What does Ramie mean?

Ramie fiber is pure white in colour, lustrous, moisture absorbent, and readily dyed. The fibre is stronger than flax, cotton, or wool. Fabric made from ramie fibre is easily laundered, increasing in strength when wet, and does not shrink or lose its shape.

It dries quickly and becomes smoother and more lustrous with repeated washings. Ramie is resistant to mildew and other types of micro-organism attack and good fastness to sun. Because ramie is brittle, spinning it is difficult and weaving is complicated because ramie has a very hairy yarn surface.

Heddels explains Ramie

An ancient fabric, ramie dates back as far 5000 B.C., where it was used in Egypt for mummy cloths. It is one of the strongest fibers, is naturally stain resistant, and has an appealing lustrous appearance.

However, ramie is expensive to produce due to the many steps required to prepare the stiff, brittle fiber. As a result, ramie is often used in blends to improve upon other fibers rather than purely by itself.

Ramie is a member of the nettle family and is also known as China grass.

Additional Resources

A visual of ramie cloth: