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Does anybody decorate with the bamboo fabrics...  

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dcwilson
(@dcwilson)
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05/10/2006 11:04 am  

A friend was telling me that bamboo fibre fabric has swept through clothing in Asia and is now coming to America and Europe. Are any designers working with this sort of fabric in furniture designs, etc., for interiors. Its supposed to feel silken, wick wonderfully, and be more durable (less prone to pilling up in the washer) than many synthetic high performance fabrics. And of course its not an exhaustible resource.


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Olive
(@olive)
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05/10/2006 5:39 pm  

Sheets
I tried some bamboo fabric sheets from Target. They do have a nice hand to them and so seem to wear well. Less prone to wrinkling fo'sure


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azurechicken (USA)
(@azurechicken-usa)
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05/10/2006 6:33 pm  

.
I am on my way to Target...


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dcwilson
(@dcwilson)
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05/10/2006 9:33 pm  

Olive,
by bamboo fabric sheets do you mean Target sells it by the roll, or in rectangular panels. What approximate size in say square yards, or sq. feet, or however them measure the stuff did you buy? And how much did it cost on a per unit of measure basis? Thanks in advance.


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Olive
(@olive)
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06/10/2006 12:40 am  

Just bought sheets
They were aleady made up into sheets. I bought a king size set, so it was whatever yardage that means. I just looked on Target's website and couldn't find them, so I've included a link to ones at Hammacher Schlemmer. I don't remember what I paid but it sure wasn't as much as these are!
http://www.hammacher.com/publish/73066.asp?source=google&keyword=bamboo+...


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Olive
(@olive)
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06/10/2006 12:41 am  

Bedding
I just realized you that you didn't think I was talking about bed sheets. Funny! Are you an engineer, perchance?


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dcwilson
(@dcwilson)
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06/10/2006 4:39 pm  

no, just a bone head. 🙂


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vivienne
(@vivienne)
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08/10/2006 11:48 pm  

hello.
Bamboo sheets!? and wallpaper? ive obviously missed some kind of "era", are you talking of real bamboo? There are nice cotton ones here on earth you know.


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vivienne
(@vivienne)
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08/10/2006 11:50 pm  

Before its taken as sarcasm!!!
just to say i have never heard of these things and really think you are talking of real bamboo?, is it comfy? and if your not talking real bamboo im sorry for being stoopid.


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dcwilson
(@dcwilson)
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09/10/2006 7:36 am  

Vivienne...
Don't shoot me, my luv, unless it is with an arrow through my heart. I am just the messenger. 🙂
At the risk of mastering the obvious for a pro, apparently fibers from the bamboo plant spun into fabrics and used for clothes and all manner of fabric goods are quite popular in the Far East the last several years. I do not understand why there is sudden interest in bamboo, but I can speculate.
Bamboo is quite prolific and can grow most anywhere warm and so it can probably be grown quite close to the producers in the Far East. In turn, I suppose it is potentially quite cheap as a bulk raw material because of large supply unconstrained by producer oligopolies and not having to be shipped around the world from California and the Middle East to the Far East.
Further, I suppose the rapidity with which billions of far eastern persons are coming on line economically and increasing their clothing consumption has and probably will increasingly put pressure on the price of silk which has a fairly inelastic supply and perhaps a rather oligopolized producer group, and to a lesser extent cotton, which may have a somewhat more elastic supply, but which is still oligopolized. Add in that synthetics are largely oil based and oil has spiked in price, and synthetics pose risks assoiated with possible oil supply interruptions as things heat up in the oil wars.
In the context outlined above, bamboo fibers seem pretty appealing as a foundation for clothing markets from a producers perspective. Fewer oligopolies controlling bamboo's price and supply perhaps, at least for awhile, I suppose.


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dcwilson
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09/10/2006 7:38 am  

Vivienne...Pt. 2
If Internet searches are any indication, interest in bamboo garments in America is pioneered by small, "environmentally aware" clothing producers of simple t-shirts and shorts. I found one or two second tier high fashion designers exploring the enviro angle in the use of some of their low volume, high style clothing.
I am told by my friend that European designers and producers are moving into bamboo fiber fabrics presently.
Apparently you can use bamboo fibers to make very light weight fabric very near silk in feel that wicks exceptionally well and is durable. At the opposite end, it works quite well for making a natural equivalent of fleece microfiber that has quite a bit of loft and warmth.
My guess about Olive finding sheets at Target is that the box stores and discount stores every once in a while just take a flier on something new and cheap from the Far East since most of the stuff comes from there anyway. It probably didn't sell all that well, because there had not yet been a top down marketing blitz starting with fashion houses in Paris and NYC. To a layman, like me, it seems alot of stuff needs that imprimatur of high fashion and the top down advertizing blitz before the new material can wind its way down into the masses.
Of course this downward migration of fabrics, etc., is irresistable, is it not? What's the old saying? Sell to the classes, eat with the masses. Sell to the masses, eat with the classes. Right?


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vivienne
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09/10/2006 1:59 pm  

Ah dc
I am enlightened.Thanks for your explanation and as i am always willing to learn i will get on the net and look deeper into this bamboo thing.I dont think that i will be following this trend however as i would feel i was depriving a family of pandas of their next meal!,(are there any panda families left?).Im off to take up archery.


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