We love to use mercerised cotton for our polo shirts. Since the fabric is so strong and stable, you do not have to worry about your polo shirt shrinking or twisting in the wash. The bright, deep colours and silky shine also provide a beautiful, luxurious look. As such, a casual item of clothing like the polo shirt still looks stylish and decent. Mercerising is a process of ‘textile enhancement’ applied to cotton fabrics. It is named after the English chemist John Mercer, who, in the nineteenth century, laid the foundation for this technique.
Mercerising involves treating cotton under tension with highly alkaline chemicals. This changes the structure of the cotton fibre: each fibre swells and becomes smoother on the surface, so that it reflects more light. The result? Improved quality and a visibly more beautiful fabric! The cotton maintains its shape better and absorbs more colour. What is more, cotton is naturally mat, but mercerised cotton has a subtle shine. Therefore, it has been nicknamed ‘pearl cotton’.
