Understand Fabric Finishes Apparel and Textile Production II

Types of Fabric Finishes  Appearance  How it looks  Texture  How it feels  Performance  How it behaves

Appearance Finishes Creating Fabrics That Appeal To Consumers’ Fashion Sense

Color Finishes  Dyeing = giving color to fiber, yarn, fabric, or garment  Fiber dyeing = imparts color to fibers before spun into yarn  Yarn dyeing = places spools of yarn into the dye  Piece dyeing = raw (greige) goods are placed in dye bath before being sewn into garments  Garment dyeing = whole garment is dyed after construction

Color Finishes  Printing = adds color, pattern, design to surface of fabrics  Roller Printing = applied as fabric passes through rollers  Screen Printing = similar to stenciling, large screens used to allow dye to various areas on fabric

Color and Patterns

Acid Washed  No acid is actually used in the process.  washed with pumice stones and chlorine until it is bleached almost white

Stone Washed  Process used to give a newly manufactured cloth garment a worn-in (or worn-out) appearance. Stone-washing also helps to increase the softness and flexibility of otherwise stiff and rigid fabrics such as canvas and denim.

Calendaring  a finishing process used on cloth, paper, or plastic film  The fabric is then run through rollers that polish the surface and make the fabric smoother and more lustrous. High temperatures and pressure are used as well.  Fabrics that go through the calendering process feel thin, glossy and papery.  The calendering finish is easily destroyed, and does not last well. Washing in water destroys it, as does wear with time.

Calendaring Effects

Brushing  Fabric passed through wire rollers which brush the fabric to leave it soft and fluffy.

Embossing  Giving fabrics a raised design on the surface with rollers engraved with the design

Napping  Using rotating wire brushes to raise the short fiber ends to create a soft fuzzy surface

Sizing  Adding starches or resins to the fabric for extra body or crispness  Temporary finish

Weighting  The application of metallic salts to silk to add weight and body  improve its drape.

Performance Finishes Creating Fabrics That Meet The Needs of Consumers

Antimicrobial/Antibiotic  Antimicrobial Finish is a long-lasting formula that inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae, mold, and mildew.

AntiStatic  Antistatic finish are used for the removal in synthetic fibers of the unwanted effects of electrostatic charge produced during production and wear of fabrics and knits.

Flame Resistant  treated with and/or holds natural properties to self-extinguish when exposed to an ignition source.

Flame Retardant A chemical application designed to increase a fabric's resistance to flame spread; less likely to flame up and/or burn

Mercerization  typically for cotton threads  strengthens them and gives them a lustrous appearance.

Mildew Resistant  This provides a mildew inhibitor and fungicide for fabrics exposed to damp climates.

Moth Resistant  Insecticides used on fabric  This aids in deterring moths from attacking and damaging fabric.

Permanent Press/Durable Press  processed with resins similar to those in wash-and-wear products.

Sanforized  will not shrink out of fit  The aim of the process is a cloth which does not shrink significantly during clothes production by cutting, ironing, sewing or, especially, by wearing and washing the finished clothes.  Sanforization is a process of treatment used for cotton fabrics mainly and most textiles made from natural or chemical fibres, patented by Sanford Lockwood Cluett (1874–1968) in It is a method of stretching, shrinking and fixing the woven cloth in both length and width before cutting and producing, to reduce the shrinkage which would otherwise occur after washing.cottonnaturalchemical fibresSanford Lockwood Cluettshrinking

Water Repellent  applied to such items as raincoats and umbrellas, closing the pores of the fabric by application of such substances as insoluble metallic compounds, paraffin, bituminous materials, and drying oils  Water-repellent finishes are surface finishes imparting some degree of resistance to water but are more comfortable to wear because the fabric pores remain open. Such finishes include wax and resin...

Waterproof  are fabrics that are inherently, or have been treated to become, resistant to penetration by water and wetting.

Wrinkle Resistant  A chemical finish designed to keep fabrics free of creases and wrinkling  Formaldehyde used, danger?

Fabric Finishes of the 21 st Century Technology in the Apparel Industry

Microfiber  used for athletic wear  wicks moisture (sweat) away from the body, keeping the wearer cool and dry  very elastic, making it suitable for undergarments.  used to make tough, very soft-to-the-touch materials for general clothing use, often used in skirts and jackets.  can be made into Ultrasuede, an animal-product- free imitation  used to make many accessories: wallets, handbags, backpacks, shoes, cell phone cases, and coin purses  lightweight, durable, and somewhat water repellent, so it makes a good substitute.

More about Microfibers  used to make many accessories: wallets, handbags, backpacks, shoes, cell phone cases, and coin purses  lightweight, durable, and somewhat water repellent, so it makes a good substitute  can be coated with various finishes or can be treated with anti-bacterial chemicals.  can also be printed with various designs, embroidered with colored thread, or heat- embossed to create interesting textures

Nanotechnology  Making composite fabric with nano-sized particles or fibers allows improvement of fabric properties without a significant increase in weight, thickness, or stiffness as might have been the case with previously-used techniques. For example incorporating nano-whiskers into fabric used to make pants produces a lightweight water and stain repellent material. 

Smart Fabrics  E-textiles, also known as electronic textiles, smart textiles, or smart fabrics, are fabrics that enable digital components (including small computers), and electronics to be embedded in them.  Many intelligent clothing, smart clothing, wearable technology, and wearable computing projects involve the use of e- textiles.  E-textiles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Green Fabric Finishes  reduce the health and environmental impact of fabric performance finishes by dramatically lowering the amount of chemicals and other harmful substances used in the finishes

Microencapsulation  involves encapsulating liquid or solid substances in tiny thin-walled natural or synthetic bubbles within the fabric.  has allowed moisturizers, therapeutic oils, and insecticides to be incorporated into fabrics  includes the delivery of drug treatments through clothing to patients  also offers a way of maintaining body heat 