Denim 101

[john11f]

Hi Guys,

I got these from Cargo Magazine and I figure I'd share it with denim newbies. Here's a glossary of terms:

CROSSHATCH DENIM - a light-tomedium-weight fabric texture by crisscrossing lines

DOUBLE-AND-TRIPLE-NEEDLE STITCHING - a seam with 2 or 3 parallel rows of stitching

GARMENT DYEING - denim is dipped into a color bath 6 to 8 times. double dyed denim is dipped 12 to 16 times

HAND ABRASION - distress marks done by hand, usually with sandpaper, though pumice stones are also used

HAND GRINDING - a rougher form of distressing, usually done on pocket openings and hems, that produces fraying, rips, and tears

INDIGO - a blue dye originally extracted from indigofera tinctoria plant by fermenting its leaves. today, its synthetic first manufactured in 1897, is most often used

JAPANESE DENIM - an imported fabric, usually made with vintage machines to create a less-uniform appearance

NO-PUCKER SEAMS - most seams are sewn from bottom to top only, which can create a puckered effect. these are sewn in both directions at once, for flat even results

RESIN - a viscous, translucent polymer used to coat denim in the stiffening process. in combination with other treatments, it produces creases that can make the jeans appear as if they've been worn for years

RING-SPUN DENIM - a stronger, more durable variety of the fabric with imperfections that lend it a vintage quality

SELVAGE OR SELVEDGE DENIM - a type of denim with a tight weave that keeps the material from fraying

SERGE STITCHING - a techinque used to finish a seam that results in a chainlike thread pattern

SLUB DENIM - ring-spun fabric with yarn of uneven thickness appearing randomly throughout, giving it a more luxurious texture

WASH - a treatment used to accelerate the fading or softening of denim, done with anything from enzymes (like potassium or cellulose) to pumice (which is where the term "stonewashing" comes from).

I hope this helps anyone who wants to know. Cheers!

[LA Guy]

Go to Styleforum.net, to the Streetwear and Denim section. There is a long and pret ty detailed list of denim terms there.

[M.O.A]

^^^somebody should just post it here. would prolly cut down on a lot of the FAQs

F**K HYPE

solecollector.com

getlifted.net

overstand.net

[M.O.A]

straight from brian over at style forum

This is an ongoing thing, so bear with me. Please contribute anything you don't see here.

3x1 vs. 2x1 weave

This refers to the number of weft threads per warp thread. Most denims have been traditionally 3x1 weaves, though lighter weight denims (under 10.5 ounces/sqare yard) often use the 2x1 configuration. [from LA Guy]

Acid washing

The quick definition can be summed up in one word, "horrible". Also called "Snow wash". This technique reared it head up in Italy in the late 80s. Basically you soak your pumice stones in bleach and tumble them with the jeans. Then neutralise. [from ringring]

Big E

"Big E" jeans refer to Levi's jeans produced before 1971, in which the red tab on the back pocket had the LEVI'S logo with a capital E. Post-1971 Levi's jeans are written "LeVI'S" on the red tab.

Broken Twill

Instead of the twill running to the right or left, broken twill jeans (traditionally considered the cowboy-preferred denim) contain no distinct direction of weave. The weave is instead alternated right and left - the end effect resembles a random zig-zag. Wrangler made the first broken twill jeans in 1964. Broken Twill was designed to combat the twisting effect that was a characteristic regular twill (and considered a 'fault' by many at the time). By going on both directions, the tension in the yarns is balanced in Broken Twill. [additions from ringring]

Dry Denim

See Unwashed Denim

Dual Ring-Spun

Also called RingxRing, Ring-Ring, Double Ringspun. Dual ring-spun denim is denim where both the warp and weft (filler) threads are made of ring-spun yarn. Typically only premium, more expensive denim brands use this method, as it is more labor intensive and thus more costly to produce. The result however, is a very textured denim, and is much softer than open-end or single ring-spun. You will know ringspun denim when you see it - the warp threads will be "slubby" at some points, and there will be little puffs of indigo thread. It is more obvious when looking at the weft threads (underside of the denim).

Enzyme wash

The environmentally friendly way to stone wash jeans, through the application of organic enzymes that eat away at the fabric, i.e. the cellulose. No pumice stones are used. When the desired colour is achieved, the enzymes can be stopped by changing the alkalinity of the bath or its temperature. A final rinsing and softening cycle is next, before the jeans are ready to be sold. Still frowned upon by companies such as Howies, who prefer to use rubberised "Eco" Balls to wash their jeans. [from Cake]

Hige

See Whiskering

Left Hand Twill

This refers to the direction that the denim is woven. Left hand twill denim is softer to the touch than right hand twill, and was originally used by Lee denim. Now used by other denim companies such as 45rpm, Kunna, and Lee Japan. Left hand twill is easy to spot, as the weft threads appear to move upward and to the left as opposed to upward and to the right.

Mercerised Denim

Mercerising for denim is used to increase lustre, by passing the denim through a bath of caustic soda. It's a process carried out after the denim is woven and vastly different to the more commen method of mercerising yarn. As it significantly increases the cost and lead times of denim production, it is a relatively rare process. (not that many consumers would notice). [from ringring]

Microsanding

Sanding is basically done 3 ways: Sandblasting, (see below),

Machine sanding - just like machines that you'd use to sand a wooden table, and Handsanding aka Handbrushing - just a piece of folded fine sandpaper. All three methods are used in various ways, on the flat surfaces (tables, ironing boards), on the dummy (inflatable dummies, sometimes standing, sometimes flat, sometimes 'seated') and various templates can be used to create a 3D effect. Any sanding can be enhanced with chemical whiteners. [from ringring]

Natural I

[damn its me]

thanks for that

[horriblyjollyjinx]

I wouldn't just copy something somebody has been putting a lot of effort into without asking for permission..

SOME GIRLS ARE BIGGER THAN OTHERS

[homi29]

hey, its the internet if they didnt want it distributed and shared, they wouldnt have posted it

[Paul T]

OE is actually blown together, not spun. And altho it was introduced in the very early 80s, it's not necessarily the 'modern' method, because ring-ring denim is hugely more popular than it used to ne.

[jdavis]

INDIGO – named after a genus of dye-bearing plants, the most popular being the indigofera species. A dye in use since ancient times, modern confusion of indigo-bearing plants exists because of the plant classification system of Carl Linnaeus – the ‘father’ of taxonomy from the 1700s. First synthesized in 1880 by Adolf Von Baeyer and later adapted for commercial manufacturing by 1897. Baeyer was awarded the nobel prize in 1905. Around ten years later, by the time Levis switched to Cone from Amoskeag, most jeans were dyed with the synthetic.

[wild_whiskey]

I wrote that FAQ and I don't mind it being posted here. He even put my name down on it thats cool enough for me.

Paul T, thanks for the info re: open-ended "blowing."

Ring-spun is gaining popularity but would you not still consider it the classic method, as opposed to modern?

[Paul T]

Yes, I'd consider ringring classic! But I do wonder if OE/OE will eventaully be consigend to the dustbin of history! A LOT of people still use ring/oe though.

By the way, I'd describe broken twill as a regular zigzag rather than a random one. It's very popular now for women's denim, and has a nice soft feel. Wranger were the first to use it to eliminate leg twist, but it's apparently very popular with cowboys, because the structure of broken twill allows it to absorb starch very well. Cowboys like to starch their jean as it acts as a dirt screen, and helps with those sharp creases down the front!

[Blanc0]

Paul,

There is actually a tiny resurgence of oe/oe, esp. with the 80's retro thing happening. I had a funny conversation with the Cone Denim product developer the other day about it and we were discussing the whole thing...

I actually thought that this was a thread about the Cone Denim 101 class that they hold in NC.

[Handlethevibe]

Why isn't this in the denim forum...

[Paul T]

"There is actually a tiny resurgence of oe/oe, esp. with the 80's retro thing happening."...

Hahaha, thanks! Figures, I guess...

[Stuffed Tongues]

what would be even more thurough,

is having thumbnails of what is being described,

which can be hard to visual just from reading a description,

if you guys are that bored...

grimey retarded