Hello all,

I'm going to be acquiring my first kilt sometime in the next few weeks, made by Robert of RKilts, and it's being made in black 100% hemp twill (13 oz I believe) by request. As I've never dealt with pure hemp, I don't know what to expect in terms of wear and tear other than the norm (color fades over time, is pretty much tougher than a rhinoceros' skin, etc). But one thing in particular had me searching for answers via searching through the forum and even Google, and that is if hemp fabric has a tendency to form 'pills', or little balls of fabric, atop of the garment. This question came up after reading another thread on XMTS about sporran chains causing extra wear and pilling, though that discussion seemed to be more aimed at traditional kilts and their respective fabrics from what I could gather. The sporran I will be getting for my kilt is one that I believe will look exceptional and would prefer to wear the chain that comes with it, rather than going with leather straps. I have no problem with leather straps, but in this particular case, I believe the chain will be excellent with this kilt and sporran. I will also be wearing this kilt and sporran a great deal, probably more than 3 times a week.

So, the question at hand is - has anyone had long term experience with fabrics of either pure hemp or high-hemp blend? Any experience with it pilling or how a sporran chain affects it over an extended period of time? Are there washing methods that tend to cause pilling more/less than other methods?

Also, since this is the Contemporarily Made Kilts section, I welcome any additional comments regarding pilling issues and solutions on other fabrics used in contemporary kilts; they can only help

Cheers!
-Jake