COTTON A GUIDE TO LUXURY COTTON The most important factor in determining the quality and price of bed linens is the quality of the cotton. There are many species of cotton. The climate and care of a crop significantly impacts the quality of a finished product. At St Genève, we start with high-quality long and extra-long staple cotton fibres that are spun into thread and skillfully woven and finished in Europe. With decades of experience, we expertly sew these fabrics in-house. This dedication to quality and craftsmanship is what it takes to make authentic luxury bed linens. THE ADVANTAGES OF EXTRA LONG STAPLE COTTON Long staple cottons are wonderful. Extra-long staple are the best! Percales are crisp and cool to the touch, while sateens are supple and smooth. Higher thread counts are stronger, smoother, and softer. Longer fibers, ideally 37mm to 65mm, are best because they can be spun with a lower twist into finer threads. Short fibers have to be either spun into thicker threads or tightly twisted to make a thinner thread. Tight twists make a fabric stiffer after laundering. Short fibres tend to stick out from the fabric's surface, which leads to pilling. The hardest to grow, harvest, and mill extra-long staple cotton is much rarer. This makes the most opulent sheets. ​ Cotton fibres vary in strength and thickness. You can have fine fibres that are strong or thick fibres that are weak. The best fibres are fine and strong. Uniform staple length is optimum. When fibres vary in length, the cotton is only as good as its shortest fibre. EGYPTIAN VS. LONG-STAPLE COTTON The cotton that gets the most buzz is 'Egyptian Cotton'. Although Egyptian cotton is wonderful, in the past several years the market has flooded with counterfeit and low-quality Egyptian cotton products. That is why, at St Genève, we rate our qualities by the terms long-staple or extra-long staple since the length of the fibre is the most accurate indicator of quality. The mills we work with pay a premium to obtain cotton that tests at very high levels on all quality parameters. Some of the cottons we use are genuine Giza Egyptian cotton while others are made from long staple and extra-long staple cotton, sourced from reputable markets in regions with similar growing conditions. BACK TO BED LINENS 101