Marc Skid undies are made with organic pima cotton sourced from Peru, but what does that even mean?
Cotton is pivotal to Peru’s history. Archaeological evidence suggests that people began harvesting cotton from wild plants in what is now Peru nearly 10,000 years ago. Cotton fabrics have even been found in ancient Peruvian tombs that predated the Incas.
The Incas harvested cotton for practical and artistic endeavors. Their cotton weaving techniques and the quality of their textiles impressed the Spanish Conquistadors, but those were the same men who caused many Inca textile techniques to fail during the conquest of Peru. Today’s Peruvian Pima cotton most likely a variation of a strand developed in the United States in the early 1900s, which was crossed with Egyptian ELS cotton.
Today, the perfect climate and soil conditions in the northern coastal valleys of Piura and Chira create perfectly cultivated Peruvian Pima cotton. Ideal seasonal rainfalls and temperatures in this region have contributed to Pima cotton production for thousands of years.
According to experts, Pima cotton rivals high-quality Egyptian cotton and is renowned for not only being the longest-staple cotton in the world, but also for incredible softness and for rivaling silk. Pima – the generic term for the finest type of cotton – is made of extra-long fibers. The Pima cotton’s exceptionally long 1-⅜” staple length is more than twice as long as ordinary cotton fibers that measure ½” to ¾”. This “cashmere of cotton” is widely considered the best cotton because its long fibers contribute to soothing softness and dynamic durability.
Pima cotton makes up roughly 2 percent of the world’s cotton, and organic Pima is even more rare. Organic Pima cotton, considered the world’s best cotton, makes up only 0.0005% of the world’s cotton.
Organic growing shuns toxic pesticides harmful to the environment in favor of techniques like crop rotation, intercropping (planting different crops together), hand or mechanical weeding, mulches and introducing beneficial predator insects to control harmful insects.
When developing Marc Skid undies, premier quality and fabrics was a must. By using super-soft Pima cotton and proving a commitment to organic growing, we have created a high-quality, sustainable product that will leave your bum cozier than ever before.