Polyester is made from oil.
Did you gasp?
I did when I first found out.
How does oil become clothing, and what does that mean for us as customers?
Polyester has become increasingly common in modern fashion, especially in the age of fast fashion, where clothing is produced quickly, cheaply, and in large quantities. Trends move quickly, and we want to keep up. Fabric choices are made with cost efficiency in mind.
We are buying more clothes, wearing them fewer times, and are less concerned about how they came to be and what is inside them.
In fast fashion, polyester is king. But what exactly is it that we are wearing?
Polyester is made from crude oil that is refined into chemicals. Those chemicals are heated until they form a thick liquid, then pushed through very tiny holes to create long fibres.
The fibres are cooled, stretched, and made into yarn, which is eventually woven into fabric.
Polyester often feels smoother, almost like plastic. You'll notice it doesn't wrinkle and absorbs very little moisture.
It has its advantages too. It's affordable, dries faster, and can improve wrinkle resistance and durability of natural fibres when blended with them.
But understanding its properties can help you determine how best it fits into your lifestyle.
Personally, I avoid polyester in my everyday clothing, especially for pieces I wear often. I try to keep it limited to activewear. I love my clothes to feel breathable, soft, and natural.
The more we understand what we wear, the better decisions we can make. For style, for comfort, quality, longevity and even health.
Good clothing shouldn’t only look good; it should feel right, too.
What changes are you making to your wardrobe?
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