Viscose

[nomoneynoclothes]

Is viscose considered a natural fibre? It's not is it?

No,semi I think.

It's a halfway house between natural and processed, however the traditional viscous used a lot of chemicals to make it wearable. I've noticed a lot of retailers are now using Lenzing which is a process with little waste so it's much better than polyester in that regard.

Remember that even products like cotton (thirsty crop so needs lots of water) and wool ( mulesing, aka cutting the skin on their bums off) have their own ethical and environmental problems too.

Interestingly, viscose is always being talked about as a 2breathable" fabric but normally if I wear it, I sweat buckets in it. However, I heard someone on QVC talk about different sorts - some better quality than others and I must admit I have 'got away' i.e. not sweated like a pig in something I bought without checking the material and it was viscose. I am also wearing a top this morning and have not come out in a sweat! Normally in chain store viscose I am guaranteed a sweat bath! I think it is made from bamboo???

I agree with @goose1964. Bit of an in between but I’d lean more towards man-made. Starts with cellulose and then just has sh*tloads of chemicals thrown at it. You can get high quality stuff (Cupro/bemberg) that breathes nicely or you can get some pretty terrible stuff.

I have never heard of ‘mulesing’ before and am absolutely horrified. This is going to change the way I buy wool garments.

I'd say not really. I do have a couple of viscose dresses from Masai that are comfortable to wear in summer heat so I don't think it's always sweaty like polyester - but it does seem to look worn quite quickly.

I quite like viscose as a fabric. I’d describe it as fairly natural. But when you look at the way cotton is manufactured, including the dye ingredients and process, it is often a myth to consider that natural.