Denim Washing Technique

Denim-Wash Techniques, Dyeing Processes - Every Denim Technical Apparel Designer Must Know

Denim Jeans Importance is in its washing process. Technical Clothing Designers who are in to Technical Apparel Design of Denim Jeans should be aware of various Denim Washing and Processing techniques.  Washing Process in Denim Is quite important and complicated. Various Washing Techniques that Apparel Industry follows for the Denim Washing are given as below.

Abrasion:

The process of making garments look worn and aged by scraping or rubbing the surface of the fabric causing abrasion. Most people who buy jeans do not want them to look new, so most jeans and other denim garments are subjected to a wash treatment to give them a slightly worn look. Enzymes abrade denim fabric gently. Enzymes accelerate the abrasion process by loosening the indigo dye on the denim. By partly hydrolyzing the surface of the fiber, the indigo is partly removed to create light areas. However, too much abrasion resulted in the damage of the fabric, particularly at the hems and waist-bands. Today’s incredible range of denim finishes can be achieved with a little catalyst called the enzyme.

Acid Wash :

The finish that gives indigo jeans sharp contrasts by soaking pumice stones in chlorine and letting the stones create the contrast. Acid Wash Jeans are created by exposing the denim material to a chemical process that strips away much of the Indigo Dye, leaving the pants a much lighter color. Although early acid wash denim featured a mostly uniform color, today's styles tend to be more random with an almost Tie-Dyed look.

Bartak:

A sewing procedure that reinforces stress points on jeans, usually front flies, pocket openings and crotch joins of inseams. Thankfully there is a Bartak machine.

Bleach

A chemical used to make denim fade.

Carding:

The industrial yarn preparation process where raw cotton is separated, opened, cleaned and made into sliver. The initial process of constructing denim fabric is carding. Carding is the process of removing foreign matter from the cotton fibers. In doing so, the fibers are pulled into a web-like form. The fibrous web is made into a rope-like strand called a "sliver," according to the online resource Textile Exchange. The sliver is then spun into yarn through the use of a spinning machine.

Cotton

After blooming, this plant turns from white to purple, providing the well-known textile that withstands high temperatures, accepts dyes well, and increases in strength when wet. The quality of cotton is determined by the length of fibers; the longer the fibers, the higher the quality.

Crocking

A term used to describe how dye rubs off fabric on skin or other fabric.

Crosshatch

Mixing uneven yarns in both the weft and warped directions to create a unique type of denim that shows a square grid-like pattern in the weave.

Defoliant

A chemical that causes plants' leaves to drop off earlier, used to speed up the harvesting process of cotton.

Denim

The word denim is believed to be a derivative of the French term, serge de Nims, a rugged cotton twill textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp fibers, producing the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric distinguishing denim from cotton duke.

Dips

What fabric or yarn is called when dipped in dye.

Double Needle

A common seam on jeans where two stitches run parallel to each other for reinforcement. Most commonly used Stitching Technique in Denim.

Dual Ring Spun

The process in which both the warp and weft threads are made of ring-spun yarn. It creates a much softer and textured hand than regular (single) ring-spun denim.

Enzymes

Proteins that speed up chemical processes. They are used in textile processing, mainly in the finishing of fabrics and garments.

Enzyme Wash

A more environmentally sound way to create a stone wash; organic proteins are used to eat away at the indigo.

Finishing

The overall processes performed on a garment giving it its unique look.

Five Pocket Jeans

Most frequent design for denim: two back pockets, two front pockets and a coin pocket inside the right front pocket.

Ginning

The process in which seeds are removed from picked cotton.

Indigo

A blue dye obtained from indigo plants. The chemical structure was synthetically produced in 1987. Indigo's inherent features are good colorfastness to water and light and a continual fading. This allows the blue color in jeans to always look irregular and individual.

Jean

Possibly derived from the French work "genes", it was first used to describe the type of pant worn by Genoan sailors.

Laundry

A facility that takes unwashed jeans and processes them; i.e. stone wash, sandblasting, finishing, etc. It is essential in creating commercial denim and has become as important as fabric development.

Left-Hand Twill

A weave in which the grain lines run from the top left-hand corner of the fabric towards the bottom right. Usually in piece-dyed fabrics, left-hand twill fabrics are woven from single piled yarns in the warp. They often have a softer hand feel to them after washing.

Loop Dyed

One of three major industrial methods of dyeing indigo yarn.

Open-End Spinning

A spinning process in which individual fibers are fed into a high-speed rotor shaped like a cup where they begin to accumulate. The yarns produced using this method is not as strong as the ring-spun yarns of the same size.

Overdye

A dying process in which additional color is applied, create a different shade or cast on the garment.

Oxidation

In denim manufacturing, when indigo yarn comes out of the dip and joins oxygen, penetrating the fiber.

Padazoic

A dye used in the late 1960's - early 1970's in place of indigo which was in short supply and high demand.

Pigment Dyes

Dye that lack the ability to grab onto the fibers and must be held to the fabric with resins.

Pima Cotton

Pima Cotton also called extra long staple (ELS) is extremely durable and absorbent. Originally grown in the 1900's in Peru, Pima Cotton is known for its long fibers, making it a very high quality, luxurious cotton. Pima Cotton was brought to America and got its name from the Pima Indians, who harvested this particular type of cotton.

Polyurethane

Provides a chemical resistance in the washing and drying process in order to achieve the desired denim wash/ color. It is the basis of a novel type of elastomeric fiber known generically as spandex. It is a man-made fiber (segmented polyurethane) able to stretch at least 100% and snap back like natural rubber.

Pumice Stone

Lightweight and strong, this stone is used in the process of stone washing apparel.

Ring Dyeing

Describes a quality unique to indigo dye in which only the outer ring of the fibers in the yarn is dyed while the inner core remains white.

Ring Spinning

The process that creates unique surface characteristics in a garment by feeding individual fibers into the end of the yarn while in its twisting zone producing an irregular authentic vintage look. Ring-spun yarns add strength, softness and character to jeans.

River Washing

The process that creates a naturally aged look by combining pumice stones and cellulose enzymes. The washer is first loaded with stones and fabric. The second stage introduces the enzymes and tumbled together to give denim a vintage, worn hand.

Rivet

A metal accessory that is used for reinforcement of stress points as well as nonfunctional ornamentation.
Sanding

Sanding Process that makes the surface of a garment soft by rubbing aggressively with paper containing small loose grains of worn rock.

Sea Island cotton

Known for its silky feel and luster, one of the best cotton fibers.

Selvage

The edge of a fabric that is woven so that it will not fray or ravel. Old 28 to 30 inch shuttle looms produce denim where selvages are closed, whereas on the larger modern weaving machines the weft yarn is cut on every pick, creating what is called a fringe selvage.

Skewing

Refers to the occurrence of twisting that happens when the fabric shrinks more perpendicular to the twill line. Denim needs to be redirected or "skewed" to prevent the side seam from twisting to the front of the jean.

Slasher Dyeing

One of the three main methods of dyeing indigo yarn.

Spinning

A process used to create yarn or thread where short fibers are twisted together. These yarns will be used to weave into cloth or used in sewing. Longer fibers like silk are not spun.

Stone Washing

Process that physically removes color and adds contrast using pumice stones. The longer the denim and stones are rotated the lighter the color becomes and more contrast occurs. The denim is then rinsed, softened, and tumble-dried.

Weft

The un-dyed crosswise filling yarns used in denim weave.

Whickering

Term used to describe denim that has a fading of the ridges increases in the crotch area and back of the knees giving the appearance of aged denim. This is otherwise called Wickering effect on the style.

Yarn Dye

Refers to fabric where the individual yarns are dyed prior to weaving.

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