DhaaViRa London

Our fabrics

Natural fibres, chosen for how they feel

We work only in natural fibres. Our first pieces are in hemp blended with cotton, and we will add other natural fibres as the collection grows.

Hemp and cotton
Five of our six first pieces are woven from hemp and cotton blends, from 30% to 70% hemp.
Pure hemp
Our sleeveless tank top is woven from 100% hemp.
More to come
We are exploring other natural fibres and blends. Each new fabric will be listed here with its exact fibre content.
Always on the label
The exact fibre content of every garment is on its label and product page.

Our first fibre

What is hemp?

Hemp is the plant Cannabis sativa, grown for its stem fibre and its seed.1,2 The long fibres in the outer layers of the stem, called bast fibres, are the part used for textiles; the woody core is called the hurd.1,3 Hemp is a bast fibre, like flax, the plant linen comes from.4

Varieties grown for fibre and seed contain very little THC.1 In the UK, licensed hemp must come from approved varieties with no more than 0.2% THC.2

One of the oldest woven fibres

People have made cloth from hemp for thousands of years: hemp fibre imprints have been found on Chinese pottery from the 5th millennium BC.1

In England, Henry VIII’s Flax and Hemp Act, passed in 1533, required farmers to sow hemp or flax.5 Demand from the Royal Navy and trading companies made hemp farming common in Britain.6 Even the word canvas comes from the Latin cannabis.7

From stalk to cloth

How hemp becomes fabric

  1. Harvest

    Stalks are cut and left to dry.3

  2. Retting

    Moisture and microbes break down what binds the fibre to the woody core.3

  3. Breaking and scutching

    Stalks are broken and scraped to separate the fibre from the woody core.4

  4. Hackling

    Combing removes short strands and impurities.4

  5. Spinning and weaving

    The fibre is spun into yarn and woven into cloth.4 In our blends, hemp is combined with cotton.

On the body

What hemp is like to wear

Pure hemp has a texture similar to linen.1 Most of our pieces blend hemp with cotton, so each one will feel a little different. Rather than promise how a piece will feel or wear, we will describe each one in its fit notes after we have worn and washed it ourselves.

Questions we hear

Hemp, answered

Is hemp clothing legal?
Yes. Hemp fibre comes from the stalk, which the Home Office treats as a non-controlled part of the plant; the controlled parts are the leaves and flowers.2
How will it feel?
Pure hemp has a texture similar to linen.1 Our blends include cotton. Each product page will describe how that piece feels and wears, from our own try-ons and washes.
What are DhaaViRa pieces made of?
Our first pieces are hemp and cotton blends, from 30% to 70% hemp, plus a tank top in 100% hemp. The exact fibre content of every garment is on its label and product page, and in our collection list.
Why is the fibre content listed that way?
UK law requires textile labels to give the name and percentage by weight of every fibre, in descending order.8 We use the same order everywhere.

Sources

Where these facts come from

We only publish facts we can point to. Checked September 2026.

  1. Wikipedia: Hemp (species, THC in fibre varieties, bast fibres and hurd, earliest evidence, texture similar to linen)
  2. GOV.UK: Industrial hemp licensing factsheet (fibre and seed uses, approved varieties, 0.2% THC, controlled and non-controlled parts)
  3. Hemp Gazette: How hemp fibre is produced (harvest, retting, hurd)
  4. Heritage Crafts: Flax, hemp and nettle (bast fibre) processing (breaking, scutching, hackling, spinning and weaving)
  5. Acts of the Parliament of England from 1532 (Flax and Hemp Act, 24 Hen. 8 c. 4, Royal Assent 7 April 1533)
  6. Haxey Walkers: Linen and hemp in the Isle (Royal Navy and trading company demand)
  7. Online Etymology Dictionary: canvas
  8. legislation.gov.uk: Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, Article 9 (fibre content labelling, as it applies in Great Britain)