{"id":1138,"date":"2017-11-08T06:00:20","date_gmt":"2017-11-08T06:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insider.utelier.com\/?post_type=toolkit&p=1138"},"modified":"2019-08-09T08:36:33","modified_gmt":"2019-08-09T07:36:33","slug":"working-with-denim-fabric-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/toolkit\/how-to\/working-with-denim-fabric-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate “How To” Guide to Working With Denim Fabric"},"content":{"rendered":"
Denim fabric, as we know it today, was made famous by two Americans: Jacob W. Davis, a tailor from Nevada, and Levi Strauss, a denim manufacturer. They used it in the mid 19th<\/sup> century to produce their famous jeans. However, it is thought that the name “denim” is derived from serge\u00a0<\/span><\/i>de \u00a0N\u00eemes<\/em>, meaning “serge from N\u00eemes,” after weavers in N\u00eemes, Frances attempted to replicate a fabric originally developed in G\u00eanes (the French word for jeans), but ended up with a different cotton twill, which is what we now know as denim.<\/p>\n Denim fabric is a strong cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft threads pass under two or more of the warp threads. This produces a woven twill that creates a diagonal rib effect. Indigo denim, with its dyed warp thread and undyed white weft thread, is the most commonly known. As a result of the warp-faced twill weaving, the upper side of the cloth has dark blue warp threads and the underside features white weft threads. The dyeing process creates denim\u2019s signature fading characteristics.<\/p>\n Denim can be a very versatile fabric to use. It can be fashioned into stretch denim jeans, dresses, jackets and coats. Depending on the blend, it can be adapted by combining the right and wrong sides of the cloth to create piping effects and two-tone panels.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re contemplating working with denim fabric, there are a number of things to consider. Perplexing issues such as deciding whether to produce your products in-house or use a specialist manufacturer or determining what type of wash to use and the techniques required to accomplish it, are just some of the things you need to think about.<\/p>\n WORKING WITH DENIM FABRIC<\/strong><\/p>\n Denim is available in many different iterations and is extremely versatile. From lightweight chambrays that are suitable for shirting, to heavier denim such as 12-16oz weight for jeans. In its original cotton composition, it\u2019s more suitable for summer and early autumn collections. However, with the addition of twill or wool herringbone<\/a>, as the London Cloth Company is producing in East London, your denim could be fashioned into a coat or jacket for winter collections.<\/p>\n The various types of denim fabric include:<\/p>\n Raw<\/strong> or dry denim,\u00a0<\/strong>which remains unwashed after being dyed. Characteristically, it is dark, stiff and very durable and over time it will fade. All denim is raw or dry until it is washed.<\/p>\n Selvedge denim<\/strong> is authentically woven on old looms using old-fashioned denim-weaving techniques. The selvedged edges are usually stitched with coloured thread: green, white, brown, yellow, or the most common, red. The cloth is narrow at 32\u201d compared to non-selvedge denim which stands at 62\u201d, and this allows the selvedge to form the outer seams of jeans.<\/p>\n Selvedge denim was popular until the 1900s. After this period, as denim popularity grew, it was produced on faster, more modern machinery. Today selvedge denim is more popular than non-selvedge due to its distinctive slightly irregular look and tighter, denser weave. It is produced, extensively, in Japanese mills.<\/p>\nTypes of Denim<\/h3>\n