GOTS Organic Cotton

Our certified GOTS Organic Cotton Sweatshirting + Rib is produced within a transparent low-impact supply chain and is available in stores and online. GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) is the international gold standard in organic textile certifications, and we’re proud to say that these exclusive GOTS Organic Cotton ranges are fully certified by the independent auditing body Control Union [1146287]. Our GOTS Organic Cotton Sweatshirting + Rib ranges are also accredited to OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and are manufactured within the Bluesign system.

Why Choose Organic Cotton?

There are so many reasons why organic cotton is preferable to conventional cotton. One of the biggest factors is that organic cotton uses far less resources! Global conventional cotton production requires over 250 billion tons of water annually. In comparison, organic cotton uses more than 90% less water, as well as much lower energy and far less CO2 emissions.

Organic cotton growing also uses only organic-approved fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides from plants, animals and minerals, decreasing your likelihood of exposure to unhealthy chemicals, as well as protecting farmers and workers, and their lands within the cotton production system.

Origin + Transparency

All of the mills involved in the making of our Organic Cotton ranges are certified to GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and Bluesign, as well as environmental accreditations FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and OEKO-Tex Standard 100. Check out the locations for various stages of the cotton journey below:

Raw Cotton Growing + Ginning — Izmir, on Turkey’s Aegean coast
Spinning — Denizli, on Turkey’s Aegean coast
Knitting — Izmir, on Turkey’s Aegean coast
Dyeing + Finishing — Marmara Ereğlisi, in the Turkish province of Tekirdağ

Uses + Exclusive Colours

Our GOTS Organic Cotton comes in two styles — Organic Sweatshirting and matching Rib. Our sweatshirting is a ultra-cosy heavyweight knit at 320gsm in weight, with a smooth face and fluffy fleece reverse. It's a breathable fabric made with 100% natural cotton, featuring a matt opaque finish and minimal mechanical stretch.
Our rib is 335gsm in weight and 130cm wide (non-tubular). This 100% cotton rib has been knitted with a 3x1 face and a 1x1 reverse, creating a flatter finish on the reverse and ribbed face. This clever structure gives the rib extra stability and density, creating a fully opaque fabric with a subtle natural stretch across the width, a dry hand feel and matt finish. Check out the colours available below!

GOTS Organic Linen

Our GOTS certified Organic Linen is a bouncy midweight linen, with a smooth aero-finish, earthy handle and beautiful depth of colour. Similar to our Vintage Finish Linen range, it’s a wonderfully versatile weight at 160gsm, suitable for a large variety of projects from shirts, shorts, dresses, skirts, to homewares and accessories!

This new Organic Linen range is certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) with independent auditing by Control Union [1146287]. GOTS is the international gold standard in organic textile certifications, and the certification covers so much more than the ecological requirements of organic status. It’s wide-ranging social criteria audits common supply chain issues including child labour, modern day slavery, freedom of association and collective bargaining, occupational health and safety, fair remuneration and migrant worker rights.

Origins + Transparency

We work with a company based in China to produce this collection. We chose them to produce this range based on an existing, trusted relationship purchasing designer deadstock fabrics, as they also mill fabrics for a number of high-end ready-to-wear fashion brands based in New York and Europe. Our GOTS Organic Linen is made with certified European Flax sourced from Crosville La Vieille in northern France, and carries OEKO-Tex Standard 100 certification. It’s processing and weaving takes place in mills within China’s Heilong Jiang and Jiangsu provinces respectively. All mills are licensed by GOTS and are also ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Harmful Chemicals) and FLA (Fair Labour Association) accredited.

Organic Linen Uses

Our GOTS certified Organic Linens are plain weave, non-stretch, woven fabrics with subtle, naturally occurring slubs throughout. As well as being super easy to sew, linen fabric has a lovely earthy feel, starting off crisp but softening beautifully in time with wash and wear, and these Organic Linens are a true testament to this!

Like our Vintage Finish range, they're machine washable and easy care, making them ideal for a wide variety of sewing projects including tops, dresses, loose-fitting pants, skirts and shorts, as well as lightweight soft furnishings such as tea towels, table cloths and pillowcases. Over on our blog you'll find loads of GOTS Organic Linen sewing inspiration, including our popular Sparrow Set and Ivy Dress patterns.

Exclusive Colours

We're slowly converting our Vintage Finish Linen colour range over to our new GOTS Organic Linen range. An extensive palette of our exclusive colours is already available, with more to follow over the coming months. Check out the current range below, and head to your nearest TFS store or jump online and shop!

Organic Hemp

We’re delighted to welcome our first four colours in our exclusive certified Organic Hemp range - Kale, Rye, Buckwheat and Pink Salt! We’ve been working on this project behind the scenes for quite some time, having partnered with our long-term linen supplier to perfect the handle and finish of this beautiful new certified organic fabric. Our Hemp is also certified organic and to OEKO-TEX Standard 100 - a worldwide, independent testing and certification system for textile products at all processing levels.

Why choose Hemp?

One of the most eco-friendly aspects of hemp is that it uses very little water, about 1/20th of the amount of water it takes to grow cotton and can often be rain-fed. Hemp can grow in almost all soil conditions, and unlike cotton (which depletes the soil of nutrients) hemp’s deep-reaching roots preserve the topsoil and subsoil. Hemp plants grow densely as well, leaving no room for weeds and competing plants and is less vulnerable to insects, which means little to no use of pesticides.

Origins + Transparency

Processing stages for hemp fibre growing and harvesting, retting, scutching, spinning and weaving are all located in Hei Longjiang Province, Northern China. Dyeing is handled in Jiangsu Province, North of Shanghai. These factories are socially accredited by BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative), ISO9001 and FLA (Fair Labor Association). They also carry environmental accreditations ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) and OEKO-TEX.

Hemp Uses + Exclusive Colours

Our Organic Hemp fabrics are plain weave, yarn-dyed wovens, with naturally occurring slubs throughout. These beautiful fabrics are non-stretch and opaque with a matt finish fabric and light bouncy handle. The pure hemp yarn creates an all-over heathered look with a delightful flecked finish and soft granular texture. Not unlike linen, the beauty of hemp is that it grows softer and softer with wear and care. One of the best things about this fabric is its versatility! Hemp’s natural UV resistance, antibacterial and breathability properties make it a perfect option for an array of garments. Think go-to dresses like the Ivy, billowy blouses and shirts like the Bloom, as well as all manner of homeware pieces. Head over to the blog for hemp sewing inspo!

Our Organic Hemp fabric range currently includes four beautiful colours, Pink Salt, Kale, Rye and Buckwheat. Our retail stores and Online Store generally stock all colours, and we recommend checking in for specific colour availability if you are after something in particular.

Upcycled Cotton

We are so proud to be stockists for The New Denim Project - a range of fabrics produced within a completely circular model, created by third generation family-owned textile mill in Guatemala. A circular system is restorative and regenerative by design, aiming to keep materials and components at their highest form of use and value at all times. These incredible denim, twill and chambray fabrics are biodegradable and are entirely created from upcycled post-industrial textile waste.

The Upcycling Process + Origins

The New Denim Project create this range of woven fabrics by collecting and sorting post-industrial cotton waste from local garment factories and grounding these scraps back into fibre. These fibres are then spun into new yarns again, to weave and upcycle into the collection of upcycled cotton fabrics you'll see in our stores. Isn't that incredible?!
The cottonseed and lint from their upcycling process is then passed on to coffee-growers, Finca San Jeronimo Miramar, to use as compost to cultivate specialty coffee in the highlands of Guatemala. Upcycling this waste back into local production systems, maintains it as a reusable and valuable resource, serving as food for new organisms. Yum!
The upcycling process minimises water and energy consumption and uses no dyes, chemicals or synthetic fibres. The lack of dyeing gives these fabrics a truely special finish which we love. You'll see a little speckle of history visible in the texture and colours of these fabric, particularly the denims!

What is Circularity?

A circular textiles system is one that is both restorative and regenerative by design, aiming to keep materials and components at their highest form of use and value at all times. In a circular system, natural fibres are enhanced and their yields optimised, and existing materials to be given more value, not less. Think of it as a continuous positive design and development circle! Circular systems are essential to minimising the environmental impact and decrease the amount of waste that goes into landfills.

Learn more about how The New Denim Project approach circularity here.

Our Range + Care Guidelines

Available in our retail stores and online are five beautiful heavyweight denims in an array of modern shades, four ultra-classic vertically striped chambrays, a plain chambray and two lightweight cotton twills. These easy-care, machine washable, pre-shrunk fabrics are a dream choice for any denim lover and are ideal for everyday wear.

When laundering these Upcycled Cotton fabrics, use a gentle detergent and cold water cycle, washing colour separately and taking to dry them in the shade. Because these fabrics are not dyed again during in the upcycling process, natural fading is likely to occur over time and with sun/light exposure. The nature of this upcycling process means that textural irregularities and slubs may also be found throughout this fabric. These characteristics are a unique result of this special upcycling process and are not considered to be defects. To help your garments retain their colour, it also helps to wash them inside out! These fabrics are also drycleanable, if you wish to do so, and a warm/hot iron can be used on a cotton setting for pressing.

Vintage Finish Linen

Our Vintage Finish Linens feature a uniquely ‘worn-in’ look and super soft handle. This finish is achieved through careful selection of Belgian-origin flax fibres, a specialised spinning process and a cold-pad batch dyeing system, certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100.

The OEKO-Tex Standard 100 is a worldwide consistent, independent testing and certification system for raw, semi-finished, and finished textile products at all processing levels. OEKO-TEX tests for harmful substances from a consumer's point of view, based on the respective purpose of the material or textile. OEKO-TEX testing ensures that these fabrics are free of harmful substances such as Azo colourants, formaldehyde, pentachlorophenol (to name a few), as well as a number of harmful chemicals that have not yet been legally regulated. For more information visit their website: https://www.oeko-tex.com/

Origins + Transparency

We work with a company based in Hong Kong to produce this collection. We chose them to produce this range based on an existing, trusted relationship purchasing designer deadstock fabrics, as they also mill fabrics for a number of high-end ready-to-wear fashion brands based in New York and Europe. Our Vintage Finish Linens are milled in Harbin (Northern China) and dyed in Zhejiang, by a cold-pad batch dyeing method which requires far less water usage and energy consumption, no salts or humectants and no bio-polishing. This is a slower process with smaller dye batches per colour, allowing the mill a greater degree of control and accuracy.

Linen Uses

Our Vintage Finish Linens are ultra-soft, non-stretch, plain weave woven fabrics with a lovely earthy feel and subtle, naturally occurring slubs throughout. They're machine washable and easy care, making them ideal for a wide variety of sewing projects including tops, dresses, loose-fitting pants, skirts and shorts, as well as lightweight soft furnishings such as tea towels, table cloths and pillowcases. Over on our blog you'll find loads of Vintage Finish inspiration, including our popular Make by TFS Lucie Robe, Bloom Shirt and Ivy Dress patterns!

Exclusive Colours

We're slowly converting our Vintage Finish Linen range over to Organic Linen! In the meantime, selected exclusive Vintage Finish colours are still available in stores and online, check out some of the remaining palette below. Don't forget to call ahead if you are after a particular shade!

Heavyweight Linen

Our classic Heavyweight Linen range is a popular heavy weight alternative to our lighter milled linen ranges, offered in many of the same colours. At 265gsm, it's a luxurious heavy weight and has an earthy textural finish, perfect for jackets, pants and skirts or homeware projects such as aprons, tea towels, cushions and soft furnishings.

Origins + Transparency

Our classic Heavyweight Linen range is produced by a family-owned company based in Hong Kong, with yarns spun from certified European Flax fibres and milling taking place in Jiangsu, north of Shanghai. We have a long and trusting supply relationship with this mill, which is the same mill we work with to make our Gingham Linen ranges.