Cotton ages honestly
Cotton poplin, like the fabric in our Relaxed Fit Button-Down Shirt, softens with every wash rather than breaking down - it's one of the few fabrics that genuinely gets more comfortable over time instead of less. The trade-off: it creases more than synthetic blends and needs an iron more often to look crisp. (For how it performs in actual heat, see What to Wear to Work in Summer.)
Rayon (viscose) needs gentler handling
Rayon-based fabrics like banana crepe, used in the Asymmetrical Pleated Trousers, are made from plant cellulose - not synthetic, but not as sturdy as cotton when wet. Rayon loses strength when it's soaked, which is why hand-washing or a gentle machine cycle matters more here than it does for cotton. Wring it the way you would a cotton shirt and you risk stretching it out of shape.
What actually wears out first
On cotton, the first sign of wear is usually thinning at high-friction points - inner thighs on trousers, underarms on shirts. On rayon-blend pieces, it's more often the drape going slack before any visible damage shows, which is why banana crepe trousers are worth washing on a cooler, gentler cycle from the very first wash, not just when they start looking tired.
The one habit that extends both
Wash inside out, in cold water, and skip the dryer. This single habit does more for the lifespan of both cotton and rayon-based pieces than any fabric-specific trick - heat from a dryer is the fastest way to age either fabric before its time.
