About Supima Cotton
Supima cotton is 100% made in USA, grown in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and the El Paso region of Texas. Robert Bryan Ltd. is a licensed Supima Manufacturer, which means that RB is certified to use this cotton in production and nobody is permitted to use this cotton by trademark unless they are Supima licensed.Supima was developed in World War II by Good Year and it was developed to go into the tires for the war efforts and what makes it so spectacular is the length of the fibers and the number of fibers per cross sections. Supima cotton is the longest staple cotton in the world, with superior strength and super fine fibers. The super fine fibers allow more fibers per cross section in a given yarn count. This in turn gives superior dye absorption and improved moisture management properties.
Sea Island cotton was even better than the Supima but Sea Island was totally wiped out by the Bowl Weevil in the 1930’s. There wasn’t even a seed that survived. Some still use the name Sea Island but it doesn’t exist.
Supima® Fiber of Excellence
Supima is the world’s finest cotton.Each year over 115 million bales of cotton are produced around the world.Of this total harvest, less than 1% or approximately 700,000 bales are judged to be good enough to be eligible to carry the Supima name.Supima, short for Superior Pima, is renowned for its superior fiber length, strength and natural luster.
Supima is an Extra-Long Staple Cotton (ELS).By U.S. law, an ELS cotton must have a fiber length that measures 1-3/8 inches or longer.The majority of Supima cotton is 1-1/2 inch staple.ELS cotton accounts for only 3% of total world cotton production.Supima is the world’s largest producer of this rare, sought after cotton.Supima’s larger supply provides manufacturers with more flexibility on sourcing their ELS cotton needs.
Growing conditions are critical in producing such a fine cotton. It takes a dry, hot climate where moisture can be controlled to produce the optimum quality of Supima.Consequently, Supima is only grown in the Southwestern and Western portion of the USA in California, Arizona, New Mexico and the El Paso region of Texas.Each year over 1,000 growers plant the Supima crop in the spring for harvest in October and November.
The “Supima” designation guarantees that the cotton is Extra-Long Staple cotton.Other designations such as “Egyptian” are no guarantee of Extra-Long Staple cotton, as only approximately 25% of the Egyptian cotton is ELS cotton.The remaining 75% is regular cotton that is grown in Egypt, but is still designated as “Egyptian” cotton.Therefore, the “Supima” label is the only assurance that the textile product being purchased is made of luxury ELS cotton.
Supima’s exceptional characteristics at the fiber level translate directly into optimum performance for fabrics used in both apparel and home fashion goods:
Supima Softness: Supima’s extra length creates softer, finer fabrics that have a more supple drape. The length also creates a more lustrous fabric surface less prone to pilling.
Supima Color: Supima uniformity in terms of fiber density and weight means that Supima absorbs dye at a more even rate that will produce more vibrant and lasting color in fabrics.
Supima Durability: Supima’s strength adds durability and the ability to withstand the application of performance finishes, such as non-wrinkle and anti-microbial, that can significantly weaken fabric strength.
Supima is the only ELS cotton in the world that is actively promoted and whose authenticity is verified at all levels of the manufacturing process.Supima requires its licensees to provide documentation of their purchases of Supima inputs.This oversight provides manufacturers and consumers confirmation that they are receiving products made of Supima.When you choose Supima, you are truly receiving the world’s finest cotton.
quote from:www.supimacotton.org
