Denim
From The Fashion Dictionary
Denim is a heavy, Z-twist, twill cotton for jeans, overalls, and other work and leisure garments. Denim has been an American staple since the late eighteenth century. Originally, denim was dyed an indigo blue to give it that "blue jeans" look since back then denim had a lighter, cotton textile. The new, contemporary look of the jean was actually started in France, where the first pair of denim trousers were made.
Similarly, there is also an American cotton textile that is designed in the diagonal warp-striped hickory cloth that was once associated with railroad men's overalls, in which blue or black contrasting with undyed white threads form the woven pattern. Hickory cloth was especially tough and it was dubbed as being " hick clothing".
Dungarees are another type of denim, although a little heavier than the regular denim, they are mostly associated with overalls. Dungaree comes from a thick cotton country-made cloth called Dongari Kapar, which was sold in the quarter contiguous to the Dongari Killa, the fort of what was then known as Bombay. Originally dyed in indigo, the dungarees were mostly worn by Portuguese soldiers and were cut very wide so the legs could be rolled up easily in case of a ship flood.
Contents |
Origin of the Word Denim
The word comes from the name of a sturdy fabric called serge, originally made in Nîmes, France, by the Andre family. Originally called serge de Nîmes, the name was soon shortened to denim.
Dry Denim
Dry denim is also referred to as raw denim. All this means is that the denim has not been washed or tampered with in any way after being dyed during its production. Of course nowadays most denim is pre-washed after being dyed so that the fabric doesn't shrink during wash (which the buyer might not like of course). Also, most denim these days have the "already worn" or "distressed look" which people prefer.
The appeal of dry or raw denim is that the consumer can achieve the "worn-in" or "distressed" look all by themselves over time. Of course this depends on how often the person wears the jeans and/or washes them. Still, already distressed denim is more popular than dry denim.
Selvage Denim
Selvage denim, which can also be referred to as selvedge denim, is a type of denim that leaves a clean, natural edge that does not unravel. In most cases, the selvage edges are located along the out-seam of the pants, making the edges visible when worn cuffed. Typically, the use of selvage indicates a higher quality of denim.
The word selvage comes from "self-edge", which is the natural edge of a roll of fabric. In this particular case, for example, the denim was made on old-style shuttle looms. These looms weave fabric with a continuous cross thread (the weft) that is passed back and forth all the way down the length of the bolt. While the weft loops back into the edge of the denim it creates this “self-edge” or Selvage. Selvage is desired by most people simply because the edge can’t fray like lower grade denims. They have separate wefts which leave an open edge that must be stitched. Shuttle looming is a more time-consuming weaving process that produces denim of a tighter weave resulting in a heavier weight fabric that lasts.
Since shuttle looms need to weave a longer piece of fabric to make a pair of jeans(usually about 3 yards, the weaving will need a more narrow piece of fabric. Traditional jean makers usually use the fabric all the way to the self-edge to maximize yield. Usually, the self-edge is stitched with colored thread, red being the most common color.
Today, the majority of the selvage jeans are dyed with synthetic indigo, but natural indigo dye is also available with some smaller denim distributors.
Due to the high denim demand that started in the 1950's, American denim manufacturers replaced the old shuttle-style looms with modern projectile looms. The new looms are much better since they work at a faster pace and make better quality denim. Unfortunately, the new looms aren't quite as durable as the old ones.
Denim Clothing
Denim can be used in more ways than just jeans:
* Overalls * Shorts * Dresses * Denim skirts * Shirts * Jackets * Bags * Capris * Cut offs * Daisy Dukes