Once planted, cotton requires plenty of warmth and rainfall or irrigation from the outset. Plantations can be found in China, India, the US, Brazil, Australia, Turkey and Greece, amongst others.

The cotton plant produces flowers fairly soon after planting. These little flowers ripen and release seeds, which produce white hairs or balls of cotton that are picked from the plant. The raw fibers form the basis of the cotton fiber that is eventually produced. The raw fibers are brushed (laid in the same direction) and, once the waste has been removed, these fibers can be stretched into yarn, from which the cotton string is made.