“Organic” is a useful word on a cotton label, and it can end up carrying more meaning than one word really can. You might be wondering where the cotton was grown, how the shirt was made, whether it's dyed, or how it will feel on a child. Those are all reasonable questions. They just need a few different answers.
Organic cotton tells you about cotton grown under an organic standard. We care about that part of the material story. We also want you to be able to see the rest of the garment clearly, including the making, the print and the fit.
Begin with the actual fiber content
“100% organic cotton” and “made with organic cotton” can describe different compositions. Read the percentage and any other fibers named, so you know what the fabric contains.
Our Heart Tee is 100% organic cotton, grown, milled and made in the USA, with hearts individually block printed by hand. That sentence has several pieces of information in it. The cotton description tells you about the fiber; the locations tell you about the production; the printing tells you how the hearts arrive on the shirt.
It helps to take those details at their own pace rather than make the organic label stand in for all of them.
Organic cotton can come from different places
If you're looking for cotton grown in the United States, look for that origin statement alongside the organic claim. Cotton can be grown organically elsewhere too. The USDA's organic rules include international trade in certified organic goods.
“U.S.-grown cotton,” “milled in the USA” and “made in USA” also point to different stages. The cotton can come from one place, the fabric from another and the sewing from somewhere else. A product description that names those stages gives you much more to go on.
What about a textile certification?
Agricultural organic standards concern the fiber at an earlier stage. GOTS, the Global Organic Textile Standard, also sets requirements for textile processing and manufacturing, with different labeling grades for organic fiber content.
An organic cotton description doesn't by itself tell you that the finished tee is GOTS certified. If that certification is something you're looking for, find the named standard and the certification information for the product. Our GOTS and USDA Organic guide goes further into that distinction.
Then come back to the clothes
The same fiber can become woven denim, jersey, rib or French terry. That's why an organic cotton tee and an organic cotton sweatshirt can feel and look quite different.
The Natural White Everyday Pullover uses organic cotton French terry and is undyed. The Strawberry Tee starts with an undyed cotton base and adds a screen-printed drawing. The base and the decoration both belong to the finished piece you're choosing.
Once you know what the label means, you can give fit and care their usual attention. Compare the garment with something that gets worn, see how it would fit into the drawer, and ask about any material or making detail that's still unclear. We'd like the information to make the choice more understandable, so you have room to enjoy the clothes themselves.
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