Hemp Fabric - Advice Please (Sofa Upholstery)

We are planning on purchasing a Hancock and Moore sofa and are now attempting to pick fabrics.

The offer a fabric (Foster) which is composed of 100% hemp. The Foster series comes in a selection of colors we really like.

However, we don't know anything about the use of hemp as an upholstery fabric. What are general characteristics? Does it wrinkle? What about durability? Anything else we should know? Why is it not used more? I've looked on internet and really can't find much at all.

Any advice is appreciated.

You stumped me on that one, I had to make a call....

H&M doesn't know.

So we're calling the Mill that makes it. Will report back.

Duane - thanks so much! I look forward to hearing back and learning more about this fabric.

For practical and political reasons, hemp went from being a dominant product for industrial use, perhaps most famously in maritime uses (ropes and sails) but also for flour and similar food sacks. The word "canvas" has its roots in its being produced from hemp and also hints at part of the reason it has not been more prominent in recent decades.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Canvas

mid-14c., from Anglo-Fr. canevaz, from O.Fr. canevas, from V.L. *cannapaceus "made of hemp," from L. cannabis, from Gk. kannabis "hemp," a Scythian or Thracian word. Canvas-back as a type of N.Amer. duck is from 1785.

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That is, hemp is a kissing cousin of the demon weed, marijuana. I know that it has been used in fashion and fashion accessories for many years, and I suspect that it has been slow to emerge as a designer fabric because of its relatively low production and the relative recency of production techniques that make it look less industrial. Any product can be manufactured into something less than its history would suggest, but unless the manufacturer is doing something seriously wrong I would expect hemp to be a tough and durable fabric.

From the fabric supplier to H&M:

"Hemp is the longest natural staple fiber on earth. This makes it very strong, and soft, much better than cotton or linen. Hemp is rated heavy duty on abrasion, wrinkles should not be an issue. This fabric has been out for 5 years without any problems. There are some nobs in the fabric as part of the natural beauty of the material (like linen) and expect those to be present and normal."

Duane - Thanks for your followup on hemp fabric. This is great information.

One clarification - what does "rated heavy duty on abrasion" mean? Does that mean the fabric will abrade me? Or, does that mean the fabric holds up well to abrasion? Just wondering who is getting abraded here.....

Every fabric gets a double rub test. Here's a site that explains more that you might ever want to know about it:

http://blog.kothea.com/2009/06/26/ma...s-wyzenbeek-3/

Be forewarned, you will get the munchies after sitting on hemp covered furniture for longer than five or ten minutes. :^)

I have never used a hemp fabric on my furniture but I can tell you that it is quite expensive compared to other materials with similar looks.

Jeff Frank
Simplicity Sofas