Denim Fabric Construction Denim is made from rugged tightly woven twill in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. Lengthwise, yard is dyed with indigo or blue dye; horizontal yarns remain white. The yarns have a very strong twist to make them more durable, but this also affects the denim's color. The yarns are twisted so tightly that indigo dye usually colors only the surface, leaving the yarns center white. The blue strands become the threads that shown on the outside of your denim and the white are the ones that make the inside of your denim look white. This produces the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric. Through wear, the indigo yarn surface gives way, eposing the white yarn underneath which causes denim to fade. !eans are basic " pocket pants, or trousers made from denim. Denim is an indigo#dyed cotton twill fabric in which the weft passes under two or more warp fibers. The term derives from '$erge De %imes', the &rench city where it was produced; but denim and $erge De %imes are in fact different fabrics. Two words come from the name of a sturdy fabric called serge, originally made in %imes, &rance. riginally called serge de %imes (fabric of %imes), the name was soon shortened to denim (de %imes). Denim was traditionally colored blue with natural indigo dye to make blue !eans, though *!ean* then denoted a different, lighter cotton tetile, the contemporary use of +ean comes from the &rench word for enoa, -taly, where the first denim trousers where made. !eans transcend age, economic and style barriers. ut +eans themselves have reached iconic status. !eans based on cuts and washes/ Low#rise, ultra#low#rise, oot#cut, &lare leg, $tone#washed, Dark, distressed +eans. !eans based on body types/ $lim body, 0urvy body, 1thletic body, &ull#figured &ull#figured body types. Famous Denim Terms
Stonewashing: 1 process that physically removes color and adds contrast. !eans and stones are rotated together for a set period of time. The washing time dictates the final color of the fabric # the longer the denim and stones are rotated the lighter the color becomes and more contrast is achieved. The denim is then rinsed, softened and tumble dried.
River Washing: 1 washing process using a combination of pumice stones and cellulose enzymes to give denim a vintage, worn hand. The washer is loaded only with stones and fabric for the first cycle. 2nzymes are introduced for the second stage in combination with the stones and they are tumbled until a naturally aged look is produced.
Indigo: The dye used for denim, initially taken from the indigofera tinctoria plant. The ma+ority of indigo used today is synthetically made. %atural indigo has slightly red cast.
Tate-Ochi: !apanese term referring to occurrences of 3-ron#chi4 forming in vertical lines in vintage denim. 1s the thread width is not uniform in vintage denim, the color fades the most where the thread is the thickest. This creates a white or severely faded thread of several centimeters along a single vertical indigo thread.
Denim Washing
Dramatic changes have occurred in the function and design of +ean garments since the first pairs of +eans were created for gold miners during the 0alifornia old 5ush.The evolution of the +eans4 market led to the development of some uni6ue and creative methods for the processing of denim garments.riginally, +eans were marketed and sold as workwear with primary emphasis on their durability and practicality.ut when +eans were discovered and appreciated by consumers as general casual wear, they became fashionable, and new techni6ues were developed to enhance denim garments and make them more uni6ue.These techni6ues include garment washing, stone washing, stone washing with chlorine, ice washing, and cellulase enzyme washing.asically, all of these techni6ues involve the processing of garments in rotary drum machines. The first generation of indigo +eans was stiff and uncomfortable when first purchased, due to the finishing techni6ues used for denim fabrics.%ormally after weaving, greige denim is singed, finished with starch and a lubricant, and then mechanically shrunk.This mechanical shrinking did *break* the hand somewhat, but no other processing techni6ues were employed to provide a soft handle.7sually, consumers would take a newly purchased pair of +eans home and soften them by washing once or several times before the first wearing.Denim fabric continues to be processed using the same basic finishing system, but after being cut and sewn, denim garments may undergo additional processing. The second generation of the +eans4 market evolution produced pre#washed +eans by the manufacturer.These +eans had a slightly faded appearance and a softer hand that felt comfortable, as though they had been laundered several times.This trend became fashionable as well, and consumers were willing to pay the etra cost involved for this additional processing.0onsumers no longer had to bother *breaking#in* their +eans themselves with the added benefit that the +eans were already shrunk to size with little or no residual shrinkage.
%ot long after the introduction of pre#washed +eans, the idea of using abrasive stones to accelerate the aging process was developed and *stone washing* was born, creating an even more *broken#in* look.%et, chlorine bleach was incorporated in these wash techni6ues and a whole new paler blue denim family evolved.Then, ice washing was developed, in which the porous stones are soaked in a bleaching agent and then tumbled with dry or slightly damp garments.This process has been given many names, including acid wash, snow wash, white wash, frosted, etc.1ctually, the term *acid wash* is a misnomer since acids alone should never be used for this process. 8ost recently, a cellulase wash procedure was developed in which cellulase enzymes were used to accelerate color and fiber removal.1 reduced 6uantity of stones can be used to create a desirable washed down appearance.This process can be more efficient; since with fewer stones, larger load sizes can be processed, and there is less of an abrasive effect on the inside of the rotary drum.
Type of Denims
Natural Denim 1 type of ring#ring denim naturally uneven in warp and weft. Polycore Denim ften found in replica +eans, offers the best mi of strength of polyester core and vintage aesthetic of cotton top thread layer. Ring-spun Denim 5ing spun yarns were traditionally used in denim up until the late 9:eft, to get much of the strength and look of the traditional ring=ring denim at lower cost.
Ring Denim 1 traditional type of denim fabric, revived in the late '?ash Denim an instant success.
