On November 19, Cotton Inc. and MTV made fashion history by producing the “24 Hour Runway Show.” With 1440 looks—one per minute—this extravaganza was 700% longer than the average fashion show.

According to the show’s website, the idea was to promote the following:

“The show will fuse on-trend fashion and versatility together through the combination of an innovative, vogue runway show and the unprecedented ability to showcase cotton apparel of all ranges for 24 continuous hours. As the show evolves from day to night, and back to day, the looks hitting the runway will illustrate the incredible versatility unique to cotton.”

There were looks from a number of fashion houses including Lilly Pulitzer, Juicy, Old Navy, Gap, Guess, AG Jeans, American Apparel, 7 For All Mankind, Replay, Lucky and DKNY Jeans.

The event marked another step in cotton’s innovative branding strategy to build B2C relationships, even though cotton is a B2B commodity. This unique promotion came at a time when cotton prices are at all-time highs and worldwide cotton supplies are severely short.

Cotton has successfully built a direct relationship with its consumers for over 30 years. It began in the 1960s when cotton’s hold on the market share dropped radically (from 78 to 34 percent) as people began to use more synthetic fabrics in clothing and home fabrics. In response, cotton growers and manufacturers formed Cotton, Inc. in 1970 and launched the Seal of Cotton logoin 1973. Branding a commodity at that time was revolutionary. The “push/pull” market strategy—“’push’ cotton textile innovations into the market through product and process development, while building consumer demand, or a ‘pull’ through advertising and promotion”—took it even further.

Cotton, Inc.’s strategy worked. By the end of 1973, 18% of American consumers recognized the cotton logo and the commodity regained its popularity. The success of its strategy led Cotton. Inc., in 1989, to launch “The Fabric of Our Lives® advertising campaign to a television audience of more than 200 million on Thanksgiving Day. The campaign introduced cotton as an “integral part of the American experience as well as its tagline—‘The touch, the feel of cotton, the fabric of our lives.’”

By 2003, the number of people who recognized the cotton logo “increased to more than 80%, making the Seal of Cotton one of the most recognized brands in the country.”

Today, cotton is a major player in our clothing landscape and represents a casual, easy lifestyle. Cotton Inc.’s fashion show, however, comes at a time when designers and retailers are again turning to alternative fabrics — this time not because of the wash-and-wear ease of polyester— but because the price of cotton is at an all-time high. Wholesale prices of cotton jumped 90% last year because “floods in Pakistan, heavy rains in China, and India capping cotton exports have led global inventories in 2010 to decline to roughly 45 million bales, the lowest since 1996.” The price of cotton clothing has been rising rapidly.

As a result, over the last couple of years, the clothing industry buzz has been to find alternatives to cotton. Already affected by the global financial disaster on retail sales, designers and retailers have been increasingly turning to cotton blends, or turning away altogether and using recycled or eco-conscious fabrics such as hemp, bamboo, rayon, modal, lyocell and flax.

While the branding strategy behind the fashion show was meant to drive consumer interest and, ultimately, purchases this holiday season, cotton prices are creating a challenge for everyone. Our one-time everyday cotton clothes are becoming more status pieces. It will be interesting to see what ultimately happens at the cash register—will the supply be there to meet the demand? Or will the brand promise—fabric of our lives—have to wait for another day for better prices and better crop supplies?

Adriana Estrada is a senior strategist for the Siegel+Gale New York office.