Let's Talk About: Rayon! The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Have you ever looked at the tag of your clothing and thought, what the heck is Viscose? Beyond cotton, linen and silk, I feel like clothing fibers are often vague and misunderstood.  And up until about 10 years ago, I wasn’t really aware of the effects clothes have on the environment and our bodies. And with climate change, the increasing degradation of our air and water, and the clothing industry being 10% responsible for this (I mean, we’re all 100% responsible in the end) – I think it’s important to start understanding what exactly is in our clothing.

The clothing industry is a gigantic world, with much of its facets shrouded in mystery for the average consumer. And that’s certainly on purpose. Today, I’d like to just discuss the fabric I mainly work with: Rayon, as it is a staple fabric of The Tiny Closet line and also, one of the more misunderstood textiles in semi-synthetics. Hopefully, I can even shed some light on semi-synthetic clothing and how to make more informed decisions about buying it as a consumer. Plus, transparency on where I stand with the ethics and sustainability as a business owner in the clothing industry is a good to know, as someone who’s reading this and maybe considering buying my clothes.

When I first opened The Tiny Closet as a shop, I had two designs, both made from Rayon. One dress was Rayon crepe, the other dress was a Modal knit. Both were sourced from dead stock.  And both were well-received. Shoppers raved about the quality and feel. And they loved the look. Years later, I find much of my line is still made up of Rayon, still sourced from dead stock and still incredible quality. 

But I’ve also heard a growing conversation of concern and demand for sustainability in the fashion industry. Words like ‘organic’, ‘green’, and ‘natural’ have been used plenty by shoppers paying attention to the part they play in the clothing industry, and wanting to change the way they buy and “consume” clothing. I’ve also heard many times from my own customers how they are “natural-fibers only” with their wardrobe. I completely understand. After all, looking at a clothing tag and seeing good ol’ linen, silk or cotton needs no explanation and tells us the clothing is natural. Unfortunately, natural clothing can have just as many hazards and inhumane practices in its backstory as semi-synthetics. 

Did you know Rayon has other names? That’s the trickiness of semi-synthetics. The confusion around them can cause concern in discerning shoppers and ultimately make us hesitant to buy. Rayon however, has classifications. Right off the bat, you can tell the quality of Rayon used just by its name and certification. Different brands, different proprietary blends. So which one can you trust? The short answer: only those with certifications. Much like like the produce or cosmetics industry. But before I go into the different types of Rayon you can learn to discern, the majority of Rayon clothing is actually just plain ol’ run-of-the-mill Rayon. So it may help first to get a quick understanding of how basic Rayonis made, and then we’ll go into all its many iterations. It aint pretty, but it’s necessary to see the good, the bad and the ugly. Let’s start with the ugly:

Rayon, or Viscose, as it’s called in Europe (which is just another name for basic Rayon) is a semi-synthetic, cellulosic material. Why semi-synthetic? Because its first ingredient is wood from various kinds of trees. The rest of its ingredients are chemicals. The wood is crushed and transformed into a pulp, then washed, bleached, and dissolved using sodium hydroxide. The wood pulp at that point, is further treated with carbon disulfide until it’s really no longer wood at all but a thick brown liquid solution called xanthate. The xanthate is then forced through a spinneret to form a thread. And the thread is immersed in sulfuric acid where it takes form and solidifies in to a fine yarn called Rayon. From there, the yarn can be made into a non-stretch woven or made into a knit, or stretch knit by adding spandex or stretch material. That’s the general recipe of all Rayon: Wood, and lots and lots of chemicals. 

So making this fabric is highly intensive, right?! Not to mention the considerable affect it has on the environment once those chemicals are released into the air and flushed into nearby water sources. So let’s get on to the good part already: 

Getting back to Rayon’s many names - because of the unsustainable implications of its fabrication, numerous companies and initiatives throughout the world were founded to improve, oversee and control the production of Rayon, in a more environmentally friendly way. Rayon was then given different names for each unique quality or iteration invented. The three most common reputable names in Rayon production are Modal, Lyocell and TENCEL. There are many, many other names from a plethora of companies who’ve improved the development of Rayon but Modal, Lyocell and TENCEL are the names most seen in the U.S., and on your clothing tags.

So Rayon is definitely not created equal. In fact, the quality and manufacturing practices of Rayon vary wildly from one company to the next. And if you see only “Rayon” or “Viscose” on a clothing tag while shopping (for new clothing specifically), be aware that this is the basic, run-of-the mill Rayon I touched on earlier (the ugly!) and more consideration is likely needed before purchasing. Look on the the garment and tag for any certifications on the standards of how the garment is made, or how the fabric is made. Just like the natural fiber industry of cotton and linen, certifications for Rayon are highly desired to assure wholesalers and retailers of environmentally sound practices, meeting the standards of Oeko-Tex, 0-ZDHC or GOTS. Search the company website for any literature on how they make their fabric or where the fabric is sourced. The manufacturing of Rayon can be heavily toxic if no precautions or protective guidelines are instilled (as we’ve learned!). So no evidence of certifications typically means the manufacturing of the fabric WAS heavily toxic, and the end product is not just Rayon fabric but also hazardous waste, devastated forests and contaminated water.

And hey, this goes the same for basic Cotton as well - it doesn’t matter if it’s natural or semi-synthetic - in general, a company should be bragging about their alignment with environmental certifications and initiatives. If they’re not bragging about their certifications, they don’t have any. So remember: No certifications, no quality (and a slew of other hazards are likely involved as well). 

So in the world of semi-synthetic fabrics, what’s special about Modal, Lyocell, and TENCEL? I’ll break each of them down, and you can decide if you’re comfortable having them in your closet.

MODAL

Modal is an improved, more environmentally conscious version of Rayon/Viscose. And while it employs nearly the same steps to make as basic Rayon, the important distinction is the wood involved to make Modal is taken from renewable beech trees, which are sustainably grown strictly for the production of Modal. Basic Rayon typically uses natural and ancient forests for its production, causing deforestation and far-reaching damage of the ecosystem. 

Modal also uses less sodium hydroxide to dissolve the beech pulp, while being softer and much stronger than basic Rayon. Modal doesn’t pill, shrink or warp and a much better choice than basic Rayon/Viscose, as far as wearability and longevity go. It’s manufactured mainly by Lenzing Group, a company dedicated to creating bio-based materials that are not only biodegradable, but also compostable and completely environmentally sustainable. 

I source all of my Modal knit fabric from a family-owned dead stock wholesaler in Los Angeles. Most of the Modal I buy is actually made originally in L.A. or China, by Lenzing Group.

LYOCELL

Which bring us to Lyocell, the superior form of Rayon/Viscose, to date. And again, the most popular and reputable Lyocell is made from Lenzing Group where 99% of the chemicals and water used is recycled. Lyocell is by far, your best choice in purchasing new clothing made from a semi-synthetic fabric as you are ensured energy efficiency in the manufacturing of the fabric, the lowest toxicity levels (the chemicals used are safe to touch and breath), as well as a closed-loop system of processing and recycling the water and chemicals used in making the yarn. 

Occasionally, my knitwear is Lyocell dead stock.  I move back and forth consistently from Lyocell to Modal when it comes to knits. And even though, I do pay an arm and a leg for my knitwear, the quality and wearability is unparalleled.

Lyocell also uses wood from certified eucalyptus and bamboo forests (both faster growing than beech and pine trees), taking up less room for harvesting and far less water.

TENCEL

TENCEL is actually a trademark brand name created by Lenzing Group used to classify fibers, like for example, TENCEL Lyocell, TENCEL Modal, or just plain TENCEL. To us in the industry, when we talk about TENCEL, it’s in reference to basically a high grade Rayon that's gone through an extensive process to be non-invasive to the environment through its entire life cycle.

I’ve used TENCEL nearly since the beginning of opening my shop. In fact, TENCEL twill has been the primary fabric of The Tourist Dress from The Capsule. Until recently, that is, when I added the linen iteration.

So there you have it. A bit of clarification on Rayon and its many sides. And I’d say this information is most useful when shopping for new clothing, specifically.  With vintage and thrift shopping, I personally feel like you can be a lot less discerning because basically, you’re giving used clothing another life. Ultimately, you’re keeping it out of a landfill and that’s incredibly important.

As a retailer who doesn’t create their own fabric, but instead sources discarded surplus fabric from designers and mills, I’m already operating under a less wasteful method. I’ve been sourcing my fabric from dead stock wholesalers in Los Angeles since 2015. And much like thrifted and vintage clothing, dead stock fabric has already been made. And as well, the possible damage of making that fabric has already been caused, be it synthetic, semi-synthetic or natural.  My goal is to just do good with it. Because it shouldn’t be there in the first place. And if I don’t take it and give it a new life, the fabric will likely end up in a land fill.  

Still, I have very high standards of what materials I choose for my clothing. And luckily, I have an awesomely far-reaching network of dead stock resources. So I’m able to be choosy with the quality of dead stock I buy. The reason I work largely with Rayon though is because for one, it’s very common to come across. But also because Rayon has amazing traits. It mimics the luxury and drape of silk, it’s stronger than cotton, especially in water, it’s lasting and breathable like linen, but more weighted. And lastly, Rayon’s versatility is unparalleled. You can sew it into anything from pajamas to a wedding dress.

But truthfully, I’m willing to buy pretty much anything dead stock to give it new life, except for polyester. Polyester just has far too many negatives for me to feel comfortable selling to other people. Not only is it highly toxic to make, but after it’s made it continues to wreak havoc on the environment and our bodies as we breath in its micro-plastics from the air. It releases its plastics into our water and it even effects our endocrine system just by being against our body. Polyester is a personal “no” for me and for my shop.

But while we’re talking about dead stock, many people will say this is sustainable. I disagree completely. Dead stock fabric is not sustainable. To say it is would be saying it’s sustainable that big designers create thousands of yards of fabric each season, discard anything leftover (which still can be thousands of yards) and wholesalers then make the stock available to smaller designers. Well, for the amount and speed of this discarded fabric being dumped constantly, small businesses still can’t barely utilize all the waste. We simply can’t use all the fabric discarded by large corporations and we’ll never be able to. So dead stock is ultimately not a sustainable method of clothing production. And unfortunately, I still don’t know what is.

What I do know is sourcing dead stock fabric is more environmentally positive. And it creates far less emissions (since we don’t require factories to make our fabric). But a lot of businesses will throw around the word “sustainable” and “green”, while mentioning dead stock with little clarification, hoping you’ll assume the best. Truth is, it’ just not that simple.

Rayon and other man-made cellulosic fabric comes in at #2 of the world’s clothing.  Cellulosic fabric is fabric synthesized from plant-based materials, so that’s huge! We’re talking about billions of bio-based man-made fabric produced globally every year.  So it’s clear that Rayon is on its way to setting an incredible future for clothing. And it could be a good future or a grim one. 

Supporting ethical companies that want to use less of the worlds limited resources to create clothing and products is important for our future. And urging more companies to be innovative with their product development, like using pineapple, banana or coconut waste to make clothes is a possibility as well to having an actual sustainable industry.