Cotton

All clothing in the world began as a privilege for the rich, before eventually becoming accessible for the general populace; and cotton is no exception to that rule. It is hard to imagine cotton as a luxury good, given how prevalent it is in all aspects of life. 

Cotton plants have been evident across the globe in the same latitude zones of warmer clime belts, but woven cotton was first found in the Indus Valley civilization around 3000 BC. 

What started as a luxury import for the European continent, quickly became commonplace after East India company increased imports and introduced machinery. Sadly, even though cotton owns the place of pride as the first commodity to be traded globally, it was a part of the dark ‘triangle trade’ of shipping slaves from Africa to new world plantations, shipping material from plantations to Europe and finished products from Europe to imperial trading hubs. 

Kala cotton, also known as the Indian tree cotton, was famous for its super soft texture and its use in making the soft muslin cotton. Since the industrial revolution moved cotton trade away from Asia toward the Atlantic; the American exports grew to almost double. As a result, the tree cotton native to the Indian subcontinent is no longer as widely available globally as the mesoamerican cotton. Luckily, we at the Attic have curated some kala cotton pieces from homegrown brands especially for you!