Quite some time ago a blend I had never seen before started popping up in babywearing circles. As someone who dyes frequently, this mystery blend that could be dyed without affecting a wrap's design had me intrigued. On investigating, and finding out that repreve was essentially recycled plastic, I was left with more questions not less. With the help of the babywearing community who I have quizzed and tormented for reviews, some research of my own, and some lovely mamas who have assisted me in sourcing repreve blends to explore, I have answered many of my questions!
What is repreve? Essentially, repreve is a fibre made from recycled plastic bottles. At this stage, the repreve blends I could find were all woven with a secondary fibre (all cotton as far as I could find).
Why would I choose a plastic based blend when the bulk of wraps available are made of cotton/linen/hemp/wool/silk and other natural fibres? Repreve is unlike other blends. It retains a cool feel, with a slickness I have never found in a natural fibre. It wraps differently; it naturally pleats and sits beautifully. It doesn't crease and crumple the way natural fibres do either, so goodbye iron! Another upside would most definitely be the fact that it is a recycled blend. Whether or not the plastic bottles used to create this fibre would otherwise be landfill bound I am unsure, but surely encouraging the use of recycled materials has to be a positive thing.
Can plastic be breathable? Will it sweat? Will my baby overheat? This was my first thought on finding it was a synthetic blend. Plastic doesn't breathe...we are familiar with the idea that plastic based fabrics (polar fleece, micro fleece etc) don't breathe and can cause babies to overheat and hinder their ability to regulate their body temperatures. Surely the same must be true of repreve blends? Funnily enough, the overwhelming majority of people I quizzed described it as soft and breathable. On trying Tekhni Repreve myself, I found it has a coolness to the touch, it is blended with cotton (in this instance) which perhaps adds to its breathable nature. It doesn't scream "plastic" but it also doesn't warm to the touch as a natural fibre blend would. I certainly didn't notice any sweating, despite a long walk up into the hills on an unseasonably warm day. Yaro reprieve did have a more "plasticky" feel, with a tendency to sag and knots which tend to slip. Yaro is more densely woven and much thinner, leaving it lacking the cush and airiness that made Tekhni Repreve shine.
Am I exposing my baby to an unnecessary amount of nasty chemicals? Tekhni, who use repreve blends in a variety of their wraps, state that they make their fibres using BPA free plastic water bottles. Knowing that all the bottles are BPA free and have been used only for water eased my mind somewhat. This will be a personal call, personally, despite the fact that I really enjoyed playing with this gorgeous, elegant wrap, I couldn't see myself buying a non natural fibre blend. If natural fibres are not top of your priority list, I would absolutely recommend giving it a try.
What does it wrap like? Is it suitable for beginners? Is it better for a squish or a toddler? Tekhni wraps beautifully. It is slightly slick and silky, passes glide into place and it is easy to tighten and tie. It is fairly supportive for a toddler, although its slightly slick nature means it doesn't have a lot of grip and rings and knots can slip a little. It is soft and smooth, so it could conceivably be used for a squish. It has a lot of qualities that would make it ideal for a beginner, although my preference would still be 100% cotton given it can slip slightly and lacks a little of the grip cotton offers to a wrapper whilst learning to tighten efficiently. I really struggle to even compare Tekhni repreve to Yaro. With cush I wouldn't have imagined, Tekhni repreve had a lovely springy feel, soft, relatively thick and with great texture. While Yaro was significantly thinner, it was not as diggy as I have found Yaro's cotton wraps to be. As a budget friendly option, Yaro repreve is functional and pretty, it certainly doesn't come close to Tekhni as far as wrap qualities go, but for its price is a great option for a wrapper with a little experience, particularly for babies and smaller toddlers.
All in all, I have enjoyed playing with repreve and certainly regard it more highly than I would have thought before experimenting for myself. I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending either Tekhni or Yaro repreve blends.
