15 Types of Natural Fibers for Various Fashion Items

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All types of natural fibers are made from either plants or animals, contributing to 32.6 million metric tons of production in 2024.

Natural fibers help offer a luxurious feel and comfort and are ideal for different fashion items ranging from clothing to furnishing.

Unlike synthetic fibers, they are eco-friendly and sustainable, so you need to know a few types of natural fibers that suit your fashion well.

1. Cotton

Do you know that the textile industry worldwide consumes about 25 percent cotton?

Cotton is a plant-based fiber that takes the plant 150 to 180 days to grow. It is soft, breathable, moisture absorbent, lightweight and durable.

You can find it easy to handle and sew.

Cotton also retains color and dyes well. It is ideal for machine washing and dry cleaning and dries quickly.

Moisture absorption, cooling, hypoallergenic, shiny, non-elastic properties are some add-ons.

Besides, cotton fiber is versatile in clothing such as shirts, dresses, childrenswear, activewear, separates, swimwear, blouses, suits, jackets, skirts, pants, sweaters, hosiery, and neckwear.

It also drapes well and is used to make home furnishings, including draperies, bedspreads, curtains, comforters, throws, sheets, towels, tablecloths, table mats, and napkins.

2. Linen (Flax)

Natural linens are spun fibers from the stalks of flax plants.

There are multiple types of linens, such as Belgian linen, Irish, Fleeing, Italian, and Indian.

Linens are strong and durable elastic plastics with tenacity, hygroscopic, and thermal properties. They ventilate well and dry quickly.

Besides, these fibers are firm, easy to process, and contain anti-allergic and anti-bacterial properties.

However, they wrinkle faster than other types of fabric. And they may feel prickly sometimes.

Linens are ideal for fashion, bedding, workwear, curtains, and home decor items such as suits, bed sheets, pillowcases, blankets, towels, upholstery, thread, aprons, bags, napkins, tablecloths, and diapers.

They are perfect for summer wear, including skirts, shirts, and dresses.

3. Wool

Wool comes from the fleece of animals, including sheep, goats, alpacas, yaks, beaves, and rabbits.

Wool fibers are insulating, moisture-wrecking, soft, odor-resistant, elastic, fire-resistant, hypoallergenic, and durable. They are ideal for knitting, weaving, spinning, crocheting, stuffing and felting.

However, they are not as strong as cotton and linen.

There are several types of wool, including lambswool, tropical wool, boiled wool, raw wool, recycled wool, worsted and wool felted wool.

Based on the wool-producing animals, fleece has three layers: soft, coarse, and rug.

Wool fiber is perfect for cold-climate clothing and home decor, such as sweaters, socks, gloves, coats, curtains, carpets, and ropes.

4. Hemp

Hemp fibers are three times stronger and durable than cotton. As a plant fiber, hemp is breathable, resistant to mold, mildew, and rot, and machine-washed and dried.

It is also abrasion-resistant, anti-microbial, and UV-resistant and comes in different natural colors, including creamy white, green, grey, brown, and almost black.

They also dye well with high absorbency. However, they wrinkle easily and have poor traceability.

Due to their thermo-regulating properties, hemp clothes such as dresses, coats, separates, skirts, jackets, pants, blouses, and childrenswear are ideal for year-round climates.

Hemp fibers are also used in home fashion items, including curtains, sheets, draperies, upholstery, and dish towels.

5. Bamboo

Bamboo fiber is cellulosic-based fiber from the pulp of the bamboo stem.

Depending on the manufacturing methods, bamboo fiber has three types: viscous bamboo fiber, lyocell-type bamboo fabric, and mechanically produced bamboo fiber.

It is soft, drapeable, anti-static, highly sweat-absorbent, antibacterial, and durable.

Besides, bamboo fibers have abrasion resistance and breathability properties.

They are smooth and luxurious to the touch, making them cool and comfortable to wear. They do not stick to the skin even in hot summer.

These fibers are mostly used in clothing, including sportswears, shirts, underwear, and socks.

They are also used in sanitary items such as bandages, surgical clothes, masks, and nurses’ wear. Some bamboo home fashions include curtains, bath towels, television covers, bedding wallpaper, and sofa slipcovers.

6. Silk

The silk fiber is created by the Bombyx mori silkworm.

There are several types of silk, including Chiffon, Crêpe de chine, Dupion, Habutai, Organza, Charmeuse, Taffeta, and Velvet.

They are strong, elastic, flexible, absorbent, and fast-drying.

Besides, silks have breathable, antibacterial, antimicrobial, and hypoallergenic properties. Because of their thermal regulatory ability, you can wear silk clothes for all seasons.

Due to their shiny and soft quality, they offer a luxurious feel and appearance.

Silk fibers make undergarments, nightgowns, blouses, coats, medical dressings, and robes. They are also used for sportswear, curtains, pillow ruffles, parachutes, and bicycle tires.

7. Jute

Jute fiber is also known as the golden fiber for its yellowish-brown and shiny appearance.

There are mainly three types of jute: white, tossa and mesta with natural colors such as brown and off white. It is lightweight, breathable, rough, and durable.

The fiber can absorb water, dry quickly, and remain resistant to abrasion and stains. Due to its thickness and pliability, jute is easy to work with when processing.

However, it easily wrinkles because of low crease resistance and becomes weak when soaked.

Besides, it doesn’t drape well and retain much heat.

Anyway, Jute fibers are ideal for clothing for hot and humid climates. They are used to make shirts, dresses, skirts and jackets, bags, ropes, upholstery, carpet, rugs,  curtains and canvas.

8. Ramie

Do you know ramie is known as China grass? China pioneered cultivating ramie for weaving clothing.

Ramie fiber is absorbent, resistant to mildew, rotting, stain, strong and durable. It also quickly dries, dyes well and increases in strength when wet.

The plant fiber develops a smooth, lustrous appearance that improves after washing.

It is similar to linen, but has low quality. It is also stiff and brittle, with low twisting, low in resiliency, elasticity and elongation potential.

Though it has the ability to keep its shape and does not shrink, it wrinkles easily.

However, ramie fibers are used to make filter cloths, packing materials, industrial sewing thread, and fishing nets.

9. Coir

Coir fiber comes from the husk of coconuts, which is stiff and coarse.

Based on the species, coir has two types: brown and white coirs. They are adorable, elastic, strong, durable, versatile, and resistant to saltwater.

Besides, these fibers are brittle, lightweight, and elastic, with a nature to curl.

Coconut fibers are not popularly used for producing clothing due to their rough and coarse texture. Sweater from coconut wastes has already in the market so the fiber has a sustainable future in clothing too.

Besides, they are famous for home decor items such as floor mats, doormats, twine, brushes,and cordage.

Cushion stuffing for furniture and car seats, ropes, and netting are also made of coir.

10. Seacell

Seacell is a new and growing fiber in the textile industry for its skin and comfort benefits.

It is sourced from edible brown seaweed and processed with cellulose from trees to get a fabric through Lyocell.

The modern sustaible fiber contains antibiotic properties and full of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. It is also moisture-wicking, breathable, and lightweight.

Besides, they are sun-protective, mildew-resistant, and bacteriostatic.

Due to their durability, comfort, and thermoregulation, seacell fibers are used in a wide range of sports and leisure textiles, from underwear and loungewear to soft home fashions.

11. Sisal

Do you know that 4.5 million tons of sisal fibers are produced annually?

They are suitable for rope, yarn, twine, polishing, buff carpets, construction materials, and doormats.

Farmers extract sisal fibers from the Agave sisalana plant, which has rosettes of sword-shaped leaves. These leaves are beaten in decortication, separating the fibers from the pulp and other plant parts.

The fibers are smooth, straight, and yellow.

They are also relatively coarse and rigid to get long or short fibers. Talking about their properties, they are durable and resistant to deterioration in saltwater.

As fibers are anti-static, they don’t bait dust, making them the ideal option for high-traffic areas like hallways and entryways.

They dye well and are used for rugs and carpets, high-quality sofas, and wadding mats.

12. Kapok

Kapok fibers are smooth, warm, lightweight, and hypoallergenic, extracted from the fruit of the kapok tree.

They come in natural colors from yellowish to light brown.

These fibers are buoyant with properties with a large, hollow lumen that helps repel water and traps air bubbles. They can wick away as much as 30 times its weight in water.

Due to the waxy surface hydrophobic nature, kapok fibers are used as a filling for life jackets.

They also resist clumping, meaning they retrieve their shape after watching, so commonly applied when stuffing dolls and soft toys. You can also use them as stuffing in mattresses, pillows, and upholstery.

Ceiba and Java Cotton and Kapok fibers are ideal for spinning, weaving, and dyeing projects. However, they have challenges in mass adoption of clothing.

13. Lyocell (Tencel)

Tyocell is a semi-synthetic fiber made of cellulose derived from wood pulp, often eucalyptus, oak, bamboo, and birch trees.

It is soft to the touch, antibacterial, resistant to pilling than cotton, moisture wrecking,  insulating and breathable.

Also, lyocell fibers can be blended with other fibers, including cotton, polyester, acrylic, silk, and wool.

Today, these fibers are increasingly popular in sustainable fashion, especially in activewear, making them ideal for all kinds of sports and exercise.

14. Lotus Fiber

To all surprise, fibers from lotus are also possible! Lotus fibers are sourced from the stem, seed head, and roots.

They are soft, breathable, crease, pilling resistant, elastic, and moisture absorber.

These cellulosic fibers are rare and luxurious fibers and often come in milky yellow in color. Besides, they also protect the skin from  UV radiation.

They can prevent 98% of harmful UV rays from outdoor sunlight and protect the skin from damage and premature aging.

Lotus fibers are used in luxury textiles, including scarves, shawls, and clothing.  They also make good bedding, upholstery, and drapery products.

As these fibers have water-resistant properties, they are also a good choice for fishing nets, ropes, and aquatic equipment.

They are also used in paper making and handicrafts, including bags, baskets, and other woven items.

15. Abaca

Unlike others, Abaca fiber is obtained from the leaf stalks of Abaca, which are native to the Philippines.

Resembling banana, Abaca provides fiber in different colors, including brown, red, purple, and black, depending on the plant variety.

Abaca fibers are strong, flexible, buoyant, and resistant to damage in water, especially saltwater. This helps them to make good merin equipment such ships’ ropes, hawsers, and fishing nets.

They are also used for paper, carpets, and table mats.

Besides, the inner fibers of Abaca are lightweight and strong and used for textiles, hats, and shoes.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re a grower or a consumer, when choosing types of natural fibers, you need to consider some factors: the desired feel and function of the fabric, breathability, sustainability, and skin comfortability.

Each fiber has unique properties, for example. Cotton is ideal for softness, linen for coolness, silk for luxury, hemp for durability, and wool for insulation.

Also, check the label in the market to ensure the fiber is truly natural and sustainable fashion items.