Poems have been written to express the beauty of roses, their fragrance and their colours. But if I had some poetic talent (which I don’t), I would have paid tribute to a flower that gives us the coolest and the most comfortable of clothing — cotton. The flower may not be beautiful nor fragrant, but when spun and made into a fabric, the comfort that cotton offers is unmatched.

Cotton, the fabric of choice in these hot, sweaty summer months, absorbs sweat, thereby keeping the wearer comfortable. It also conducts heat from the body to the outside very fast, thereby keeping the wearer cool.

However, in order to enjoy the comfort and luxury of wearing pure cotton, one has to take certain precautions at the time of purchase and that’s what I would like to write about this week.

First and foremost, when you want to buy cotton, you must ensure that the fabric is indeed pure cotton. I say this because retailers are known to sell fabrics made of synthetic fibres as cotton. Unfortunately, we do not have label laws that mandate that all fabrics and readymades carry that vital information about the fibre content and composition. So one needs to be extra careful while buying clothes, particularly readymades.

Similarly, since cotton fabrics shrink, one needs to check whether the fabric is shrink-proof or whether it shrinks and if so, how much. This information is vital because the percentage of shrinkage depends on the type of yarn used, construction of the fabric and the finishing process. Sometimes, mills are known to deliberately stretch the fabric artificially under mechanical pressure to gain length. Such cloth may well shrink abnormally on washing.

To eliminate the problem of shrinkage, the fabric is subjected to a process of compressive shrinkage. Such pre-shrunk fabric should not shrink more than one or two per cent even after repeated washing. So do find out if the fabric is pre-shrunk.

In the last decade or so, wrinkle-resistant finishes have also become quite popular, mostly for ready-to-wear shirts. However, you must check whether such a finish diminishes the natural quality of the fabric to absorb sweat or keep the wearer cool by transporting heat from the body to the outside.

One must also remember that such finishes cost money and might not be needed in a country like ours where getting a shirt ironed is not a problem.

So when you buy a cotton fabric or a ready-to-wear cotton garment, do make sure that you have all the information that you need to make an informed choice and that you get the quality you are paying for.