A guide to ramie fabric: the finest applications of sustainable fashion
Ramie is a natural fabric coming from the Old East, and a perfect sustainable alternative to silk. Find out its applications!
Also called china grass or ramia, ramie is a fabric obtained from natural fibres, just like linen or bamboo. Discover its features and how to take care of it correctly.
Ramie: what is it and where does it come from?
Ramie has a cellulose fibre, obtained through a complex extraction process, which makes it an expensive and premium fabric. Its fibres are obtained from Boehmeria nivea and utilis plants: white ramie is obtained from the first, while green ramie from the second. These plants grow especially in China and Malaysia, where they were used in the past to make clothes.
During harvesting, nothing of this raw material goes to waste, and this is why it is such an environmentally sustainable fabric. Fibre is obtained from the plant bark, while its cellulose is used to make fine paper, and its leaves as animal feed.
Ramie's main characteristics
Despite being little known, ramie is a delicate and fine fabric: its fibre is white and shiny, and this makes it very similar to silk, to which it is a valid alternative.
Soft to the touch, ramie is a fresh and resistant fabric, which can last a long time, if you know how to take care of it. One of its main characteristics is its non-shrinking ability, to always retain the perfect shape. In addition, it does not fade over time, not even after being exposed to the sun for a long time, and it dries quickly.
Ramie fabric applications in sustainable fashion
Being a very versatile textile fabric, ramie applications are manifold. In the furnishing sector, ramie fibres are used to make elegant tablecloths and napkins, and also top quality pillowcases and blankets.
Concerning the fashion sector, this fabric is used mainly by sustainable fashion brands: ramie shirts, trousers, scarves are gems for true natural fabric connoisseurs. Even if it is possible to find clothes made 100% with ramie, those with mixed ramie compositions are of top qualities.
Ramie or mixed ramie fabrics maintenance tips
Those fabrics do not require particular effort to be preserved. Ramie or mixed ramie clothes can be washed both with water and dry cleaned, and they can resist to a lot of stress, and high-temperature washing, even above 100°C. However, since it is a premium fabric, we recommend washing clothes and linen made with it in the washing machine, at 40°C, separating them based on their colours.
When it comes to drying, we recommend opting for natural methods or using a program for delicate fabrics in the drier. Take care of your premium fabrics, such as ramie, with Haier SuperDrum Series 9 washer-drier, to achieve professional results, thanks to the hi-tech washing and drying solutions.
