Denim Guide 20080

Denim Guide 2008

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Denim Guide 20081

This Denim Guide 2008 gives you general information about denim and basic knowledge of some important steps in the process of making denim jeans.

•Dyeing

•Washing

•Treatments

•Accsessories

•General production information

The jeans production needs a lot of knowledge due to many processes that can be of interest when producing a pair of jeans. The final result depends on the experience/performance of each worker in the factory due to all the hand craft processes. This makes each pair of jeans unique!.

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Denim Guide 20082

Denim is a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two (twi- "double") or more warp fibers. This produces the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric.

Denim fabric in cotton, construction twill Indigo plant (Indigofera tinctoria)

Denim has been in American usage since the late eighteenth century. The word denim comes from the name of a sturdy fabric called serge, originally made in Nimes, France, originally called serge de Nimes, the name was soon shortened to denim.

Denim was traditionally colored blue with indigo dye to make blue jeans. The name ”jean” comes from the French word for Genoa, Italy (Gênes), where the first denim trousers (jeans) were made.

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Denim Guide 20083

Note:

If the cotton is dyed very dark the jeans will have lots of surplus colour. This colour will easilystain on other materials.

Make sure to inform customerabout this by adding ”colour maysmear ” in the care label and a ”dark colour” hang tag (ref. to Test and Manufacturing Guide).

General about dyeing textiles: Different materials need different dyeing processes because of the properties of each material/fibre. This means that each yarn type has to be dyed separately.

Indigo, blue black and black are the most commonly used colours for denim.

Cotton in denim can be dyed with reactive dyes, direct dyes and/or sulphur dyes.Reactive dyes give good colour fastness properties hence no “denim look” can be achieved. Direct dyes give low colour fastness properties and a denim look can be achieved.

Polyester is dyed with disperse dyes. Disperse dyes gives good colour fastness properties hence no “denim look” can be achieved.

The final dyeing result of the dyeing process depends on various factors such as quality of chemicals used, temperature in the process, water quality, surrounding air (oxidation). The ratio of all various factors is important.

Dyeing

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Denim Guide 20084

Tinting: This method is a dyeing method used to give the garment a different colour tone for example “vintage look”. It can be done by tinting the yarn or tinting the garment. Tinting the garment is made in washing process and the result will be reduced after each wash. The result of the tinting also depends on what types of chemicals are used. To a get a more stable result, the yarn must be tinted. This is however generally more expensive.

Dyeing

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Denim Guide 20085

Whiskers/moustaches: This method removes the colour of the jeans by hand by using sand paper. A dummy/template, made of rubber (or other material) and shaped as per customer’s request, is positioned under the garment. When scraping with the sandpaper on the garment the whiskers/moustaches appears. Final result can be seen after wash.

Treatments

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Denim Guide 20086

3D-whiskers/creases: This method creates permanent 3D-whiskers/creases by using clamps to fold the fabric and resin together with high heating in oven. The resin makes the 3D-whiskers/creases more or less permanent. The effect of the permanent 3D-whiskers/creases depends on how much resin us used and time and temperature in the oven. To much resin, to long time and to high temperature makes the fabric very fragile.

Note:Resin can contain Formaldehyde which is a restricted substance.Ask for Formaldehyde free resin.

Too much resin can brake down the fibres (especially if the fabric is thin and/or it has been heavily bleached) and the result will be very frail fabric which will easily brake.

If the clamps used to fold the fabric is not removed immediately after coming out from oven, the process will continue (because of the heat is still in the clamps) and the result will be very frail fabric which will easily brake.

Treatments

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Denim Guide 20087

PP-spray (potassium permanganate spray): This method bleaches the fabric by spraying on the garment with a bleaching chemical. It is often used for making bleaching effects in specific area for example on 3D-whiskers. Final result can be seen after wash.

Continue next page….

Wrinkles before PP-spray PP-spraying

Treatments

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Denim Guide 20088

After PP-spraying, before wash Final result after PP-spraying and after wash

Treatments

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Denim Guide 20089

PP-sponge: Hand bleaching with potassium permanganate is made by the hand of the worker by rubbing a rag or sponge which is soaked with bleaching chemical over the garment. Final result can be seen after wash.

Treatments

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Denim Guide 200810

Handstitch/Tagging: These bleaching effects are made with straps that are tied on different areas on the garment. After stone wash the bleaching effects appears.

Before wash

After stone bleachwash

Bleaching effects

Treatments

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Denim Guide 200811

Hand scraping/hand brush: Hand scraping is made with the use of sand paper or a brush by the hand by rubbing over the garment where the bleaching effect is requested.

Treatments

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Denim Guide 200812

Machine brush: Machine brush is made with a brush machine hand operated by the worker, by brushing the garment where the bleaching is requested, mostly on the front panel of leg for giving the effect of natural worn. To avoid “sharp edges” between the brushed area and the base colour hand brushing can be used as a complement to “rub out” the colour.

Machine brush

Treatments

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Denim Guide 200813

Sandblasting: Sandblasting can be used to remove the colour to create a worn look of the jeans, similar to the effects given by hand bleaching or scraping. Where sandblasting is used some splashes can be seen “outside” the sandblasted area. Hand bleaching or scrapinggives a more natrual worn look and smoother surface when it is a more ”handmade” process than the sandblasting is.

Note:Sandblasting can be harmful to the workers if not correct sand and proper Personal Protective Equipment is used. Workers have died due to getting the sand into their lungs (refer to KappAhl CoC requirements).

Sandblasting is made with sand blasting with high preasure on the garment.

Treatments

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Denim Guide 200814

Worn outs/Grindings: Heavy wear effect in specific areas of the garment can be made with a grinding machine or a grind stone. Can also be called Destructions, Heavy wear or Tearing.

Grinding machine

Treatments

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Denim Guide 200815

Washes: The result of different washes depends on what method is used and for how long time the wash is. Commonly used washes are: • Rinse wash• Enzyme wash• Stone wash• Bleach wash

Stones for stone wash

Washing machines

Washes

1. beforewash

2. garmentwash

3. enzymewash

4. enzymebleachwash

1

2

3

4

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Denim Guide 200816

Buttons, rivets and zippers: The tack buttons and rivets are added after washing to avoid wearing the metal. Zippers must pass the washing since it will be sewn in the garment and must have finish accordingly.

AccessoriesNote for rivets:For correct fastening of the rivet, make sure the length of the tack is enough compared to the thickness and number of layers of fabrics it must pass thought.If the fabric is heavily bleach the positioning of the rivet is more important to avoid tearing the rivet of.

The rivet must have no sharp edges that can scratch for example furniture and car seats. Avoid to use rivets with top on the back of the garment for the same reason.

Tack

Cap

Note for zippers:Zippers placed as decoration on garment can scratch furniture and car seats if they have sharp edges, especially if they are placed on the back of the garment. Avoid to use this as far as possible.

Tack button attaching machine

Fabric

Rivet with top –avoid to use on back of garment

Rivet without top – can not scratch furniture

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Denim Guide 200817

Rinse washing: Final wash is made hereincluding tumbling.

General productioninformation

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Denim Guide 200818

Steaming: The steaming process makes the jeans not as flat as pressing does.

Presssing: Pressing makes the jeans much flatter than the steamer.

General productioninformation

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Denim Guide 200819

Fabric cuttings can be found at Supply & Sourcing.

Made by Anna Svenre & Anne-Lie Söderberg, Supply & Sourcing

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