Idk about you, but I like to treat my athleisure like absolute garbage. I like to sweat, play, jump, sleep in, and roll around in my athleisure. And after doing all of that, I love to just throw my athleisure in the washer and dryer and not think twice about it shrinking or bleeding color or deteriorating.
If my athleisure was 100% cotton, I wouldn’t be able to do that.
Cotton is indigenous to India, discovered and created in the time of the Indus Valley Civilization. I’ve seen all the women in my family wear it and share its cautionary tales with me over the years.
My nani exclusively wears cotton sarees, the fabric allows air flow, best to endure the heat in the subcontinent. She loves how light they are and how the fabric holds shape without being too structured. When I was younger, she would insist on only handwashing her cotton sarees, so that she could ensure the colors wouldn’t bleed onto other clothing and they wouldn’t shrink. But, as the years have gone by and she’s aged, she’s become more amenable to washing them in the machine. Always only with cold water, and accounting for time to starch and iron the saree once it’s washed. Never to be put in a drier.
When I was practicing for my Arangetram and only wearing cotton kurtas to class, I noticed how little give they had. It was great at the time, where my upper body needed to be incredibly upright, still, and following sacred geometrical patterns. The lack of stretch acted almost as a check for my alignment, but at large, the kurtas were not the easiest to move in. Also, if I gained muscle or weight, I’d have to toss them. Sometimes after class in a rush to hop in the shower, I’d accidentally throw them in the washer and drier and they’d come out crinkly and shrunk. I’d have to put them in warm water, iron them, and manually stretch them to restore them to a wearable size and look.
How high maintenance and incompatible true and 100% cotton is with our modern lifestyles!
Pure cotton, as much of a high frequency fabric it is, has very specific use cases that truly let it shine. I love it best for occasion wear, for bedding, for jackets, and for scarves. I would not do pure cotton or for that matter, any pure natural fabric, as something for daily wear unless it was slightly blended with something. The slight blends are what help give it every day ease and help it hold its shape.
Praali’s athleisure is 95% cotton and 5% plant based elastane. While not 100% cotton, it’s still good for your hormones, will feel great on your skin, and is designed for your modern lifestyle.
The 5% elastane lets the clothing:
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Stretch and change with your body. Do all the twists and turns and the fabric will move with you. If you gain a bit of muscle or weight, you won’t have to buy a new set.
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Remain wrinkle free, so that you’re not ironing it after every wear.
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Be washing machine and dryer friendly
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Retain it’s shape regardless of how much you stretch the cotton out.
The 95% cotton is:
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Knit, meaning it was designed to be stretch and mold to your body
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A medium gsm, meaning the fabric is thick enough that you won’t feel cold in cooler temps, and light enough that it’ll feel airy in the summer or your heated classes.
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Designed to fit the shape of your body without crushing your organs