Labels: Cotton

A gentle, discreet companion, gifted with the qualities of those who know how to always be there…since ever! Cotton fibers aren’t only friendly, they are also millennial! The first traces of its presence on the planet date back to 9000 years ago, when the seeds of the Gossypium plant were found in the Indus Valle. Spread among the Maya, the Aztec and the Indus civilizations, the production of cotton reached Europe only around 350 b.C., during Alexander the Great’s empire: in the following centuries and up until 1400, it became a luxury thing, whose appeal changed only after the discovery of America (and people who amazed European conquistadores for their knowledge of the material). As it already happened with wool, between the 18th and the 19th century the industrial revolution set off England’s leadership, but cotton became an important source of income in the United States as well, especially in those southern states affected by slavery: the election of President Abraham Lincoln in March 1861 focused the debate on that issue, ant the victory of North in the American Civil War definitely ended such plague.

The modern business of cotton estabilished after the invention of mechanical frames and vapor technologies, able to make the process of seeds harvest faster. The seeds are cleaned from leaves, dust and ground in order to separate the fibers, organized in huge bales: inside another machinery, they become few centimeters long, wrapped to create filaments used to produce fabrics. In such phase cotton becomes less friendly, assuming unpredictable shades: from denim’s strength to sponge’s roughness and fustian’s hardness, nature can be the protagonist of multiple lives.

A perfection reflection of it is FILA SPORT’s history, able to combine yarn’s quality with the practicality of all the underwear pieces produced until then. Since its debut, comfortable tennis outfits, the Biellese brand has been teaching that physical activity is not only about sweat and efforts, but also about a conscious research of wellness. Also related to style: our cotton fibers might be friendly, but they don’t forget about looks, no doubt about it!