Manmade fibers are increasingly edging cotton out of the fashion arena. And fast fashion is doing its bit. Today, with fast fashion based on polyester, there are many changes in a year. Polyester is cheap and doesn’t last as long as cotton, so brands can keep producing new things as quickly and as cheaply as possible. This has really eaten into cotton’s share.

The advantage of polyester is that it is durable, resists wrinkles and shrinkage, is inexpensive, has almost negligible color fastness and is easy to maintain. Cotton by contrast wrinkles, is expensive, has issues with color fastness and is expensive to maintain (washing, drying and ironing). Polyester is an efficient and utilitarian fiber, so it will often be added to fabric where affordability, durability, washability, and function are a priority. So it is being used extensively in mass-market apparel, active wear, and work wear.

Even cotton importers in the US are bringing in more polyester than cotton. Another competitor in the US fiber market is hemp. Growing hemp is illegal in the US because of its similarity in appearance to marijuana. But once growing and processing hemp in the US is legalized, it will be more competitive for cotton than polyester.