In our last post, we mentioned that we would be talking about a new fabric available to Enlightening Fashion called Tencel®.  As it turns out, Tencel® has been around in America since 1992, and was given a generic name of lyocell in 1996.  Tencel® is simply the registered name for lyocell (bet you couldn’t tell from all those “®” ).  We’re going to talk a little about what makes this fiber unique, and why it is such an environmentally friendly choice.  We’re NOT going to be boring or scientific…In fact, if you really want to dive into not only the history, but the manufacturing process in a much more detailed manner we recommend checking out http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Lyocell.html.

The most unique thing about lyocell is that it is made from cellulose, which is found in the cells of all plants.  More specifically, Tencel® is made from the pulp of hardwood trees.  This makes the product 100% biodegradable…you read that right!  Don’t worry, you can still machine wash it, and it won’t start breaking down on you.

Just because it's biodegradable doesn't mean you have to look like this guy-- Dov Charney; CEO American Apparel & Proud Canadian

The fiber is made from wood pulp chips, turned into a sludge-like mixture, mixed with non toxic amine oxide, put through spinnerets (think garden hose shower setting), dried, separated into strands, and sent to the mill.  Entire time for this process?  About two hours.  Also, about 99% of the amine oxide is recovered and recycled during the manufacturing process.   There is little waste that goes into the air, and since it is based entirely on cellulose, no waste is toxic.  Unlike cotton, NO bleach is used and no chlorine.  Products made from lyocell can be recycled, incinerated, or digested in sewage.  When in a waste treatment plant, it completely decomposes in only eight days.

Wait a minute...Wood Pulp? What about the trees!?

Tencel® is exclusively produced by Lenzing AG of Lenzing, Austria.  It’s not just manufacted in Austria however.  They have additional plants in Mobile, Alabama, and Grimsby, England.  Because of exclusive patents and technology, Lenzing is able to produce their product in an environmentally conscious way—Tree farms.  The tree farms have been established on land unsuitable for food crops or grazing.  When you buy something that is made from Tencel®, you know that you are going to be getting a fabric that has been produced in the most sustainable and eco-friendly way imaginable.

The fabric feels similar to rayon.  It is soft and breathable and is perfect for travel.  That’s because it is lightweight, and does not wrinkle.  Even when machine washed (cold) it shouldn’t shrink more than about 3% the first time.  Subsequent washes show no shrinking at all.

I should have packed more Tencel shirts

This is such a quality fabric that we just had to tell you about it.  The impact it has on the environment is minimal, and it is just a great looking, great feeling product!  We will be expanding our offerings of this fabric as it becomes more available.  Thank you for reading, and please share our blog and this info!

You can purchase this Tencel polo directly from us; FREE SHIPPING!

Talking About Tencel® Choice.

When you have literally over 1500 products and about 60 different brands to choose from, it can definitely be overwhelming separating the unique from the same old-same old.  We’re always interested in checking out what’s new from our suppliers, because of course we want to pass on that knowledge on to our own customers and show that you don’t always have to have just the same basic apparel options to choose from.

Of course, we’re happy to print on the regular t-shirts and other apparel, and let’s face it…the major name brands (Hanes, Anvil, Gildan, Fruit of the Loom) are the most cost effective.  We’ll print whatever you like, on whatever garment you choose and we’ll stand by that print because at the end of the day, we are screen printers and printing your custom logo, or design is primarily what we do (we can also help you come up with a logo or design).

So what about all these different products and materials and this stack of catalogs with beautiful images and descriptions?  We’d be remiss if we didn’t at least share some of the highlights of the more unique offerings we have access to.  From what I can tell, nobody else in this area even wants to talk about doing something a little different.  They’re anxious to take your money, print that item, and get you out the door.  Oh, and did they mention they’re going to charge you a fee when you re-order, and another fee for the screen, and probably another fee for choosing a color garment instead of a white garment?

Frustrating Fees

We’ll talk about fees, and why it’s a standard practice in our industry in a future blog.  However, we’ll also quickly let you in on something completely different Enlightening Fashion offers:  No Fees Screen Printing.  No Set Up.  No Screen Fee.  No Reorder Charges.  No hidden fees anywhere.  While we’re on the topic of saving money, we also want to mention that not only have we cut out fees, we also plan to have even more money saving promotions this year that we are really excited about rolling out.  Not to mention the chance to earn $25 Gift Cards for referring friends, plus scoring some free t-shirts with our Facebook contests.

So the original topic was supposed to be about Tencel…which is a pretty neat fabric as it turns out.  Part of the blog plan here is to talk about some of these little gems we come across and I promise I won’t get off on a totally different topic every time I post something.  We’ll get to what Tencel is next time around.  Yet thinking about all these different products and services we offer also led me to another conclusion:  Choice.  We want to give you a choice and a selection of items that are as unique as the item we are going to print for you.  Ultimately however…we want you to choose Enlightening Fashion when it comes to promoting your event, business, cause, or style.  Check out our redesigned site for a complete list of services because we probably do a lot more than you ever realized.  If you have a friend or boss that you think could take advantage of our offers please let them know about us.  We are Enlightening Fashion…and we’re your total market solution.