Hemp
Lifestyle
The Story of Rich and Textured Clothing
Interview by Melinda Bie Marcel Hemp opened as a natural fiber clothing store on Santa Barbara’s State Street in 1989. Store owner Marcel Monsivais featured clothing made from cottons, linens, and silks when he was introduced to hemp.
The hemp products sold in Marcel Hemp are sourced internationally in a fair trade market. Some of the production is in Santa Barbara, some in Los Angeles, as well as 12 different overseas countries.
“I thought it was such an interesting fiber,” recalls Marcel. “I made a trip to Thailand where I really fell in love with the fabric and slowly, little by little, I started to realize the other benefits of it.”
“We used to use 100% hemp fiber, but it proved to be just a little too rough in texture, so we now do a blend of cotton and hemp,” notes Marcel. “The benefit of the mix though is that we have an instantly soft fabric, very close to a linen quality without the ‘wrinkle factor’ that linen has.”
Hemp fabric offers UV protection as well as the best natural wicking ones. Many cyclists and athletes prefer hemp’s Hemp isn’t a cost-effective fabric. As America starts growing anti-microbial and anti-bacterial qualities, which synthetic and processing more of it, that may change. So much workout gear doesn’t have. Plus, hemp is biodegradable. already has changed since Marcel Hemp opened its doors 31 years ago. Officially the oldest hemp store in the country, Marcel Hemp’s presence has raised a few eyebrows over the years. “I’ve had customers return with their kids, and then grandkids Marcel has used the confusion of hemp equaling drug use and on. I recently received a photo of five generations all as an opportunity for education. It’s about sustainability, UV wearing our clothing,” says Marcel. “My favorite thing about protection, wicking, and anti-bacterial benefits. Marcel also hemp fabric is the character of the fabric, the look and feel, educates the wannabe hemp farmers visiting his shop. it’s a very rich, textural look.” CS “I try to let them know they should have a target of who they are going to grow for – don’t just grow it and try to figure out what you’re going to do with it. Are you going to grow it for a paper source? A thread or yarn source?” Marcel explains. “It’s a rather involved process from plant to fiber and a potential grower needs to be aware of this process prior to diving into planting.”
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Cannabis by the Sea Fall 2020
Marcel Hemp is located at 531 State Street in Santa Barbara. The phone number is (805) 963-8387. The website is marcelhemp.com. Side note: The little boy on the Marcel Hemp logo, right, is Marcel as a little boy! The grown up Marcel is pictured at the right in his store.
