We all know that clothes are made of various clothing fabrics. When most people buy clothes, they first look at the style, design, color and pattern, fashion, and clothing fabrics are often ignored. The pace of fashion is fast, and as the seasons change, the styles of clothing also change. Every time the seasons change, we worry: it’s time to buy clothes again. Obviously there are more and more clothes in the cupboard, but when I go out, I feel like there is nothing I can wear. The final analysis is that the quality of the clothes in the cabinet is not good, or the color is old, or it has shrunk, pilled, or even has holes. Why does this happen?
The above results are undoubtedly caused by people’s lack of knowledge about clothing fabrics, which leads to blind obedience when choosing. Most of the clothes purchased are not of good quality, so they are prone to quality problems, which ultimately lead to short-lasting wear and lack of taste. Today we will give you some knowledge about common clothing fabrics and the differences between various fabrics. I hope it can help everyone have the ability to identify when choosing clothes, so that they can buy clothes that are comfortable to wear, noble to the eyes, and soft to the touch.
Faced with the wide variety of materials on the market, we can’t help but ask: long-staple cotton, organic cotton, island cotton, polyester fiber… .What’s the difference? Why is there a price difference of hundreds of dollars for the same long-staple cotton?
All sellers say that their products do not shrink, fade or deform. How do you know if they are true or false?
If you have the same confusion, you must read it carefully!
Before popularizing science, there are some big issues to talk about.
1. Textile fabrics are divided into two categories: natural and non-natural.
Natural ones include:
Plant fibers: cotton, hemp, fruit fibers…
Animal fibers: wool, rabbit hair, silk
Mineral fibers: asbestos.. ….
Non-natural ones include:
Regenerated fibers: Tencel, Modal, bamboo fiber…
Synthetic fibers: nylon, polyester, acrylic, Lycra… …
Inorganic fiber: metal wire…
sorts of cotton
2. The difference between various types of cotton
Cotton is the most commonly used textile raw material. The advantages are breathable, light and soft. But cotton also has a disadvantage, that is, it is prone to insects during the planting process. Insect infestation destroys the fiber of cotton.
What we usually call combing is to use a combing machine to remove impurities and thick and short fibers from the fibers before processing cotton, wool and other fibers into yarn. Combed cotton requires cotton with slender fibers. Do it.
Moth-eaten cotton cannot be combed because the cotton fibers are broken by insects, so humans have developed improved cotton that is less prone to insects and ensures the integrity of the cotton fibers.
Key point: only combed natural fiber fabrics are high-end fabrics.
Okay! The background introduction is complete.
Long-staple cotton: Long-staple cotton is also called island cotton. “Long-staple” refers to the fiber length. Long-staple cotton is considered long-staple cotton if the fiber length is more than 33mm. When we usually say “pure cotton”, we refer to fine-staple cotton, with a fiber length of about 25-31mm.
There are two common types of long-staple cotton, one is Egyptian long-staple cotton and SUPIMA cotton (Pima cotton).
Egyptian cotton
Egyptian cotton is high-quality long-staple cotton produced in Egypt, and is now also the general name for high-quality long-staple cotton. The output of this kind of cotton only accounts for 0.1% of the total cotton output, and it is also the only category that does not require improvement to prevent insect growth, so those Egyptian cottons that advertise low prices and cost-effectiveness cannot be true. .
Egyptian cotton has a very good drape, so it doesn’t need to be ironed, and it won’t wrinkle after being hung on a hanger overnight. It is also strong, durable and tough, and is not as easily deformed as ordinary cotton fabrics.
SUPIMA cotton is not as expensive as Egyptian cotton, but its texture is closest to Egyptian cotton. For yarns with the same count, Egyptian cotton and SUPIMA cotton can spin more fibers than ordinary cotton. The resulting yarn has high strength, good resilience, and is more wear-resistant.
American cotton: As the name suggests, it is cotton cultivated in the United States. Because of its high quality and large output, it is a very cost-effective category.
Organic cotton: Organic cotton is a kind of pure natural pollution-free cotton. It has ecological, green and environmentally friendly characteristics. At the same time, its shortcomings are also obvious. It is easy to grow insects and has short fibers, so it can only be slubbed. Nowadays, organic cotton is mostly produced in developing countries such as India and Turkey.
Modal fabric
Modal: It is not a natural textile raw material. It is made from wood slurry made from shrubs and then through a special spinning process. Modal products have good softness and excellent quality. It has good hygroscopicity, but its fabric has poor stiffness, so it is now mostly used in the production of underwear.
There is no mercerized cotton. Mercerized cotton is just a description of cotton that has undergone special processes such as “singeing” and “mercerizing”.
Polyester fiber: Commonly known as “polyester”, it is a synthetic fiber. The biggest advantage of polyester fiber is that it has good wrinkle resistance and shape retention, and has high strength and elastic recovery ability. It’s durable, wrinkle-resistant, iron-free, and non-sticky.
Spandex fabric
Spandex: short for polyurethane fiber, is an elastic fiber that can enhance the elasticity of fabrics. It cannot be made into clothing on its own and must be blended with other fibers.
3. Thickness means good fabric?
Not necessarily.
Thin does not mean the fabric is bad; thick does not mean it is good fabric. There are some things that everyone often buys “”Thick” T-shirts are exactly the kind of bad T-shirts that become stiff and shapeless after a few washes.
The same fabric, if the yarn count is high and the fabric is densely woven, will be thin; if the yarn count is low and the fabric is loose, it will appear thick.
The woven effect of fabrics with thick fibers is thicker than that of fabrics with long fibers.
But fabrics with long fibers are good fabrics, because long fibers = thin = softer and more skin-friendly.
So those sellers who constantly emphasize how thick their clothes are and how many grams they weigh cannot explain the quality. On the contrary, if you focus on weight, it is very likely that the fabric you choose is coarse cotton. The more you use it, the thicker it will look.
4. What is the count in clothing fabrics
The count refers to the thickness of the silk thread, represented by S, such as 100S, also called 100. The higher the count per unit area, the thinner the thread and the thinner the fabric.
Why is Egyptian cotton good? Because of high count cotton, short staple cotton cannot be woven at all.
The higher the count, the better.
For example, shirts, generally good shirts have a count of 60-100, and some big brands have 100-140. If it is pure cotton, then the shirt is already very thin, so it is not suitable for summer wear. It will be very snug but uncomfortable.
T-shirts generally have 80 pieces, which is enough. If you make more, the T-shirts will also be very tight and thin, and are not suitable for long-term wear.
5. Learn about shrinkage and fading
First of all, let us admit one fact:
Any textile will have a certain degree of deformation and shrinkage during wearing, which is determined by the fiber characteristics. . Especially for natural fibers such as cotton and wool, all discussions are based on this basis.
High-count textiles are not easily deformed.
The reason is very simple. The weave is dense and tight, and the structure is stable and not easy to deform. Cotton with a high count has longer and finer fibers and is inherently stronger than coarse cotton.
Double-sided fabric is less prone to deformation than single-sided fabric.
Because it is equivalent to weaving one more time, the structure is more stable.
When it comes to fading, you have to trust the existing technology.
As long as it is produced by a regular manufacturer, the current technology can prevent it from fading easily.
When testing the quality of clothes, dry rubbing, wet rubbing, and saliva will be used to test the color fastness. That is to rub the paper on the clothes to see if the color fades.
Okay!
I hope you can follow the above tips and find clothes that suit your taste!
