In the late 1850s, a Prussian-American gold prospector named Levi Strauss came to San Francisco. He was originally a cloth merchant and carried several pieces of canvas with him that could be used as tents and car hoods. He saw that the cotton trousers worn by the gold diggers were easily worn out, so he used the thick canvas he brought to cut low-waisted, straight-legged, tight-hip trousers for sale. They were very popular among the gold diggers, and he has since turned to Become the distinctive clothing of cowboys. Levi then changed the trousers material to indigo denim. His business grew bigger and bigger. He applied for a patent in 1871 and officially established the “Levi Strauss Company”. It later developed into an international company with products sold all over the world. .
After World War II, jeans became popular among young people in American cities. Different from dresses, high-end fashion, etc., it is a bottom-up popular model, and the fabrics and styles are free, bold, practical, and fashionable.
△Levi’s Centenary Advertising
Since then, dark blue has become popular color. More than 150 years later, it returned to Europe in the form of blue jeans and became an indispensable fashion attire for young people at that time. So much so that when the President of the United States was campaigning, in order to please young people, he would wear jeans on specific occasions to cater to the favor and recognition of young people. Denim has gradually developed into a globalized clothing. It was introduced to China in the early 1980s and quickly became popular. Many people, especially young people, have a special liking for denim.
What is denim
Denim, also called denim, is a thicker yarn-dyed warp-faced twill cotton fabric with dark warp yarns. , usually indigo blue, with light weft color, usually light gray or scoured white yarn. Also known as indigo labor cloth. It started in the western United States and got its name from the way herders used it to make clothes. The warp yarn adopts size dyeing combined with one-step dyeing process. The yarn count is 80tex (7-inch count), 58tex (10-inch count), 36tex (16-inch count), etc.; the weft yarn count is 96tex (6-inch count), 58tex (10-inch count), 48tex (12-inch count), adopt 3/1 weave, and also use variable twill, plain weave or crepe weave denim. The gray fabric has been treated with anti-shrinkage, and the shrinkage rate is smaller than that of ordinary fabrics. The texture is tight, thick, and bright. Bright and clear texture.
Characteristics of denim fabric
The characteristics of denim fabric depend on its raw material composition, yarn characteristics, organizational structure, weaving method and other factors. In particular, finishing affects the characteristics of denim fabric. play a very important role.
1
The appearance and feel characteristics of denim fabric
The fit and texture of denim fabric can be felt by hand. It has different softness and stiffness, different roughness and fineness, and various elasticity and plasticity. Denim produced from pure cotton combed strands has a smooth surface, clear texture and smooth feel.
Commonly washed denim is soft and comfortable; after stone washing, the cloth surface appears gray, old, and slightly to severely damaged;
Enzyme washing can make the cloth surface look thinner. Light fading, hair removal produces a “peach skin” effect, and a long-lasting soft effect;
After sand washing, there will be a certain fading phenomenon and a sense of staleness. If it is combined with stone grinding, the surface of the fabric will appear after sand washing. A layer of soft, frosty white fluff, plus some softeners, can make the fabric soft and soft after washing, thereby improving wearing comfort.
In short, different processing methods will produce different appearance and feel characteristics of denim fabrics.
2
Physical and chemical characteristics of denim fabric
Good denim fabric should not have any irritation or other odors, and attention should be paid to environmental issues. For example, the denim developed and produced by compact spinning not only returns to the traditional style of ring-spun fabrics, but also adapts to people’s needs for returning to nature and advocating for nature. Due to the characteristics of minimal hairiness and high strength on the surface of the compact yarn, the surface of the denim products is bright and silky. , the skin contact feeling is better and more comfortable when wearing. At the same time, using this compact yarn as warp yarn can reduce the sizing rate by 50% and eliminate the post-finishing and singeing process, which can save resources and reduce pollution. Physical and chemical or combined finishing can greatly change the appearance, mechanical properties and wearing comfort of denim fabrics
Classification of denim fabrics
Classification methods of denim fabrics Many, according to the thickness of denim, it is divided into 4.5A, 6A, 8A, 10A, 11A, 12A, 13.5A, 14.5A, etc. 4.5A is very thin and is often used as a summer vest for women. Sleeve shirts, etc., and 14.5 amp is already very thick, and can be used to make men’s cotton-padded clothes in winter. Most of the jeans we often wear range from 8A to 12A.
In terms of denim fabric types, it can be divided into plain weave, twill weave, herringbone weave, interwoven weave, bamboo, dark weave and flocked denim, etc…
In terms of composition, denim is divided into combed and carded, including 100% cotton, stretch (Lycra), cotton and linen blends, and Tencel…
It has been widely welcomed by consumers. “Super Indigo” dyed denim has two major characteristics: extremely deep dyeing depth and extremely good color fastness to washing. The former refers to the amount of indigo dye dyed on the yarn per unit weight (generally expressed as the dye accounting for % of the dry weight of the yarn, referred to as the dyeing depth %). For example, the indigo dyeing depth of conventional denim warp yarns is 1% to 3%. , and the dyeing depth of “super indigo” needs to reach more than 4% before it can be called super indigo or extra deep indigo. The latter refers to the fact that “super indigo” dyed denim needs to withstand repeated sanding and washing for more than 3 hours, and its color can still reach or exceed the color depth of conventional dyed denim without sanding and washing, and its color is lighter than conventional dyed denim. Much richer and brighter.
The color fastness to washing of indigo-dyed denim essentially depends on the penetration of the dye into the yarn, rather than the washing fastness of the dye itself (the wet rubbing fastness of indigo is only Level 1), that is, the better the core penetration, the better the color fastness to washing.
