Organic Luxury Towels
Origins of the Towel
It is thought that the modern towel was first created by the Turks between the 17th and 18th centuries. Two main factors contributed to the use of towels. The first was the use of special towels by Arab and Turkish brides in a ceremonial bath on the day of their wedding. The other factor was the Turkish baths, which required specialised soaking cloths for different parts of the body. Moisture-absorbing cloths were created specifically for the head, shoulders or hips to create a more relaxing experience.
The Turkish bath towel measured approximately 90 cm x 110 cm, made of cotton or linen. The Ottomans gave towels style, design and fancy weaving. With their expert carpet weaving skills, the Turks created 2/2 twill weave towels with extra-warp loop pile (loops of thread standing up from the cloth). All the towels were hand woven, adding to their reputation.
Organic Towels
The manufacture of towels developed from hand woven to machine produced. This increased the level of efficiency and lowered overhead costs, meaning towels became more affordable. Although hand woven towels continue to be crafted today, they tend to be much more costly. With the industrial age came great variety in products as well. Towels varied in colour, patterns, thickness, softness and composition. The range of towels also multiplied, including hand towels, kitchen towels, children’s towels, beach towels, sports towel, foot towel, wash cloths and so on.
Although originally made of cotton, organic bamboo towels actually provide a higher absorbency rate. Bamboo towels are thought to have first made an appearance in the 1960s and 1970s with the birth of the environmental movement. With increased awareness of the damage that the textile industry has on the planet, new methods of cultivation and manufacture were found, as well as new raw materials to use. Bamboo towels are exceptionally soft and absorbent, naturally antibacterial and better for the environment.
Tags: bamboo towels, luxury bath towels, organic towels
This entry was posted on Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 12:35 am and is filed under luxury towels. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.