What Is Sea Island Cotton?

Identification

• Sea Island cotton, Gossypium barbadense, is an elite form of American cotton. "Sea Island cotton thrives in the unique climate of the Sea Islands, located off the southeastern coast of the United States, and on the islands of the West Indies such as Barbados," says the Pakistan Cotton Ginners' Association.

Features

• Sea Island cotton is noted for exceptionally lengthy, strong and silky fibers that surpass in quality the cultivars grown in other areas. It possesses a unique sheen that compares to silk and a feel against the skin similar to cashmere. The species is a form of Egyptian cotton introduced in the Americas more than 300 years ago.

Fun Fact

• Queen Victoria of England demanded that her handkerchiefs be produced exclusively from Sea Island cotton and other royalty felt the same. "Edward VIII, the late Duke of Windsor, swore by it; 'I am a steady wearer of Sea Island cotton,'" he is quoted as saying by the Jamaica Agricultural Development Foundation.