Drumroll please!

The long wait is over – Bamboo Wovens are here, and they’re better than ever! Your favorite wovens have been upgraded with a more sustainably-processed bamboo fiber that not only has the beautifully light and airy feel you love but also the superior quality you’ve come to expect from a Haute Hijab!

Why did we go in search of a better fabric for our Wovens? Simple – we want to do better by our planet as stewards of this earth. We know you are interested in the colors and sizes of our Bamboo Wovens and how to care for them, how it wraps and wears. We’ll cover that in here as well! But, we want to tell you about the innovation behind this improved fabric and why it was so important for us to spend nearly a year finding a better Wovens material for you.

As part of our journey to becoming more sustainable with our existing hijab product collections, as well as new ones to come (Haute Hijab Sport, for example), we delved deep into the world of woven fabrics, drawing on our own learnings using bamboo for our Ultimate Underscarves, studying the bamboo plant further and drawing on research by companies like Patagonia to understand how it performs, why it’s a better, natural plant to work with and how to make a fabric out of it that had a more gentle impact on the environment.

As a raw material, bamboo renews itself extremely quickly – it grows up to four feet a day! – so it easily outperforms other plant-based fibers like cotton (which demands a lot of water and land to grow) and rayon (which is made from wood pulp fron slower-growing trees). But, turning the bamboo stalk into a fiber for fabric is where things get more complicated.

All too often the most common method of processing bamboo to create a woven material is through a harmful chemical process. However, a lot of progress has been made in the fabric manufacturing industry to patent processes that either use different, milder chemicals or “close the loop” processes so that chemicals used are recycled for more production rather than being dumped into the surrounding environment. These improvements have made the production of certain types of rayon, viscose and bamboo fabrics more safe and sustainable for the environment as well as for those doing this work and those who live nearby.

In the search for our new Wovens fabric, our product team conducted research, went to textile fairs and met with suppliers for nearly a year, trying to find something with a soft feel that was breathable, airy, durable but also more sustainable. Says our Product Development Manager Lily Steele, “We tried a lot of rayon iterations made in a more sustainable way, and that seemed like that was going to be the best option.

“But then, on a trip to India, we met with a company whose mill was really cool because they specialize in blended and regenerative fibers. They take fiber waste and figure out how to blend this waste matter together to make new fabrics. The owner is from Indonesia and is familiar with hijab and just really understood how important the fiber and wearability is [for our Wovens].”

Finally, after the long search, the HH product team knew this was the right partner to create our Bamboo Wovens in a way that was less wasteful and more sustainable.

This Bamboo Wovens collection has 14 colors. You can still buy standard (74" x 27") and maxi (78" x 39") sizes, but only six colors will be offered in the maxi. The maxi size does now cost $5 more, but that’s because it has more fabric that is produced in a more sustainable manner. These are the your color choices (* means this color will have a maxi size):

1. Black*

2. Blush* - a beige-pink neutral hue, which matches our previous Blush Wovens

3. Dusty Lavender* - an icy purple hue similar

4. Camel* - a rich butterscotch-type golden brown hue

5. Sage* - a cool muted green, similar to our Sage in jersey and chiffon

6. Stone* - a warm grey, similar to Ash from the previous wovens collection

7. Fawn - a warm, pinkish taupe shade

8. Chestnut - a deep golden brown hue

9. Natural - an "unbleached" off-white color

10. Rose Quartz - a neutral, dusty pink, similar to our Rose Quartz jersey

11. Navy - a dark blue hue, on the lighter side for a true navy but a good classic color

12. Currant - a rich dark red hue, similar to our previous Oxblood woven but a little more purple-y.

13. Pale Mist - a whispery pale mint hue, similar to previous Glass Slipper woven but slightly more green

14. Violet - a royal purple hue similar to our previous Byzantine woven, but a little lighter and more vibrant

You can expect a virtually identical experience to our previous rayon-based Wovens when it comes to washing and caring for these hijabs. Because naturally-derived fibers are more porous than synthetics like polyester, washing with like colors is extra important to prevent bleeding. It's a good idea to wash super dark or vibrant colors alone the first time to make sure they don't discolor other items.

Soft fabrics like wovens or jersey are naturally more prone to pilling than more "crisp" or synthetic fabrics like our polyester chiffon. To prolong the life of your woven hijabs as long as possible, hand-washing is encouraged.

1. Machine-wash warm with only other scarves in like colors, or hand-wash in mild detergent. Do not use bleach. (It’s important not to mix them in with bulky items like jeans or sweatshirts that can twist, pull or rip your hijabs. A good tip is to use a fabric care bag to protect these hijabs in the washer and dryer.)

2. Tumble dry low and remove immediately, or hang or lay flat to air-dry.

3. For makeup or oil stains, spot-treat with color-safe stain remover (our favorite is OxyClean) and then wash as normal.

4. Steam or iron on medium heat to get wrinkles out. (Storing them right away after you wash or use them can save a lot of time later! Helpful hint – if you roll them rather than fold, it can further help to reduce wrinkles!

We hope you enjoy our new Bamboo Wovens, and in wearing them, know that you are helping to support more sustainable products and manufacturing practices. It is upon all of us to do our part to better safeguard our planet, and we’re thrilled to be able to finally bring you our Bamboo Wovens as part of our journey in investing in sustainability practices.