There are two ways we can define Supima.
- Supima is a Superior Pima cotton. All Supima are pima cotton but not all pima are Supima cotton.
- Supima is not a cotton variety in a broader sense - it is an organization to regulate the Superior Pima cotton that is grown in America.
Supima is one of the longest cotton fibers in the world. Supima® is 35% longer than regular cotton, which makes the fiber 45% stronger and considerably softer, which means the fiber is even softer and more lustrous wash after wash. It’s a big part of what makes the Fully Tees Supima t-shirts naturally soft.
Supima cotton is a high-quality type of cotton that is made from Gossypium barbadense (extra-long-staple cotton). It is considered to be one of the softest and strongest forms of cotton in the world.
You can trace the cotton directly to the source. Supima is a trademarked name for textiles knitted from 100% American Supima cotton and is only grown in Texas and California.
The methods of production and certification that are used for Supima cotton are different from those used for Pima cotton.
According to Supima.com,
Supima cotton is a superior type of cotton grown in the USA. It represents less than 1% of cotton grown in the world. What makes Supima unique to other cotton is the extra-long staple fibre that gives the cotton its premium properties: Strength, Softness and Color retention.
Buhleryarn.com says,
Supima cotton is used to designate high-quality American-grown Pima cotton, an extra-long staple cotton (ELS). Supima® is a trademarked brand controlled by a non-profit organization of the same name.
The non-profit, established in 1954, only allows licensed companies to use the name Supima, a portmanteau of superior Pima. Growers, textile mills, manufacturers, and apparel brands need to meet strict quality requirements to earn the right to call their American-grown Pima cotton Supima cotton.
Often, Supima cotton is wrongly compared with Egyptian cotton. Both are not same and there are lots of differences between Supima cotton and Egyptian cotton.