Denim Fabric | Invention of Denim Fabric

Posted by Firoz Kabir on Saturday, April 4, 2015 0

Denim is a strong, durable fabric constructed in a twill weave with indigo and white yarns. The blue/indigo yarns are the lengthwise or “warp” threads (parallel to the selvedge). The white yarns run across the fabric width (the weft threads). Denim is traditionally woven with 100%-cotton yarn; however, today it’s blended with polyester, to control shrinkage and wrinkles, and Lycra to add stretch. Today, denim has many faces. It can be printed, striped, brushed, napped and stone washed, and the indigo dyed.

The evolution of the blue jeans (made from denim) market led to the development of some unique and creative methods for the processing of denim garments. Originally, jeans were marketed and sold as worker wear with primary emphasis on their durability and practicality. But when jeans were discovered and appreciated by consumers as general casual wear, they became fashionable, and new techniques were developed to enhance denim garments and make them more unique. These techniques include garment washing, stone washing, and stone washing with chlorine, acid washing, sand blast washing, ice washing, and cellulose enzyme washing. Basically, all of these techniques involve the processing of garments in rotary drum machines.

To enhance the fashion and more vintage look the dry processes in denim were invented and get popularity by the consumers. For these dry processes, jeans become making with extreme worn look, super vintage look as well as extra faded fashionable wear.

 
Characteristics of Denim Fabric:

• It is for long wearing.
• It is hard wearing.
• It is very strong and durable.
• It resists snags and tears
• It creases easily.

Types of denim fabric:

• Natural denim
• Ring spun denim
• Polycore denim
• Ring-ring denim
• Ring denim
• Bull denim
• Dual ring spun
• Black-black denim
• open end denim
• Reverse denim
• Pinto wash denim

Invention of Denim:

The word “denim” comes from the name of a sturdy fabric called serge, originally made in Nîmes, France, by the Andre family. Denim was originally called serge de Nîmes, it was then soon shortened to Denim.

Denim was originally used by workers. They wore denim clothes because of it’s durability, it was extremely strong and perfect for their daily jobs, it didn’t wear out easily making it a good fabric for the long run.
In the 1800’s, American gold miners wanted clothes that were strong and did not tear easily. To meet this demand from the miners, a man called Leob Strauss started a wholesale business, supplying clothes to people who required it. Leob and a Nevada tailor joined forces to patent an idea the tailor had for putting rivets on stress points of workman’s waist high overalls, commonly known as jeans. Strauss later changed his name from the rather plain Leob to the extremely recognizable Levi, this is when the brand Levi Strauss was created and is still extremely successful today.