What Is Tencel™ & What Makes it Different From Denim?
The fashion industry is constantly coming up with new fabrics and materials that create unique styles and help designers and manufacturers realize their vision. You might be on the cutting edge of fashion, but even you could be missing out on this amazing creation! One of the materials that we love at Velvet Heart is called Tencel™. But what is Tencel™ and why do we love it so much? Learn more about this breakout material when you read on.
What Is Tencel™?
Tencel™ is a type of fiber that is produced in an environmentally friendly way—usually sourced from renewable raw wood materials like bamboo. Many designers choose to combine Tencel™ with other natural and artificial fibers to develop blends that include silk, cotton, wool, polyester, and acrylic.
Much of its popularity is due to the environmental sustainability of its production. In fact, Tencel™ is a USDA certified biobased product, it’s biodegradable and compostable, and it has even won a European Award for the Environment because of the low environmental impact of the production methods. One of the most important eco-friendly elements of Tencel™ production is the fact that production manages to reuse 99% of the water between cycles.
What Is Denim?
While Tencel™ is a relatively new product, denim has been around for decades—since 1873 to be precise. Denim is typically made of cotton fiber that is spun into yarn and then dyed. It has been used to create everything from jeans and jackets to dresses and blouses. Unfortunately, while it’s easy to make and incredibly popular, denim has a very negative effect on the environment including massive water consumption, transportation pollution, and large-scale destruction of critical ecosystems.
Many designers have been searching for a solution to replace such a key fabric in the fashion industry—a need that was met with the development of Tencel™. What is Tencel™? It’s the sustainable world’s response to denim!
Benefits of Tencel™
Beyond the environmental benefits of Tencel™, it also has a number of perks that designers and consumers absolutely love. Tencel™ is known to be incredibly gentle on your skin and very comfortable to wear because of its enhanced breathability. No chafing or sweating here! It’s also as easy to dye as denim and releases less color during washes due to its color retention characteristics.
A big bonus for those wearing Tencel™ in warmer environments is the moisture management and mitigation of bacterial growth that can be attributed to the botanic origin of the fabric.
Denim was so popular in the past because it was sturdy, versatile, and comfortable. The development of Tencel™ pushes past the denim benchmark in all categories and makes it a much better choice for every application.
What is Tencel™ to Us?
One of the most unique benefits of Tencel™ is the ability to drape it like you could a much softer fabric. While it may look like denim, Tencel™ can be draped like silk for a hard and soft contrast we adore. No matter which style of clothing you prefer, Tencel™ provides a better fit and shape than many denim products with just as much durability and bold aesthetic.
Find Tencel™ products in a variety of colors including shades of blue, gray, black, brown, and even printed designs.
Our Favorite Tencel® Items
At Velvet Heart, we choose Tencel™ over denim almost every time. Because the benefits of Tencel™ touch on environmental sustainability as well as personal style and comfort, it’s always a top choice among our designers. Our massive Tencel Collection mimics some of your favorite denim styles—with extra comfort and less of an environmental impact.
Discover our Tencel™ dresses, shirts, bottoms, and outerwear today!
The Tencel® Question
Now that you know a little more about what Tencel™ is, you might be more inclined to opt for Tencel™ before denim when you shop for your own closet. Experience the Tencel™ difference for yourself when you shop the styles available in our online store today.
