that is more than 7000 years from now!


Handloom Silk Fabric by Folksmarket.com
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Empress Hsi Ling She was sipping tea under the mulberry tree when she discovered the silk filaments from the cocoon. So fascinated was she that she started reeling silk all alone. She learnt to spin the silk and made some luxurious fabric out of it.


Besides China, traces of silk has also been traced in Indus Valley Civilization of India, Egyptian mummies, Middle East, Europe and North Africa. The discovery at Harappa and Chanhu-daro suggest that ancient people knew Sericulture (art of silk cultivation), employing wild silk threads from local silk worms. So much was the popularity of the silk that major trade route from Europe to Asia is known as Silk Route


Handloom Silk Fabric by Folksmarket.com
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Silk is a natural protein fibre coming from the silk worm (Bombyx Mori) who fed on mulberry leaves. The silk fibre has a triangular prism like structure that reflects light into various angles which results into the shimmering effect of the silk fabric.


Though silk is produced by various insects, it is only the silk worm that has been utilized so far by the textile industry. Though research is on way for other insects.


Handloom Silk Fabric by Folksmarket.com
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Silk are produced normally by two kind of worms. One that feeds on mulberry silk and other that do not feeds on mulberry silk. The first variety is known as Mulberry Silk and the other known as Wild Silk. Before the domestication and cultivation of mulberry silk worms, the wild silk was widely used. The silk produced from the wild silk is of lesser grade for variety of reasons. Important among them are quality of the silk fibre and other is the short filament as generally the worm tears the filament and comes out.

The mulberry leaf is fed to the caterpillar and after 35 days of continuing feeding, the silk worm spins a cocoon of silk. The length of the silk filament from a single cocoon could be as long as a mile (1.6 kms)!

The cocoon are boiled and filament is identified which then is reeled into silk threads.

Handloom Silk Fabric by Folksmarket.com
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The length of the silk filament is very important in manufacturing a high class fabric. Generally the more the length of the filament is, the higher is the quality. Short fibres are also spun to create low quality threads.

Silk is a strong fibre but it deteriorates with time and become brittle. The number of process involved, high end skill required and feeding expensive mulberry leaves make the silk fibre a costly but worthwhile fabric.

Handloom Silk Fabric by Folksmarket.com
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Today silk is used in virtually all the aspect of the textile industry. Be it apparels, fashion, curtains, wedding gowns, other home furnishing items, silk finds it use everywhere. The expensive fabric like Georgette, Chiffon, Velvet, Satin, all use silk as their primary raw material. The silk fabric is prized agricultural commodity, although its contribution in global textile industry is around 1%. 


Handloom Silk Fabric by Folksmarket.com
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India is 2nd largest producer of silk. In India, the best of the silk fibre are obtained from Bangalore, Assam, Murshidabad, Varanasi, Bhagalpur etc. The Bhagalpur earlier was called as Silk City but it is now replaced by Bhoodhan Pochampally (Andhra Pradesh). Assam produce three varieties of the silk: Eri, Muga and Mulberry. Of these three, Eri and Muga are native to Assam and North East of India. Muga is also known as Gold Silk as the natural muga silk will be golden in color.

The southern India has the tradition of wearing sarees made of silk and as such we see some heavily worked upon sarees like Kanchipuram, Dharmavaram, Pochampally, Mysore silk sarees etc.

Handloom Silk Fabric by Folksmarket.com
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Handloom Silk Fabric by Folksmarket.com
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Some of the important characteristic of Silk Fibres and Fabric
·   
  • Silk filament is a continuous thread of 500-1500 mtrs in length 

  • It is stronger than cotton and linen

  • Prolong exposure of sunlight can turn white silk into yellow and can also weaken the fibre

  • It absorbs moisture easily making it valuable fabric for summer

  • It retains heat during winter season, making it all weather fabric

  • It is resilient and elastic

  • Dries quickly

  • Expensive due to process and raw material (mulberry leaves)
This was a short discussion on silk fabric. For more information on silk and other handloom fabric, please keep visiting this blog and our website www.folksmarket.com. 

Types of Indian Fabric-II : Folksmarket.com

In our previous blog post we have discussed about the type of fabric with natural fibres. In continuation of that post here is the second part of types of fabric and discuss Man-made Fabric.


 
Types of Man-made fibre (in alphabetical order) by Folksmarket.com

(Please note that all the above images are taken from various sources. All credits to them)

Acetate Fibre



Acetate fabrics are cellulose based fabric obtained clinically by wood or cotton pulp. It is very valuable low cost fibre with good draping abilities. It was invented by Swiss brothers, Camille and Henry in 1905. They have a good and luxurious luster akin to the silk  fabric. They are resistant to the moth, mildew and shrinkage. Acetate Fibres are used in brocades, satin etc but they are not suitable for the winter season as they have poor heat retention property.


Acrylic Fibre



This synthetic fibre is made from polyacrylonitrile. It was Dupont Corporation who created the first Acrylic fibre in 1941. The fibre is warm, lightweight and popularly called as ‘imitation of wool’. It is also a low cost alternative to Kashmiri fabric.  It is resistant to the sun light, moth and oils and can be used as apparels for the babies as it does not deteriorate while machine washed. However it has also earned a bad reputation for being ‘cheap’ and squeaked while knitting.


Chiffon Fabric



Chiffon is a French word for cloth or rug. It’s a lightweight plain woven sheer fabric with alternate S and Z twist. The twist puckers the fabric in both directions giving it a slight stretch and rough feel. It is manufactured by cotton, silk or synthetic fibres. Being a soft drape, Chiffon finds it immense use in evening wear mostly as an overlay, bridal wardrobe and blouse. It is soft so it must be washed gently with hand.


Denim Fabric



Denim fabric is a big hit in global world. Its vivid texture and comfort makes it one of the must in everybody’s wardrobe across North and South of the globe. Denim fabric is a rugged cotton plain twill woven fabric. Like Chiffon it’s also borrowed from French word Nimes. While weaving the weft passes from two or more warp threads giving it a diagonal ribbing. One important weaving characteristic that is much evident in the Denim is the selvedge. The selvedge forms a neat and natural edge that does not unravel.


Georgette Fabric



One of the most demanding fabric in the fashion industry, the Georgette is made from the silk, rayon or synthetic filament yarns. It is named after a French folk, Georgette de la Plante. It’s a lightweight, dull finished  crepe fabric which is highly twisted. Both warp and weft are twisted in S and Z twist to give it a crinkly surface. Its opaque and slightly heavy with Chiffon but it is liked for its uniqueness and exquisiteness.


Nylon Fabric



The term Nylon is derived from New York and London. This is a generic synthetic fibre manufactured from polyamides. It was the first synthetic commercially successful fabric. It’s a silky material and became popular in 1940s with the increase demand of Nylon stockings. Originally the Nylon was intended to replace silk after silk become scarce in WW-2. It is used in fabrics, bridal veils, carpets, musical instrument and rope for industry and household. It is preferred mostly for its strength and strong flexibility. They are also wear and tear resistant thus offer a low cost fabric for the general folks.


Rayon Fabric



Rayon fabric neither falls in Man Made fibres altogether nor in Synthetic fibres. It lies somewhere in between. The reason for that is it is produced from the naturally occurring polymers. It is a versatile fabric that can be knitted or woven. Its soft texture makes it loveable for apparels and furnishing use.


Spandex Fabric 


                      
Known for its exceptional elasticity this synthetic fibre is also known as Elastane. Its great shape retention quality makes it the darling of the fashion industry. The spandex fibre can regain their shape even after stretched 500 times! Not only it fits better but also feels better. It was invented by Sandquist and Shivers in 1959. It is also known as Lycra in Britain. Today you will see a lot of sports-wear industry use Spandex as their major fabric clothing. The quality of shape retention finds it use in female undergarment as support hose.


Satin Fabric



Satin is a weaving technique. Normally silk, nylon or polyester fabrics are satin woven to make it called as Satin Weave. The satin weave has a glossy surface and dull back. With minimum number of interlacing it is a warp-dominated weaving. The high number of floats on fabric gives it a luster appearance. While “Satin” is used for the filament yarns like silk and nylon but if short staple fibres are used like cotton, it is known as “Sateen”. Satin fabric are very lightweight owing to the weight of silk and nylon. The glossiness of the fabric surely makes it a high class fibre and very popular in fashion industry.


Taffeta Fabric



It is a crisp, plain woven fabric mostly made from the silk or synthetic fibres. In Persian the word ‘Taffeta’ means ‘twisted woven’. It is considered to be a high end fabric mostly designed for wedding and party wears. Earlier it was produced by handlooms but now a days its production is dominated by mills of Bangalore, India. There are two different types of Silk Taffeta: Yarn-dyed and Piece-dyed. While Yarn-dyed Taffeta is stiffer and used in dress materials, the Piece-dyed is very soft and used in linings. It has a unique wavy or rippled pattern that looks like water stain and reflects like differently. It is very popular for female apparels.


Velvet Fabric



The shear name sounds the smoothness and lustrous quality in a fabric. Velvets are woven tufted fabric (tuft: fluffy threads that are closed in bottom and spread out in top like a feather) with a short dense pile. The velvets are woven in a special looms that weaves two thickness at the same time. The two pieces are cut apart and to create the pile effect. The two fabric are then wound on separate take-up rolls. Earlier it was difficult to clean as it attracts dust very frequently but modern day drying machines have made this job bit easier. Velvet can be made from the silk (mostly for high end fabric) or cotton/lines or wool. It is one of the smoothest and softest amidst all the fabric. It is used in curtains, beddings, covers and also the apparels. For high class look and price viability, this fabric is very sought after fabric.


Viscose Fabric



Viscose is a viscous organic liquid used to make Rayon and Cellophane. It is increasingly become synonymous with rayon. It’s a soft material that is widely used for women’s stocking and undergarments. These days its also used for lining and furnishing.

These are some of the fabric type which informs our consumers about man-made and natural fibres to a greater extent. The list can not be claimed as complete as the textile industry is one of the oldest industry of the civilization and folks have been celebrating the art of clothing and furnishing since ages and are still doing. Still the list surely brings out commonly used fabric.

Man-made fibres are being developed for the scarcity of the natural fibres, experimenting to create something wow and more environment resistant fabric. It however must kept in mind that many of these fabric are being manufactured by polluting the environment to a greater extent. It is our responsibility to balance this degradation. Many times these fabric are also not good for skin and creates rashes and irritation while going in sunlight and exposed to UV rays. For such persons specifically and every one in general, the natural fibreare great choice. And if it comes from the handloom of those bastions of traditional folks then its just like icing in cake!!