Mar 17, 20223 min read

Bamboo Macrame String. Whats all the Bamboo about?

Have you tried Bamboo string yet? If you haven't, then I feel I have a duty to let you know what you are missing out on.

Here at Vada Blue we introduced Bamboo to the Macrame market scene a couple of years ago. I instantly fell in love with the beauty of this string and I knew other makers would too. Fast forward to 2021 and I was able to bring in an exclusive range of bamboo, single twist macrame string in 7 stunning colours.

So why do we love the Bamboo?

The premium Bamboo range is truly the most luxurious string on the market with a satin look and feel that is unmatched by anything else. Softer than your luxe and Egyptian cotton strings and with a stunning soft halo shine, not only does it ensure that your work stands out from the rest, it is gentle through your fingers and so easy to create with. When it comes to combing out those luscious fringes and tassels, you will never look back. Your comb literally glides through the fibre like there is nothing there.

Aside from the above superior tactile qualities of this delicious string, Bamboo has some pretty cool eco-friendly qualities when it comes to growth and harvest too.

A remarkable natural resource, here’s why Bamboo is sometimes considered a greener option than cotton.

Bamboo…

Requires no chemicals or fertilizers to grow – As in Zero!
Uses much less water to grow, about a third of what is used to grow cotton and if you know about cotton than you may be aware that it uses around 10,000 litres of water to produce just 1kg of cotton.
Easily replenishes itself from its own root system, meaning it doesn’t need to be replanted each harvest. Leaving a lighter footprint on growth and harvesting.
It grows super fast, in some cases up to 1 metre a day
Removes carbon dioxide from the air and releases more oxygen into the environment
Is 100% biodegradable
The fibres are thicker and stronger. They also require less dye.

These are just many of the amazing properties that encompass the growth and harvest of Bamboo and besides all of these there are many favorable properties around moisture absorption, being hypo allergenic, thermo-regulating, super soft etc, and the list goes on. These wonderful properties have seen bamboo use sky rocket among home wares, linen, clothing and so many other daily use items.

There is no denying when you see it for yourself as a single twist string, how beautiful it really is and what it can achieve for you in terms of a finished product.

When it comes to processing Bamboo into string, when looking for eco-friendly properties, there is however a downside. Processing Bamboo is done one of two ways, a mechanical way and a chemical way. The Mechanical way produces a lovely but rougher yarn often refereed too as bamboo linen and is not the process used to create our super luxurious bamboo string. With the chemical processing phase there is an introduction of chemicals. This is common among many textile processes, however, if done responsibly it can leave little effect on the environment. Although this is less than ideal when looking for eco-friendly options, as the world becomes more eco-conscious and bamboo becomes more popular, these methods are adapting to become more sustainable with recycling of water and chemicals through the introduction of closed loop processes. Something to remember is that some of the chemicals used during this process are also used in soap production and other everyday items that we regularly use. It would also be fair to consider that the manufacturing of some other materials including polyester and nylon are much more harmful to the environment but are still seen everywhere. For the processing phase, Bamboo currently sits at the same level as standard cotton in an eco-friendly sense.

So although Bamboo may not be 100% perfect when it comes to being eco-friendly, it tries damn hard and is a wonderful product to consider across your textile, home and personal products.

Our premium bamboo range is manufactured by the same company who brings us the luxe, Egyptian, metallic, and recycled mixed cotton range. They are known and respected among the textile industry with Oeko-Tex 100 certification.

The only thing for you to do now is try it out and see for yourself. So many have said to me after they have tried Bamboo... "how do you go back?" Get a feel for it in your fingers and see it shimmer in the light. It truly is a special string. You can check out the full range here.