What are the advantages and disadvantages of using cotton fibre in clothing?

Cotton is one of the most versatile textile fibres and incredibly common worldwide. Some advantages of cotton are that it is a very strong fibre and becomes stronger when wet. Cotton is naturally anti-bacterial, very cool, breathable and comfortable when worn . It is also very absorbent, which can be positive when used in towelling etc, however the disadvantage of this is that it is very slow-drying. Some disadvantages of cotton are primarily to do with it's impact on the environment. The use of non-organic cotton has been criticised for its mass usage of fertilisers and pesticides, which damage the soil and surrounding wildlife. Both organic and non-organic cotton also uses up huge amounts of water which, particularly in less developed countries, could be put to better use as drinking water or to grow crops.