Hemp has been banned by governments, had war declared against it, and been accused of bringing down modern society. But the truth is hemp is one of the most extraordinary plants on Earth. With 4x the durability and 8x the tensile strength of cotton, the Egyptians used it to haul rocks around when they were building the pyramids, and Chinese warlords built their armour from it. Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the New World in 1492 was made possible thanks to the strength of his hemp sails.

From an environmental perspective every tonne of hemp produced removes 1.6 tonnes of CO2 from the air. It requires zero pesticides and very little water to cultivate. And it’s so smart scientists now use it to clean up soil, water and air contaminated with radioactive isotopes after nuclear meltdowns. As for clothing, the plant’s fibres grow to over 4 metres which makes them incredibly soft yet really strong. It’s breathable, water repellent, antibacterial, UV resistant and biodegradable. So we’re now going back to building clothes out of it in its raw and undyed state.