Why Silk?
✨ The Sustainable, Science-Backed Choice for Luxury Travel Sleep
When creating the LATRAVLA® travel sleep essentials, we asked ourselves one defining question:
What fabric offers the perfect balance of science, sustainability, and sensual luxury -while genuinely protecting our customers’ sleep and skin?
The answer was clear: Mulberry silk.
In a market where bamboo, Tencel®, cotton, and even synthetic blends are often heralded as “sustainable” or “high-performance,” we took a hard look at the facts. The result? A decision rooted not in fleeting trends, but in uncompromising standards of care, sustainability, and wellness.
🌿 Why Not Bamboo? The Truth Behind the Trend
Bamboo has been heavily marketed as eco-friendly. Yet the story behind the softness often tells another truth:
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Chemical Processing: To transform hard bamboo stalks into fabric, most suppliers rely on viscose/rayon processing - using toxic solvents like carbon disulphide and sodium hydroxide, which can harm both workers and the environment. Fashion Revolution
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Performance Gaps: Bamboo lacks silk’s protein structure (fibroin) that actively supports hair and skin health. Instead, bamboo fibres absorb and wick moisture away, which can leave skin and hair drier over time.
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Durability Issues: Bamboo fabrics tend to pill and weaken more quickly than silk. True sustainability lies in longevity - and silk simply outlasts.
🌱 Why Not Tencel? A Step Forward, but Not Enough
Tencel® (lyocell) does address some of bamboo’s issues through its closed-loop production system, which reuses solvents. But for travel wellness, it still misses the mark:
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Moisture Retention: Like bamboo, Tencel is absorbent-excellent for activewear, but unhelpful against skin and hair during sleep.
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Temperature Regulation: Tencel doesn’t adjust as dynamically as silk. Silk naturally moderates heat and humidity, an essential advantage for travellers moving across climates.
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Luxury Factor: While smooth, Tencel cannot replicate silk’s featherlight elegance and tactile indulgence-a vital part of wellness luxury.
🌾 Why Not Cotton? Familiar but Flawed
Cotton is beloved in households, but when it comes to sleep and travel wellness, it is neither the most sustainable nor the most supportive choice.
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Absorbent by Nature: Cotton draws oils, creams, and hydration away from your skin and hair-hardly ideal for travellers combatting dry cabin air and shifting climates. NCBI
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Environmental Cost: Conventional cotton accounts for 16% of global insecticide use and is one of the most water-thirsty crops, with one cotton t-shirt requiring approximately 2,700 litres of water. WWF
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Travel Practicality: Cotton is bulky, slower to dry, and less breathable in fluctuating conditions. For travel, this is simply impractical.
✨ Why Silk? The Science, the Sustainability, the Sensation
Our commitment to 100% mulberry silk is founded on three pillars:
1. Performance-Backed Wellness
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Skin & Hair Protection: Silk’s amino acid structure reduces friction, prevents sleep creases, and minimises hair breakage. PubMed
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Thermoregulation: Silk is naturally temperature-adaptive, keeping you cool in heat and warm in chill. ScienceDirect
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Hypoallergenic: Naturally resistant to dust mites, mould, and common allergens-protecting sensitive travellers.
2. True Sustainability
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Low-Impact Farming: Mulberry trees thrive without pesticides and need far less water than cotton. Textile Value Chain
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Longevity = Sustainability: A well-cared-for silk pillowcase or mask lasts years, unlike bamboo or cotton which degrade faster-reducing the cycle of consumption.
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Biodegradable: 100% natural silk decomposes back into the earth, leaving no trace of microplastics or toxins.
3. Uncompromising Luxury
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Sensory Experience: Beyond softness, silk offers a restorative tactile quality that blends indulgence with science-backed benefits.
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Compact & Travel-Ready: Silk is featherlight, quick-drying, and folds elegantly into the smallest travel bag without bulk.
🌍 Our Commitment: Beyond Fabric Choice
At LATRAVLA®, fabric is not a trend-it is a statement of intent. Every decision is guided by our values: science-led wellness, sustainability, and uncompromising luxury.
We chose silk because it is the only material that honours your skin, your sleep, and the planet in equal measure.
Because when you’re travelling the world, your sleep deserves nothing less.
