Fabric Printing

Most fabrics are coloured by either DYEING or PRINTING

Rotary printing

The method most used in the mass-production of printed textiles, over 70% of all fabrics are printed by rotary printing.

The dye is applied to the fabric from within a roller. The rollers are made of a mesh with areas where the print is not wanted is blocked off by a photo-negative process. A series of rollers transfer the colour as the fabric passes underneath. Each roller has one photo-negative design, corresponding to one colour, with a particular part of the design eg. If a design is made up of 12 colours, 12 rollers will sit next to each other on the printing table, as the moving fabric passes along, the rollers continually turn and pass each dye colour onto the fabric, building up the colours as the fabric passes underneath. The dye is pushed through by a squeegee.

•  Very quick & efficient, sometimes called continuous printing
• The costs are in the making of the rollers, once these are complete, complex designs can be produced very quickly in a number of colours
•  Thousands of meters of fabric can be printed each day – rotary printing is the quickest printing method by far

Flat Screen Printing

Is made with metal ‘screens’ covered by a polyester mesh fabric. Individual screens have areas which are ‘blocked off’ by a UV photo-negative process, ink is placed onto one edge of the screen, and a squeegee is pulled across the mesh screen, forcing the ink through the mesh, onto the surface of the fabric. Each screen has one design and can apply only one colour. The screens stay stationary, while the fabric moves along the conveyor bed. Fabric is usually heat set in between applications of colour.

• Is a slower process than rotary printing, as the fabric has to stop moving to allow each colour to be applied
• There is a limit to the number of colours that can be printed
• The process can be done by hand or machine

Biostoning - a green way to distress denim

Biostoning - a green way to distress denim

Bio-stoning is used to give a distressed look to denim. It is an environmentally friendly way of creating a worn look to jeans.

Volcanic rock, or pumice stones are often used but they damage the clothes, hems and machinery as well as producing a fine dust that is hazardous to the health of the workers. Most manufactures use enzymes to bio-stoning instead, which is a natural enzyme tat 'eats' at the surface colour of the fabric, creating the desired look.

Benefits:

-         Less damage to fabric and machines

-         Reduced product variability – more control over quality

-         Reduced labour costs

-         Reduced environmental cost – no abrasive sludge left in waste water 

Toiles and Sample Garments

Christian Dior Toile, Made in Paris, 1954. Image from the V&A Collections».

If you’ve ever read an interview with a designer where they mention the word “toile”, then they are effectively talking about the prototype versions of their collections. Toiles are the test version of a garment before a designer makes it in the real fabric.

By making designs in plainer, cheaper fabrics first it gives the designer a chance to test the pattern, the fit, the design lines and proportion without ruining expensive fabrics, and also means that the design can be viewed in it’s purest form before print and colour distract away from any possible construction issues.

Often the fabric used for toiling is called calico, a cheap and readily available form of cotton which has not been wholly processed. Due to the fact that calico is unbleached it has an uneven appearance and a creamy colour. It is also easy to make correction markings on so that designers can redraw design lines, and do other fitting changes such as cutting into fabric or pinching small amounts out. All these alterations are then relayed back onto the pattern so that a new toile of the garment can be cut and tested.

Loop yarn

It is a type of novelty yarn which is characterized by its loopy appearance. 

The name “Boucle” is originally derived from “boucler”, the French word meaning “to curl”. The curls or loops of the yarn can be of similar size and can range from large curls to very small circlets. At least 2 strands of yarn are combined for creating Boucle. The tension of one strand is kept much looser compared to that of the other strand when the former is plied around the latter. The loose strand forms the looped EFFECT while the other, tighter strand works as an anchor and is called the BINDER yarn.

Sometimes, different colored yarns are combined together for producing a colorful yarn. 

The name BOUCLE refers to fabric made using this yarn. This type of fabric keeps the looped appearance which distinguishes it from other types of woollen fabrics.

 

View the YouTube link below to see how Chanel's jacket was developed using boucle fabric 

Smart Fabrics
These are fabrics that CHANGE according to their ENVIRONMENT

OUTLAST

Is a phase change fabric is used to maintain body temperature.

It is used in ski wear, outerwear and clothing designed for extreme conditions.

Phase change material changes its state e.g. from  liquid to solid.  Touch it and it feels cold but the encapsulated wax particles responds to changes of atmospheric or body temperature.

THERMOCHROMIC FABRIC

Thermochromic fabrics have the ability to change colour in response to heat. This can be used for novelty products or for health & safety reasons e.g. baby glow colour changing sleep suit.

STOMATEX

Stomatex® replicates the way in which a plant transpires and passes vapour from inside the leaf into the atmosphere.

Stomatex® uses a pattern of dome-shaped vapour chambers, each with a tiny pore in the centre. While resting, excess body heat and perspiration rise into the dome-shaped chambers and exit through the tiny pores at a controlled rate.

MICRO-ENCAPSULATED FABRIC

Products such as vitamins, caffeine, aromatherapy oils or moisturisers such as aloe vera, are combined at the polymer stage and are trapped inside the fibre.

When friction is applied the molecules are released, creating a scented or health benefit

Fashion Cycles

Fashion trends come and go, but in the industry there are 3 key ‘fashion cycles’. These are lengths of time that trends remain in fashion:

FAD

Fads are short lived trends that last no more than a few weeks.These are often accessories or mass-produced items with a gimmick or humorous element. Eg.

Ponchos, harem pants, tie-dye t.shirts, neon accessories, crocs ........

CLASSIC

Classic fashions are those which appear in fashion collections season after season. They remain the staple iconic items in a wardrobe, and very little in terms of shape & style changes with new collections. Classic trends stay in store all year. Eg.

Jeans, white shirt, trench coat, little black dress.......

STANDARD

The standard trend lasts between 1-2 seasons (one year). Products will become highly fashionable for the first season and will then be diluted into the second season before disappearing altogether. These are the general high street trends.

These are the trends that make the Spring / Summer and Autumn / Winter fashion collections. Eg.

This summers’....  Sugar Rush, nautical, maxi dresses.....

Grainline

What is a grainline?
The direction of the WARP yarns of the fabric that travels DOWN the length. The grainline is parallel to the selvedge and will allow pattern pieces to drape well.

What is meant by the bias?
The 45⁰ angle, diagonally across the fabric. The bias allows the fabric to stretch.

 

What are Balance marks?

Marks in the pattern block and cut out fabric to allow manufacturers to match up

pattern Pieces eg. bodice front to bodice back

 

What are Notches?

Triangular cut outs from a seam allowance on a curve that allows for ease