Viscose is probably the most misunderstood of all fabric fibres. Originally known as artificial silk as it has a similar drape and smooth feel to luxurious silk. It is not a natural fabric but nor is it a synthetic fabric.

Viscose is made from tree wood pulp , such as pine, beech, eucalyptus and more recently from bamboo. The manufacturing process can be summarised in five steps:

1. The tree is chipped into wood pulp and dissolved into a solution forming a brown wood pulp.
2. The wood pulp is then washed, cleaned and bleached.
3. To create the fibres, the pulp is treated to create a “viscose” solution.
4. The viscose solution is then forced through a spinneret machine which creates filaments called regenerated cellulose.
5. The regenerated cellulose is spun into yarn which can then be woven or knit into viscose rayon fabric.

Viscose’s myriad of brilliant qualities include:

1. It is lightweight.
2. Drapes beautifully
3. Has a similar breathability to cotton making for stylish Summer wear
4. It does not trap heat
5. It’s low permeability makes it hypoallergenic
6. Produces beautiful, vivid colours
7. Is biodegradable because it comes from a renewable source
8. Has a luxurious look at an economical price

Shop our favourite viscose pieces below: