Sea Island cotton – a very special material.

With the help of modern agrotechnology cotton can be grown almost anywhere. What today’s ‘plantations’ lack in sun, rain and fertile soil can be ‘equalized’ – as chemists put it – in all sorts of scientific ways – with the result that cotton plants have become one of the world’s most endangered species! So – what is ‘real’ cotton, and where does it grow? Answer: on a rather narrow geographical strip running along the 30' northern latitude line. Which brings us to Sea Island. Sea Island cotton seed was brought from Barbados and the Bahamas to Southern Carolina; here and in Georgia it was planted and cultivated in style by the ‘cotton Kings’ of the Southern States, names like O’Hara and Wilkes, men who were ‘blown away’ in the Civil War. The end of an era. Thirty years or so later Sea Island cotton went back to its roots, so to speak: to the Bahamas & the Caribbean Islands. In world terms, the Sea Island cotton harvest today accounts for a tiny proportion – Sea Island cotton thread is scarce, and criminally expensive! - and is marketed by small firms a long way from the gigantic ‘cotton chains’ of the cotton industry. There are few weavers today that have much interest in it – and above all who have the skill to process its superfine thread. The few who do can be found almost without exception in Switzerland and the North of Italy. We must be honest – this drives up the price. But what you get for your money is a cotton that is finer and with longer fibres (over 50 mm) than any other and which gives you in the end a garment that is as soft and ‘full’ to the touch as cashmere, that has a silky glow (but without the ‘artificial’ effect that silk sometimes has) and a texture that you have to feel to believe.

Real Luxury: Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s pyjamas of Sea Island poplin.

‘Real’ in both senses: genuine, and not just a dream. If you’d like to, you really can sleep in a garment made of the finest natural material there’s ever been: Sea Island cotton. This is the legendary fine poplin thread (Nm 170/2) that you may have worn in shirt form and whose incredible texture we have previously praised – a combination of the softness of cashmere and the smoothness of silk. We offer it now in night-wear form to give lasting delight to your biggest tactile sense organ – your skin!

NB:

You can, by the way, rest assured that our pyjamas, and all other Sea Island clothes from shirts to socks, are made of genuine unadulterated Sea Island cotton – we mention this in case you have noticed the strange way that Sea Island cotton supplies seem to 'multiply’ between plantation, shop and catalogue. And the thread we use comes from the Swiss firm of Spoerry, the crème de la crème of Swiss threadmakers – a firm that has been processing Sea Island cotton for years and which enjoys a privileged relationship to the local producers. Also: to avoid cheap imitations, check the certificate of genuine Sea Island quality with its patented logo.

Gentlemen’s pyjamas. Cut and details:

Classic cut with many features that will help you to sleep well. Sleeves, legs and pockets are trimmed and have been given narrow tucks; the collar too. The collar has lapels that can be buttoned up to the top with the loop provided. The jacket has a total of three large outside pockets. The back – starting underneath the shoulders – has two long pleats for ease of movement. The trousers have a fly front. The rubber waist-band goes round the back and sides only; you can knot it at the front with two narrow cotton strips as tight or loose as you like. Both front and back have a smooth finish: buttons are of mother-of-pearl.