MATERIALS
Peruvian Cotton
The textile products, from growing them in agriculture to developing the fibers, to treating and transforming them into fabrics and clothing garments; have a long and ancient tradition in Perú. One which is greater than the ones in most of other countries in the world.
The Incas, famous and acknowledged by their superior culture; in which the textile art was a very important part; made beautiful and complex textiles. They used a variety of fabrics, fiber qualities and techniques (including the organic cotton of natural colors). This inheritance is now exhibited in the most important museums around the world since they are considered treasures of humankind. All these fibers have their origin well before the Incas conquered and dominated Perú and they were developed by mysterious Pre Inca cultures that grew along our territory over 4500 years ago.
From those mysterious Pre Inca cultures, Peruvians have maintained their sophisticated textile and handcraft traditions. In this way, valuable vegetable fibers have been developed. The Pima and Tangüis cotton types are considered “Peruvian treasures”. These fibers have already been acknowledged in the European and American markets.
The ecological worldwide problems and the growing need for preserving nature, makes this one of the most important aspects of the Peruvian cotton, the fact of its picking-up. This is done by hand, as it has been done since the beginnings of the growth of this plant in Perú, for over 4500 years. In this way any injury or damage to the fiber is avoided. Perú is the only country in the world where the pick-up is done by hand and in large scale. In other countries the pick –up is done by means of machinery. This makes it necessary to use chemical products to open the cotton plant. The machines and the chemicals, in turn, pollute the cotton and damage the environment.
Pima Cotton
This type of cotton derives from the Egyptian cotton called Mitafifi. It was brought to the USA, where the Giza, Yuma and Pima types were produced. The last one of these has the best characteristics for the specific type of plant, the fruit trend and for the fact of having, the longest and finest thread.
In Perú, the best environment to grow Pima cotton is in the Department of Piura, due to the warm temperatures it has all year long. This sunny, coastal region of the northern part of the country favors its excellent characteristics:
Characteristics |
PIMA |
| Fiber |
Extra Long |
| Length |
38.10 a 41.27 |
Resistance (Pressley)
Thousands of lbs/inch2 |
92.5 a 100 |
| Finesse (Micronaire) |
3.3 a 4.0 |
| Color |
Cream white |
The combination of the seed, the soil and the microclimate has made the Peruvian Pima Cotton the finest, and the one with the longest fiber in the world. It is only comparable to the Egyptian cotton. When it is processed appropriately, it possesses a special bright and softness to the touch, that are insuperable. It is almost a “natural" mercerized cotton.
It is more hygroscopic than other fibers, because of this, it adapts extremely well to both, humid and warm climates. Therefore garments made with this type of cotton are more comfortable during the summer. Besides, even though the Pima Cotton has a fiber which is longer and finer than the rest; it is also one that is the most resistant of all those. Once again, making the garments more durable.
Tangüis Cotton
A Peruvian engineer whose last name was, Tangüis developed the Tangüis Cotton. This was the origin of this type of fiber. This type grows in the valleys of the mid and southern coasts of Perú.
The combination of the seed, the soil and the microclimate has made the Peruvian Tangüis Cotton one with a long fiber. When it is processed appropriately, it gives a very soft touch. It also has an excellent absorption means and has a very high dyeing affinity.
It is also a very strong cotton variety, which makes it resistant, and the garments made with it, very durable.
Characteristics |
TANGUIS |
| Fiber |
Long |
| Length |
29.36 a 32.54 |
Resistance (Pressley)
Thousands of lbs/inch2 |
86 a 88 |
| Finesse (Micronaire) |
4.6 a 5.8 |
| Color |
White |
It is required from the suppliers of yarn that the fiber is carefully chosen from the cotton valleys in Perú. It should be free of pollution and the yarn must have a parallel and stable thickness. All this is verified in the laboratory of yarn control.
Dyes
The dyes and chemical products that Franky & Ricky uses are purchased from German and Swiss companies, all of them certified with the highest standards of quality. We only use reactive dyes because these give the fabric a better finishing and they do not pollute the environment.
Accessories
By being a factory of clothing garments of highly added value, Franky & Ricky has a large variety of accessories suppliers of worldwide quality both for the local and the international markets. The garments made have many important details, such as woven fabrics of different qualities, leathers, applications, special zippers, buttons, and ribbons, among others.
