Jeans are so commonplace now that they are heavily associated with American fashion.
Jean fabric is the most common type of fabric woven on a loom and is an essential fabric because they’re an item that one can wear with any outfit and on any occasion. The clothing industry loves it, and the fabric is famous worldwide.
Jean fabrics are basic, durable, and versatile fabrics, and this fabric is worn by many of the most famous fashion and celebrity fashionistas. Jean fabrics are not just fashion fabrics but are also used for clothing purposes other than clothing.
What is Jean fabric?
Jean fabric is manufactured from indigo denim and is sometimes referred to as “blue jeans” or denim jeans.” Other typical hues comprise black and white.
Jean fabric has a unique texture, especially when it is made from woven cotton. This fabric is soft and comfortable to wear and is generally easy to maintain, making it an excellent choice for everyday use. It also has a wide range of colors available to use in a broader range of clothing types.
Jean fabric structure depends on the type of twill-weave pattern used, which involves three warp threads for each weft thread of the fabric.
The twill line of a right-hand twill extends diagonally from bottom left to top right, producing a fabric more tightly woven.
For a softer jean fabric, it is produced using a left-handed twill pattern. The most popular twill weaves are the 3-1 and 2-1 patterns.
There are different variations of jean fabric, and their classification is based on how many ounces of fabric there are in every square yard.
Over 10.5 ounces are found in a heavyweight square yard of jeans. So, jeans with a higher weight will be more robust and long-lasting.
How is Jean Fabric made?
Growing cotton is the first step in making jean fabric because cotton is the main ingredient. When the plant is harvested, the fibers can be gathered and separated from the seeds to produce the fabric.
After that, the fibers are combed into long, thin strings while being washed.
Next up, an industrial machine called a shuttle loom or a projectile loom, depending on the type of jean fabric being woven, is used to spin the fibers into yarn. Usually, non-selvage jean is woven on a projectile loom.
This process commonly uses twill weaving to make jean fabric from cotton fibers. The ribbing pattern in twill weaving is relatively tiny and diagonal, and the fabric’s right side is warp-facing, indicating that the weft yarns tuck beneath two or more warp yarns. This causes the warp yarns to be more visible on the right side of the fabric.
During this production phase, the final jean product is subjected to various washes, dyes, or treatments, which can alter its characteristics.
The jeans are given their classic denim blue color from the indigo dye used to dye them. The weft threads do not have any breaks, so the warp yarns will constantly carry through the warp threads.
Because of this, the generated selvage edge is both highly sturdy and smooth.
Each row has its unique weft thread; the fabric as a whole is not woven with a single distinct thread. Due to this, the edge will grow more delicate, necessitating sewing to prevent it from fraying.
A brief history of Jean fabric
Jean fabric was initially made in the French city of Nîmes. Then, it went by the name; “sérge de Nîmes”. In recent times, the fabric was colloquially known as “denim,” an English translation of the French phrase “de nim.”
When Levi Strauss started a store in San Francisco selling dry goods along with buttons, thread, and tent canvas during the Gold Rush in 1853, jean fabric gained popularity in the US. He started developing robust trousers for miners with roomy pockets for gold storage.
One of Strauss’s clients, Jacob Davis, strengthened the seams and pocket corners by inserting copper rivets. The trousers were later patented by David and Strauss in the 1850s and became very popular afterward, extending into other parts of the world.
Types of Jean Fabric
There are various types of jean fabric, with some of them produced from different fabric types, such as polyester. Such jean fabric types include:
- Colored jean
Jean fabric comes in two color varieties: blue and other colors. The indigo dying process produces colors of blue or colors that are similar to blue.
Using sulfur and other dyes, Jean may be dyed with different colors, such as black, pink, grey, mustard, green, and red. The denim is tinted to give it a darker color.
- Stretchy jean
These jeans have been given flexibility by adding synthetic elastane fibers with stretches, such as lycra or spandex. The amount of elastane in the cloth will determine how stretchy it is. The weft yarn is made from elastane fibers. This kind of jeans is treated to prevent shrinkage while washing. Except for raw denim, this rule applies to all types of jeans.
- Selvage Jean
Selvage jean is denim with bands around the edges, often orange or red. Selvage or self-edge denim are other names for it. It is often believed that this denim is of a higher grade than ordinary denim. The leading manufacturer of this kind of jeans is Japan.
- Acid-washed Jean
Acid-washed Jean describes a jean fabric with polish applied to it using pumice stone soaked in chlorine. Due to the abrasion from the stones, the fabric’s color fades and forms a pleasing contrast with the indigo hue.
After rinsing, drying, and softening the cloth, The fabric goes through various washes when it is turned into worn-in jeans, including enzyme wash and stone wash.
- Woven Jean
This fabric is denim with a small number of mixed polyester fibers. This fabric is quite famous for making coats, blouses, and caps since it is very soft to the touch, simple to care for, and somewhat stretchy. The polyester mixture improves the denim’s sheen, smoothness, and resilience.
What’s the average cost of Jean fabric by the yard?
The production of jeans from cotton yarn does not require a significant increase in expenses, which places jeans fabric in the middle price range for fabrics.
The jeans’ pricing on average ranges from $9 to $39 a yard depending on the jean fabric type, making it easily accessible for purchase.
Jean Fabric Usage and Application
There are many types of Jean fabric and many applications for which many individuals can use the fabric. Some of these applications include.
- Clothing textiles and accessories
Jean is a versatile material. A few of its applications include being used to make clothing, accessories, furniture, and automobiles. Clothing manufacturers may use jean fabric to create items like aprons, shoes, dresses, jeggings, overalls, caps, skinny jeans, coats, shirts, and suits.
- Jean is used in bags and cushions
Jean may also be used to make belts, purses, backpacks, sunglasses, and tote bags. Automobile seats are also an excellent application for jean fabric.
- Jean fabric is used in upholstery and household cloth
Depending on personal preference, embroidered jeans fabric is also available in the home furnishings industry as a fabric for bed linen, tablecloths, upholstery items, bean bag chairs, puffs, armchairs, and chairs as well as lampshades. The industrial sector frequently utilizes jean fabric for tarps, curtains, and some types of uniforms.
Jean Fabric care and Maintenance Tips
These tips outlined below would help you to care for and maintain your jean fabric for its beauty and durability.
- Firstly, before washing the jean fabric, you should check the label for maintenance and care instructions. I advise you not to wash jean fabric with other fabric types to avoid colorfastness or dye transfer.
- To avoid any damage to the jean fabric on the waistlines or pockets, whenever you wash, turn the jean fabric inside out and insert them into the washer or in the bowl if you prefer handwashing.
- Instead of using the tumble dryer, which consumes a lot of energy, adds to indoor air pollution, and may harm the fibers of your denim, flatten, reconfigure, and hang your clothes to air dry after washing.
- Carefully avoid sunlight as this might discolor denim while drying in the shade. Instead, spread out to air dry indoors or in the shade. Avoid overheating the water while washing your jeans; preferably, keep the temperature at no more than 30°C.
- Use a detergent suited explicitly for jean fabric, especially the colored type. Using general detergent types can lead to color fading due to the ingredient components that stick on the dyes and wear off the chlorine in the water. I’ll also recommend washing the jean fabric in cold water with delicate cycle settings on your washer or handwashing with a soaking time of no more than 45 minutes.
- One way to prolong its life when storing jean fabric is to hang them with hangers. Hanging them will help the jean fibers recover from the stretch and tension, mainly in the bottom and knee areas of the fabric.