Cotton

Cotton is produced from a fine fibre that forms the protective covering of cotton plant seeds, resembling fluffy tufts of cotton wool. The word “cotton” is derived from the Arabic term kutan. The earliest evidence of cotton on textiles dates back 6,000 years BCE in Pakistan. It was brought to Europe around 800 CE. In Slovakia, this raw material was imported as early as the Middle Ages, and from the 14th century it was also spun locally. From the 18th century, it began to be processed in manufactories, for example in the textile mill in Šaštín. Later, with the development of factory production, its use expanded significantly. By the end of the 19th century, cotton accounted for up to 80% of all textile materials used. With the invention of the first synthetic fibres at the beginning of the 20th century, it also began to be used in blends with them.