BAMBOO & FABRICS FAQs 
Are chemicals used in growing bamboo?
Chemicals are not required to grow bamboo. One of bamboo’s key advantages is that it thrives without the use of pesticides or fertilizers and relies solely on natural rainfall. As anyone with bamboo in their garden will know, once established, it grows vigorously with little to no intervention.
There is some evidence that pesticides may be used in newly established plantations, particularly on degraded land where other crops struggle to grow. In these cases, pesticide use is typically minimal and limited to the early stages of cultivation.
Merryn, VASTRA’s sustainability expert, has traced our bamboo directly to its source and has personally visited the bamboo forests of Tamil Nadu, India.
Where does Vastra source its bamboo fabric?
As part of our commitment to making a positive impact throughout the production of our clothing, we have traced our supply chain all the way back to the bamboo forest. This means we can confidently say that our bamboo is grown in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
We have visited India to see this firsthand, which you can read about in Origins of Our Bamboo. The bamboo is then processed into fibre by two fibre producers, both located in Tamil Nadu. These fibres are sold to fabric mills in India or exported to other countries, where they are made into fabric.
Are Vastra products made entirely from bamboo fibres?
Our goal is to provide supersoft clothing that delivers all the benefits of bamboo – breathable, moisture‑absorbing, and incredibly comfortable. To achieve the best performance, we blend bamboo with other fibres depending on the garment. For example, a knit might include responsibly sourced, luxuriously soft Merino wool, while our chinos may be blended with organic cotton for durability. Our linen and bamboo range combines the classic look of linen with the added benefits of bamboo.
We want our fabrics and garments to be durable and perform well. Where necessary, we do use synthetic fibres, but only to ensure quality and longevity. As part of our zero-waste and zero-carbon initiatives, we are actively researching recycled and bio-based alternatives. We will introduce these once we are confident they meet our performance standards and allow us to continue making clothes of the quality you expect.
Is there enough bamboo left for the pandas?
Yes! You’d be surprised how often we get asked this question – and we love seeing how much people care about the pandas.
Bamboo grown and harvested for industrial use comes from plantations or forest areas that are too close to human populations for wild pandas to live in. Bamboo is the fastest-growing grass on the planet, capable of growing about a metre per day and spreading quickly over large areas, making it an abundant and sustainable crop.
How should I care for my bamboo clothing?
Bamboo garments are very easy to care for in the washing machine. (As you might expect, our Merino blends are best hand-washed.) Because bamboo naturally stays fresher for longer, you’ll also find you don’t need to wash your clothes as often.
We recommend checking the care instructions for each garment, as they can vary.
Being mindful of how you wash and care for your clothes can make a real difference to their carbon footprint:
- Wash less – Bamboo helps keep clothes fresh for longer.
- Wash at lower temperatures – Unless your clothes are really dirty, stick to 30°C.
- Line dry – Skip the tumble dryer and reduce your laundry’s carbon footprint by up to 75%.
- Don’t throw it away – Repair, reuse, and recycle wherever possible.
Do Vastra garments shrink when washed in the washing machine?
Bamboo viscose can shrink slightly, so we work closely with our suppliers to ensure fabrics are finished to a high standard and that any shrinkage stays within acceptable limits—meaning it won’t affect the fit of your clothes. The elastane in our fabrics also helps minimise shrinkage.
Occasionally, when testing a new fabric, we may find it shrinks more than we consider acceptable. Instead of rejecting the fabric—which would create unnecessary waste and cost our supplier— we adjust the garment by cutting it slightly larger to account for shrinkage after washing. We always let you know when we’ve done this.
Does Vastra clothing provide UV protection?
When a garment offers UV protection, it usually means it is tightly woven or knitted, preventing harmful rays from reaching your skin. While fabrics can be treated to increase UV protection, these treatments are not eco-friendly and tend to wear off after a few washes.
Our heavier-weight jersey and sweat fabrics naturally provide an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) of 50+, meaning they block around 98% of harmful UV rays, thanks to their tight knit.
For medium-weight fabrics, we’ve conducted third-party testing to determine their UV performance. Our 160gsm Air and 200gsm Jersey fabrics also achieve a UPF of 50+, blocking 98% of harmful rays.
Lighter-weight fabrics, such as our non-stretch jersey and lightweight linen, are more loosely woven and therefore do not offer the same level of UV protection. If you have a specific sensitivity, please check carefully.
All clothing provides some level of protection, but for prolonged sun exposure, it’s still important to wear sunscreen.
Vastra Bamboo Clothing – A Fresh Look for a Purposeful Future
We’re thrilled to announce that Bamboo Clothing is now VASTRA. This marks an exciting new chapter in our journey, as we evolve our name while staying true to our roots.
VASTRA reflects who we are today: a brand guided by purpose, style, and sustainability. While we continue to offer the bamboo clothing you know and love, VASTRA also celebrates our expansion into a wider range of natural fabrics—each carefully chosen to tread lightly on the planet.
Our commitment to soft, comfortable, and eco-friendly clothing hasn’t changed—it’s simply under a new name. Welcome to VASTRA Clothing.
SUSTAINABILITY & ETHICS FAQs
Are all VASTRA packages eco-friendly?
Yes, all of our packaging is sustainable.
Our garment bags have been biodegradable since 2015, and by AW20, they will all be fully compostable. We’ve removed all plastic from our packaging. Our mailer bags and underwear bags are made from fully recyclable Kraft paper, and our socks are packaged in card with thread stitches replacing the small plastic kimbles.
One of our goals is to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2030. We continually adapt our packaging to use the latest, most sustainable options, which means you may receive different types of bags with different orders.
What steps is VASTRA taking to minimise its impact on the environment?
Jatin founded VASTRA in 2024 after discovering that bamboo not only produces a supersoft fabric but is also highly sustainable. Bamboo is the fastest-growing crop on the planet and absorbs five times more CO₂ than hardwood trees.
That said, turning bamboo into fibre does have an environmental impact. In fact, every clothing business affects carbon, water, chemicals, waste, and land use. Changing this requires rethinking how our entire supply chain operates—and that’s exactly what we’re doing.
We are on a mission to be Impact Positive, ensuring that every item of clothing you buy from VASTRA has a positive impact on the planet.
What is the process for making bamboo fabric?
Bamboo is incredibly soft, breathable, and comfortable, but it all starts as a bamboo plant. Here’s how it becomes fabric:
Mature bamboo stems, or culms, are carefully harvested, leaving the roots—and the carbon they store—in the ground so the plant can continue to grow. This sustainable harvesting is one of the reasons bamboo is so good for the planet.
The harvested bamboo is cut into chips, washed, broken down into pulp, and dried. The pulp is then sent to a fibre producer, where it is transformed into fibre using a chemical process. These fibres are spun into yarn, which can be knitted or woven into the supersoft fabric you know and love.
You can learn more about the origins of our bamboo.
Are all VASTRA products vegan?
VASTRA is not a certified vegan brand. Most of our range is made without animal products, but some of our knits contain Merino wool and are therefore not considered vegan.
Some dyes may contain animal-derived ingredients, though many dyehouses are increasingly switching to synthetic alternatives. While this is a positive step for animal welfare, we are mindful that some synthetic options can still have environmental impacts.
We continuously review our materials and processes to ensure we choose the most animal- and planet-friendly options. We are also building a full inventory of every chemical used across our supply chain to ensure we use the lowest-impact substances in our products.
