In scientific terms, they are hydrophilic – they love water. So, clothing made of cotton and linen is highly hydrophilic. It tends to absorb moisture and disperse it across the fabric ...

What made cotton so desirable ... creating enormous international demand for cotton clothing. Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin, which easily separated cotton fiber from its seeds ...

Yinan Zhu declined to say whether it retailer's suppliers used Chinese cotton amid concerns over forced labour.