Whats the difference between Supima and Egyptian cotton?
All cotton grown in Egypt is “Egyptian” cotton, but it is not all ELS cotton. Egypt is one of the largest producers of ELS cotton in the world, but it consumes much of what it produces. The majority of what it exports is long staple cotton, not ELS cotton. However, the description “Egyptian cotton” conjures in the mind of many consumers the image of the very finest and longest cotton in the world. Egypt does produce and sell some of the best ELS cotton in the world, but it amounts to less than 15 percent of annual global ELS cotton exports, and less than 35 percent of Egyptian cotton exports. Supima cotton has become the cotton of choice among the world’s fine count yarn spinners, averaging 40% of world ELS cotton exports per year for the 12 marketing seasons from 1989/90-2000/01.
