SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SUPIMA COTTON

What does Supima mean?
The name "Supima®" is a licensed trademark owned by Supima and its members. It is used to promote textile and apparel products made of 100% American Pima cotton, and is strictly controlled by the grower organization. The name "Supima" is an abbreviation for Superior Pima. The Supima® trademark is your guarantee that the product contains Supima, the world's finest cotton. No other trademark can guarantee a product's luxury cotton content.  Pooghe Clothing Company of America is proud to be a licensed Supima® brand bearing the Supima® Trademark with its Pooghe apparel line.   

What is Pima cotton?
Pima cotton is a generic name for extra-long staple (ELS) cotton grown in the U.S., Australia, Peru and in very limited production in a few other locations around the world. Pima is from the gossipier barb dense species, compared to gossipier hirsute, to which upland cotton belongs. The primary differences between Pima (ELS growths) cotton and upland cotton are staple length, strength of the fiber and fineness of the fiber. In the U.S., cotton is considered to be ELS or American Pima if it is an inch and 3/8 or longer. Its strength and uniformity measurements are considerably higher than those of upland cotton.

How do products made with Supima® cotton benefit the consumer?
Products made from 100% American Pima - Supima cotton will have superior strength to a product made of upland cotton or upland/Pima blended cottons, which will improve the durability and increase the lifespan of the textile and apparel products. Because of the fineness of Supima cotton, more fibers can be spun into a yarn of a given count, which will enhance the feel and softness, drape ability and brilliance of color of a fabric.

What is the difference between Pima and Supima?
The name "Pima" is the generic term generally applied to ELS cotton grown in the U.S., Peru, Israel and Australia. The name was given to the ELS cotton being grown in the Southwest U.S. in about 1910. It had previously been called American-Egyptian cotton but was renamed to honor the Pima Indians who were growing the cotton for the USDA in Sacaton, Arizona, where the government's ELS breeding program was being conducted. "Supima" is the trademark name used to promote and market textile and apparel products made with 100% American Pima cotton. Supima provides licensing agreements to textile mills, manufacturers and brands/retailers for the expressed purpose of promoting specific apparel and textile products in high-end retail outlets. Industry people often refer to American Pima cotton as "Supima cotton."

Does the use of the name Pima guarantee a product's cotton content?
Not necessarily. In the past, some textile products that were labeled or marketed as "Pima cotton" goods were not always made of all-Pima cotton.

The Supima® trademark is the consumer's only guarantee that a product is made of 100% American Pima cotton. The Federal Trade Commission ruled in June of 1997 that manufacturers and retailers would have to itemize cotton source content on any apparel or textile product when the name of a premium fiber was being used. For example, a product made of 60% American Pima cotton and 40% upland cotton could be labeled and marketed as 100% cotton. But if the retailer or manufacturer wants to mention the Supima name in the labeling or marketing, they would have to list the content of both the Supima and the upland cotton. The content should be listed based on weight percentage.

What's the difference between Supima and Egyptian cotton?
All cotton grown in Egypt is "Egyptian" but it is not all ELS cotton. Egypt is one of the largest producers of ELS cotton in the world, but it consumes much of what it produces. The majority of what it exports is long staple cotton, not ELS cotton. However, the description "Egyptian cotton" conjures in the mind of many consumers the image of the very finest and longest cottons in the world. Egypt does produce and sell some of the best ELS cotton in the world, but it amounts to only about 7% of annual global ELS/LS cotton exports, and is approximately 25% of Egyptian cotton exports. Supima cotton has become the cotton of choice among the world's fine-count yarn spinners.

Why is Supima a premium cotton?
Supima accounts for only about three percent of annual cotton production in the United States. Its fineness and longer staple length makes Supima the premium cotton fiber. It is used to spin finer count yarns, which can be knitted or woven into softer, finer and more luxurious fabrics. It is grown in select areas of the far west and southwest U.S. where the cotton can benefit from a long growing season in a hot, dry climate. Supima cotton is grown exclusively on furrowed rows where growers can closely regulate irrigation and other inputs. Its production costs can vary in different states and regions, but it generally runs a little more expensive as upland cotton costs in the same area due to extra management of the crop. Ginning is more expensive because Pima cotton is roller-ginned, not saw-ginned like upland cotton. Supima is grown in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.

For more information about Supima Cotton go to www.supima.com