THE TWO
FACES OF NEW FABRIC FINISHES |
Like denim itself, new finishes
for this popular and versatile fabric can
provide either functional utility or fashionable flair.
0n one front,
finishes recently developed and tested at Cotton Incorporated’s
World Headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, are proving to make denim
even more resilient and appropriate for one of its original uses ? hard-wearing
work clothes.
“We originally took this project on based upon a request from Williamson
Dickey Company to find a way to extend the life of their work denim,”
Dr. John Turner, consulting chemist, explains. “This led to a series
of about 500 different experiments conducted over two years using a variety
of chemicals and procedures that eventually resulted in more desirable
performance.”
Turner and his Cotton Incorporated research team found “certain
finishes offered marked improvements in wear life, as well as hand, drape
and color retention. Best of all, most of these chemicals are not exotic
to fabric finishing facilities. There are also many options available
at varying costs. It’s generally a matter of how certain chemicals
are combined and the temperatures at which they are cured after application.”
It was learned that appropriate amounts of a suitable polyethylene improved
the wear life of denim and other non-durable press cotton garments. In
addition, the hand could be softened further with silicone finishes.
For the fashion market, Kathryn Novakovic, Cotton Incorporated director,
the cottonworks® Fabric Library, is also noticing an increasing range
of finish choices for the denim market. “Denim continues to be a
staple ? just look in any fashion magazine. And in the last couple of
years it has really gone high-end and high fashion,” she observes,
“and the new denim finishes have helped this trend evolve.”
She continues, “Even houses like Chanel and Roberto Cavalli are
showing denim, and it’s gone well beyond jeans.”
Denim’s continued, and rising, popularity is opening new worlds
of possibility for finishes. According to Joe Ieraci, trend director at
Burlington Worldwide Denim, the fashion denim market can be divided into
two main categories: “authentic,” including designs from Abercrombie
& Fitch, Ralph Lauren Polo and Levi’s; and “high fashion,”
which is more influenced by directions from Europe and led by Diesel and
a number of high-end designer labels.
“The ‘authentic’ companies emphasize treatments that
bring out the character of denim fabric,” Ieraci explains. While
he notes that this is not a new direction for these brands, every season
brings additional variations. Streaky looks, for instance, are attained
through sandblasting, bleaching or hand abrasion of indigo dye off vertical
yarns in the weave. This segment of the market also offers over-dyed garment
tints, with colors changing from year to year, according to the latest
trends.
“Styling
and function, enhanced through new dyeing and finishing techniques,
will continue to help keep denim an important apparel fabric for years
to come.”
KATHRYN NOVAKOVIC
Director, the cottonworks® Fabric Library
It’s the “high fashion” category, however, that really
breaks new ground in this area. “These designers are not as concerned
with the fabric,” Ieraci observes. “First and foremost is color
play. Many of these looks come out of Italy, as influenced by Martelli,
a large laundry operation there.”
Among the latest trends is the use of a recently developed generation of
sulfur dyes. “This is a new twist on sulfur dyes,” Ieraci says.
“The yarn used in denim is dyed in a series of vats. If a sulfur dye
of a color other than indigo is used in the first vat, it’s called
‘bottom’ sulfur dyed; if it’s used in the last vat, it’s
called ‘top’ sulfur dyed,” he explains. “Each leaves
its own distinctive cast on the finished garment, with bottom dyeing being
more subtle. Black was the original sulfur color, but we’re starting
to see the development of new tints, including shades of green, which are
expected to be in stores this fall.
 “The
latest spin on this is the use of a new chlorine resistant sulfur dye,”
Ieraci reports. “In the areas where the finished garment is bleached,
the indigo dye comes out of the yarn, leaving the sulfur-dyed color, which
is resistant to the chlorine in the bleach.” Variations on this, he
explains, can be achieved by spraying the bleach in a variety of ways and
on different parts of the jean. Machine application, for instance, will
result in a more uniform look than more expensive handwork.
Even using standard yarn-dyed denim, designers are stripping away the
indigo in certain areas, and then over-dyeing the entire denim in a different
color. “Currently, the market is still playing off of brown and
khaki, but a different color direction is starting to emerge,” Ieraci
notes. “We’re starting to see the more expensive denim lines
using new ranges of red, especially berry shades and pink. Also, tints
and colors are becoming lighter.”
In addition, Ieraci sees the methods used for stripping away the indigo
before over-dyeing ? bleach, sandblasting, mechanical abrasion, etc. ?
enabling a host of possibilities. “And,” he adds, “if
just the thigh area is abraded by hand, only that portion of the jean
would take on the new color. This can also be done on a back pocket, the
waistband or the entire garment.”
“Certain finishes offer
marked improvement in the wear life and color retention.
Best of all, most of these chemicals are not exotic to fabric finishing
facilities.”
DR. JOHN TURNER
Consulting Chemist, Cotton Incorporated
As with most other apparel trends, both Ieraci and Novakovic predict these
looks will trickle down from the upscale to the mass market. “In
some ways, it’s been happening already,” Novakovic notes.
“We’ve already seen a lot of washed denim at places like Wal-Mart,
and sand abrasion has been kicking around for a while and is now more
widely offered at a variety of retailers.”
The needs for both the fashion-forward and discount customer might be
different, but Novakovic is certain that both styling and function, enhanced
through new dyeing and finishing techniques, will continue to help keep
denim an important apparel fabric for years to come.
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