I want to be more respecting of my own sensory needs, and notice certain fabrics are incredible uncomfortable, as opposed to others. I’ve also noticed loose clothing feels more comfortable for me, then tight clothes. Cotton feels good, polyester does not. I understand this may potentially vary for each person, but wanted to ask about it anyway.
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I’m allergic to polyester and most anything made of plastic. I get painful open sores, and hideously itchy. It is difficult to find clothes at best.
Plastic is snuck in more shit than you’d think. Often unlabelled. More than one pair of pants/shorts I’ve had to ditch/edit because the pockets were polyester or nylon in a “100% cotton” garment. Drawstrings are bad for this, too. And waistbands.Seems to be weirdly common to be adverse to plastic-based fabrics in autistic communities.
I most often wear:
cotton/linen/canvas/denim
rayon/bamboo (plant based, do need to be a bit careful because people fake it, very loose “swishy” fabric)
hemp
real leather (“vegan leather” is literally plastic and i will fight people greenwashing calling it “vegan” and not the awful pleather it is.) (very difficult to find coats without nylon linings though.)Not disagreeing with your point about plastic based “vegan” leather, but if it’s something you’re interested in, some plant based leathers do exist, they use different leaves and fibres, fungus, and even cork (I have no personal experience with any and don’t know how good they are, or if they’re honest about not including any plastics, but I thought you or maybe someone else reading might like to know)…
Either way, your allergy sounds like a massive pain in the ass, you have my sympathy…
Also scooby based leather is a newer vegan option making progress. It is the bacterial mat from the top of kombucha and is able to be dried, tanned, and oiled until it is a very nice alternative leather, no plastics in sight. Also, my spelling may suck on scooby, maybe scoby or something else.
Scoby, yes. You made me think of leather made out of Scooby Doo.
Good to know, that sounds really promising!
Cork and fungus leather sounds absolutely sick. I hope fully plant-based leather catches on, because I haven’t seen any anywhere.
From looking around, it looks like a lot of current plant stuff still tends to be mixed with polyurethane or coated with plastic 8i
(Polyurethane is, …I don’t think plastic. It’s dense reading trying to figure out what exactly it is! But it seems to be mixed with plastic undisclosed sometimes? Regardless it doesn’t seem great for me either…)I’m glad that “the market” is moving further and further away from plastic as a whole in the past few years.
It sounds like there are some promising, but slow, developments in trying to make more pure plant leather.(Would plant-leather be “planter?” “Planther?” /thonk.)
From looking around, it looks like a lot of current plant stuff still tends to be mixed with polyurethane or coated with plastic
Ah, that sucks…
But I agree, it’s encouraging to see the field grow and the options expand as people invent new materials (especially those made from waste from other industries!), even if they’re not quite there yet…
(Would plant-leather be “planter?” “Planther?” /thonk.)
That’s going to bother me for days now lol
Isn’t normal leather also plant based? Because cows eat plants (/j)
I’ll see myself out
Cotton or anything natural! The idea of my clothes being made of plastic fibers which then enter the water supply or sit in a landfill bothers me. This applies to sheets, towels, etc. My skin also reacts poorly to synthetic fibers.
Same! Though I did just buy a sun sweater made of modal (beech tree rayon) that seems really nice, although it’s technically synthetic fabric because of all the processing. Waiting for it to dry before I actually try it on, but I really liked how it felt in my hands.
One outlier is a really old polo sweater that has this really smooth liner that I’m quite certain is entirely polyester but made with really thick strands weaved together. I don’t wash it much which is probably why it’s more than a decade old now and still in one piece.
Other then those two items everything is cotton. I find levis are the sturdiest and sometimes comfiest jeans if you get the baggier versions.
Watch out on those Levi’s. Many of their product lines are a blend of denim and spandex, which makes them feel and fit great.
Unfortunately it also means their durability goes to shit because one of those materials is not elastic. Being blended means the fabric will just fall apart, you can’t repair them.
Yeah, I have to read the hecking fine print on every piece of clothing I buy just to make sure it’s not going to create pollution. It’s a pia and unfortunately necessary, but worth it.
I recently got underwear made of 46% pima cotton, 46% modal and 8% elastane. Feels very soft and smooth, should last a long time, can recommend.
Wol. Soft kinds like merino. It’s comfortable and great at regulating body temperature. It’s also great for wearing underneath other clothes in the winter.
I think you’re more likely to get nice soft clothes from blends, like cotton/hemp or from “Pima” cotton. They may be more expensive but can last pretty long if you follow the tag instructions
For me, the fabrics i like are:
- Wool, especially merino
- Linen
- Hemp
- Raw denim
Cotton I’m kinda neutral on, I dislike polyester and most synthetics.
I like finely woven fabrics, as I feel like they trigger the least amount of sensory input.
I’ve got a bedsheet, which is “cotton with a satin weave” and I like that a lot.
Side-note: I believe, it’s a thing that certain autists are really particular about the kind of fabrics they like, whereas others just want less sensory input. You might get both kinds of respomses…
cotton, wool, leather, modal and denim for me. found a tshirt i liked and just order 10 in the same color online when they wear out. same for jeans, socks, underwear and hoodies. rather dress like an npc than decide how annoying i’ll accept my clothes being day to day. leather boots, havent owned sneakers in 15 yrs. leather jacket for cool weather. merino wool sweaters and a long heavy wool coat for thundersnow season.
modal beats out cotton sheets to me, but unblended cotton is still pretty comfy. layers of merino wool blankets. finally managed to get leather furniture this winter and my livingroom is usable even when im having a bad day.
also ereaders and stone paper. after gritting my teeth and feeling gross because everything is written on dry scratchy hateful paper. being able to read or just write down a quick note comfortably was kinda life changing.
Not a Fabric but Hiking pants, they are light and strechy. And for hoodies: only the Cotton ones with a Zipper in the Front. Might be more of a Heat regulation Issue for Me.
Do not buy online but IRL and it will be better.
I recently got a pair of pants that are stretchy and I’ve been addicted to them. I didn’t know pants could feel this comfortable. They say they are 65% viscose, 30% nylon, and 5% spandex. I have a hard time wearing anything else now.
