Category Archives: Working at Cotton Roots

Chic Upcycling – Coffee Sack Aprons

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We have been making bespoke aprons at Impact Trading and Cotton Roots for a few years now and it’s lovely to create new and exciting designs, but as a company that strives to be ethically and environmentally driven we wanted to find something that is normally considered a waste product that we could re-purpose into something new and beautiful. 

After some searching and a shout out on Facebook we were able to source some old coffee sacks which we brought back to HQ and gave to the design team.  What they came up with superseded all our expectations, two aprons, one which is lined and one which is cross backed and finished to an amazing quality.

We loved them and couldn’t wait to show people on our social media channels.  We love that they all have a variety of prints on them and no two are the same.

If you would like more information or would like to make an order please get in touch on 01908 511051 or sales@cottonroots.co.uk

Cotton Plant to Clothing

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At Impact Trading and Cotton Roots we sell, make, brand and sew with cotton every day and knowing where and how it’s grown is something that is really important to us.  The cotton industry is one of the largest industries around the world and demand is growing all the time especially in the last few decades as the trend of fast fashion has risen.

Cotton comes from a plant called Gossypium which is grown in hot countries such as India, China and the southern states of the USA.

The plant is grown from seed which takes around 6 months from planting to harvesting. After around 5-7 weeks from sowing the seeds, the plant produces a bud which is called a square, these open up into flowers and pollination starts.  The flowers last for around 3 days starting as white in colour, then turning to yellow, pink and eventually dark red before they fall off leaving the boll.

Inside the boll, cotton fibres start to grow.  Once the boll has finished growing, it starts to fill up with cellulose which eventually bursts the boll open and the cotton spills out.  This is now ready for harvest and processing. 

It takes about 350 balls of cotton wool to make one shirt.

A Spring Range for Barbie

Working at Cotton Roots,

The team at Impact Trading and Cotton Roots often take home waste fabrics or packaging to reuse at home, such as plastic garment bags used as small bin bags. 

This week we were delighted to get a photo from Jenny who works in our office, who had taken home some fabric scraps for her children who were keen to make some new clothes for their Barbie dolls.

We were delighted to see that they had created an entire spring range that any self-respecting Barbie would be glad to be seen in.  We all agreed that Jenny’s daughters are definitely heading towards a career in sustainable fashion!