Where we are from

Knowing where things come from and how they are made is important to us, and we think it’s something that should be considered as often as possible, by everyone. Understanding what we are buying into and how a product came to be is how we can work towards more sustainable and considered consumption, and play our part in looking after our planet.

 

This philosophy has been with us from the beginning of CloudCloth. Had we not been curious to see if we could find a local textile manufacturer, we may never have found out more about the history of cotton textile manufacturing that existed in the North West of England or discover the cloth that we have since gone on to revive and refine into the product you see today. We may never have found out about the communities, mainly in Lancashire, that were based around cotton textiles with different towns specialising in different products. Or learned of why the industry developed here - it was due to its traditions in spinning and weaving and the natural resources necessary for the development of industrialised production, such as fast-flowing water for water-powered mills and coalfields for steam engines. We may never have found out about the tree that once grew at Sunderland Point said to have grown from cotton seed that fell from a cotton bale shipment.

Even though we had some idea that the history was there, as is usually the case with history, there is always more to learn and it is always worth taking the time to find it out.

CloudCloth is a bit unique in this whole idea of wanting to know where things come from because it’s not just history that has played a part in our story. Being a natural fibre product it’s also a case of finding out about the raw materials that it takes to produce the cloths. We’ve been on a journey with this over the last year and trying our hand at growing our own cotton plant. If you’ve not been following along on Instagram we have the whole process saved in our ‘Cotton Project’ highlight. We’ve watched closely as they grew from tiny seeds to now being on the brink of sprouting their first cotton bolls. It has deepened our understanding, appreciation for and fascination of nature, and we don’t take for granted what these plants do to get our cloths made. We quite literally couldn’t do it without them.

Though we do think it’s our duty to understand our product from every facet, it’s not just about that. This process of learning and discovery and seeing how everything is connected has really brought a lot of joy. We hope that when you consider what to buy, that you can find some joy and curiosity in it too.