12 Types of Garments and Fashion Fabrics

R. Shanthi

epgp books

 

 

 

1.    Introduction:

 

The conversion of two dimensional fabric into a three dimensional form to be worn by an individual is apparel development. Many materials like fabric or leather are required for apparel development and these materials achieve their form by means of manufacturing methods like spinning, weaving, knitting, braiding and nonwoven technology. Trims and accessories are also used to strengthen or accentuate the garment. Though apparels are classified into various types, three major divisions exist at all times namely Children Wear, Women’s Wear and Men’s Wear. Apart from catering to the age and gender of the individuals they clothe, the readymade sector covers a wide array of apparels and styles which range from the classic styles to the latest trends. The top ten world brand leaders in the apparel sector are Louis Vuitton, H & M, Nike, Zara, Gucci, Hermes, Cartier, Adidas, Prada and Tiffany and Company and their market value in 2014 ranges from $ 5.94 billion to $ 22.55 billion (Gould & Debord, 2015).

 

2. Learning Objectives:

 

The objectives of the module are to:

  • Gain knowledge about the materials used for apparel development
  • Understand the latest trends in Children Wear, Women’s Wear and Men’s Wear Know about the future trends in fashion apparels

 3.  New Materials for apparel development:

 

Innovation rules the market and new fabrics with creative textures have started moving into the fashion sector. Three dimensional fabrics have been developed using the double jersey knit structures that gives depth and makes the surface of textiles appear quilted (a), the traditional hand woven techniques are blended with a technological edge to replicate ancient designs (b) eg. Senegalese hand woven technique with technology, complex knitted structures create with new combinations like organic cotton with metallic polyester yarns for a delicate lusture (c), remanants of printed fabrics used to create three dimensional fabrics with a pixelated look (d), use of thin layers of wood to make flexible fabrics eg. Wood fabric developed from the local tribes of Tonga (e) (Indaba, 2014) as seen in Figure 1. Linen fabric seems to be the favorite fabric of the current times.

The designs and prints are based on three principles namely Throwback, Retro and Vintage. Vintage designs are classics 100-150 years old, that have stood the test of time eg, Victorian era designs; Retro designs are more recent and may be taken as designs of the century eg. Retrochic; Throwback are designs that are old by a decade or two. Metallic colors are in vogue and damask, jacquard fabrics are highly popular in 2016. Some of the themes for the Textile Trends Show was Exotic tropics, Less is more, abstract blooms and landscapes and iridescent embellishment (Moir, 2017).

 

Some of the special designer fabrics developed and used for fashion apparels have been cited here from the design seminar on ‘Talking Textiles’, September 2016 held in New York, USA.

 

The Japanese silk fabric Yuki-tsumugi is a hand crafted silk with a unique lightness, lusture and rich texture. Floss silk is obtained from the cocoon and gently stretched into yarn without spinning. Sizing is added to strengthen the yarn.The traditional back-tension loom called jibata is used to weave the cloth. The warp yarn is tied to the weavers hip and attached to the loom; the tension of the warp yarn is controlled by the movement of the hip during weaving.

A special wooden Hia shuttle from the wood of the oak tree is used. Fine woven silk obtained is sun dried and used from exceptional designer wear. Supreme feature of Yuki silk fabric is attributed to the weaving skills of many artisans.

 

AnkeDomaske of Germany has invented the textile from Milk called ‘Qmilch’ which is eco friendly, hypo allergenic and can be washed and dried like cotton. Milk which has failed the tests for consumption by humans is taken and converted to a protein powder which is boiled and pressed into strands. These strands can be woven into fabric as per need – rougher for heavy fabric and soft and smooth like jersey fabric as seen in Figure 2. Waste reduction and non usage of petroleum products and resources makes this process green for environment and fashion.

Silk, viscose, lycra and plastics are combined to form three dimensional tube piece by tube knitting. Use of fur, hair and hide for the development of fabrics with futuristic tactile propositions as in Figure 3. Latex and wool are fused to create organic shapes and products with special natural dyes.

The hair from yak produces exceptionally soft and warm fabric found in the Tibetian regions while yak hair and silk are combined for lighter summer fabrics. Peruvian designers have used alpaca hair for the production of luxurious knits, wovens and accessories. The alpaca fibers are hypo allergenic, thermal properties and very durable as in Figure 4 (Edelkoort, 2017).

Designer Donna Franklin and scientist Gary Cass have collaborated to form a seamless textile from fermented wine. Red wine is allowed to ferment for several days and a skin is formed. The skin obtained is allowed to dry and it has been found that this delicate layer has the qualities of cotton.

 

A blend of viscose and chitin from crab shells has been processed as a fabric called ‘Crabyon’ possessing anti bacterial and odour control properties. Chitosan, a derivative of chitin accounts to around 5 to 20% in the finished product.

 

Washi is a traditional paper from plant or tree fibers existing for more than 1,400 years. Kumazasa is bamboo only grown in the highlands of Japan. Traditional paper and the bamboo fibers have been combined to make an highly absorbant, antibacteriallinen like fabric called ‘Sasawashi’. This fabric is durable and used for health care products and apparels as in Figure 5.

 

In Taiwan, the left over from coffee grinds taken from coffee houses have been integrated into fabrics called ‘S.Cafe’ with special qualities like UV protection, quick drying and odor absorbency. This fabric has won the Taiwan Excellence award and is being used in clothing brands like Hugo Boss, Timberland , Warrior etc.

     Climatex Dual cycle is a hydrid material with wool and synthetic fiber. The top woollen region of the fabric is made of soft wool while the back is made of synthetic material called Cradura. Simple autoclaving can separate both the materials and can be recycled after the end of the life of the fabric.     Fibers from used PET bottles are used to make polyester fabric which can be used to make any product. The fiber characteristics and properties are almost similar to virgin fibers Shoddy from blue Jeans is used by Ford Company for seats (Post, 2014) as in Figure 6.

 

Non woven fabrics with value addition are used for apparels. Special sewing methods, threads and needles are required for sewing these materials into apparels. Some of the non wovens include Polyester non wovens, silk or wool nonwovens, polyester durable nonwovens and cotton polyester blended nonwovens. For polyester nonwovens made by hydro entanglement, needle size 70 is used with 9-11 stitches per inch (Chaudri et. al., 2017). Non wovens can be engineered to cater to the requirements of any apparel especially functional clothing.

 

4. Sustainable materials for apparels

 

Alternatives to cotton are being developed to use unconventional fibers in sustainable ways. Hemp and Flax are considered as the friendliest fiber on the planet as it does not harm the environment. Ample sunshine and rain is sufficient and it can be grown in any terrain and in rotation to the regular crops. Crailer, a US based company has used the paper making processes to convert the stiff hemp and flax fibers into soft fibers for fabric manufacture. Use of enzymes and green chemistry has been used to reduce the harshness of the fiber and make it suitable for fabric manufacture (Borromeo, 2014).

 

Plant based PET is a sustainable bio polyester derived from ethanol obtained from sugar cane. Teijen Limited, Japan has developed a product Ecocircle PET which is suitable for apparels, automobile interiors as well as hygiene products. Toray, a Japanese company produces plant based polyester from bio fuel instead of crude oil and is a great step forward to avoid drilling and intensive use of chemicals in obtaining crude oil (Qijala, 2013; Teijen, 2012).

 

Poly lactic acid is a biodegradable natural polymer which has a wide application in textiles right from packaging to sutures. Starch rich raw materials like corn or sugar cane is used to produce PLA which exhibit properties similar to polyethylene and polystyrene and hence can be processed into filaments, molded or blown into plastic products. PLA is slowly replacing chemically produced synthetic polyester (Sabale et. al., 2017).

 

Soyabean fiber is known as ‘vegetable cashmere’ or ‘soy silk’ as it has the quality and lusture of silk and the warmth of wool featuring fine denier, low density& specific gravity and good absorbency, tenacity and elongation and good spinning performance. After removing the oil the soyabean cake forms the raw material for distilling the protein, enzymatic conversion to protein spinning liquid followed by addition of high polymers and cooking of the liquid. The fiber is produced by wet spinning, stabilization by acetalization and cutting of the fiber (0.9 – 3.0 d.tex) after curling and thermoforming. China produces more than 10 million tons of soyabean and is the innovation leader for the commercialization of the fiber . It has been estimated that 100 kg of soyabean residue can give 40 kg of protein for the manufacture of fiber and the cost will be around one third of real silk or one fifteenth of cashmere wool. The textile industry denotes soyabean protein fiber as ‘a healthy and comfortable fiber of the 21st century’ (Yi-you, 2004; Saluja, 2017; Swiscofil, 2017).

 

5.  Latest trends in apparel development

 

The latest trends have been discussed in three categories a Children’s Wear , Women’s Wear and Men’s Wear. The summer trends in 2017 include the following features:

 

Children’s Wear (Wilshire+Cooper, 2017)

 

  • Mini Me Dressing – Child’s dress is from adult fashion, a miniature replica of mother’s or father’s attire
  • Bright floral prints and fancy prints for girls and boys : Bold and bright prints of flowers and abstracts are in vogue
  • Urban unisex style – mix and match blouses or shirts, pants or shorts for outdoors, no compelling features are added, random mixing and matching of garments
  • Street Fashion – This fashion has emerged from the ordinary man from the grassroots level and not from the design studio.The current youth from the major urban centers prefer layered clothing, loose jackets, high necked shirts, long socks /stockings, carves, caps and sneakers with a few bracelets or chains to complete the street fashion..
  • Light weight Jackets suitable for summer wear without interlining; blazers and jacjets are recommended. Leather, light weight suitings, Madras checks and stripes are suitable for summer jackets.
  • Nature inspired clothing – Nature is a great source of inspiration for any art and design. Inspiration from high rise or snow peaked mountains, blue and white surfed oceans, lakes, Wildlife etc. Digital prints of seascapes, landscapes, flowing water and animals, birds and insects with wooing statements printed on the clothing to charm the children. T shirts are very suitable for children and made of sustainable cotton or other natural fibers
  • Organic Cotton : Cotton grown with great concern for the environment in a sustainable way is used for the manufacture of children’s wear. Cotton is termed as ‘organic’ when it is  grown  from  non-genetically  modified  cotton  plants  without  the  use  of  synthetic agricultural chemicals like fertilizers or pesticides.  These substances if present in the processing or manufacturing cycle can cause problems to children in terms of breathing problems and skin irritation.
  • Shape wise : going funky, chinos and cargos, jumpsuits, Tshirts, light sweaters and shirts are popular; colours soothing pastrels and with abundant accessories.

 

Women’s Wear (Peng &Keong, 2017)

 

  • Deep cut body suits –This is a one piece form fitting garment that covers the torso and the crotch with round neck and cross V neckline. It is similar to a one piece swim suit or leotard and may be madeof cotton, lace and nylon. Spandex is incorporated to allow for stretch and better fit..
  • midi dresses- the length of the dress or skirt may be till mid calf somewhere between knee and ankle.
  • Unisex flex fleece zips with hoodie – may be made of cotton and polyester blend and has a detachable zipper front, fleece hoodie for the head cover and features split-kangaroo pockets.
  • High waist denim jeans is placed above the navel of the person for a vertical look One piece dress with espadrilles
  • Close neck short dress with sneakers
  • Slip dress – resembles an underslip or petticoat. It is traditionally cut on the bias, with spaghetti straps. .
  • Denim play suit / denim overalls Deconstructed button up top
  • Eyelet lace Shirt with shorts
  • Crop tops -a woman’s casual sleeveless or short-sleeved garment or undergarment for the upper body, cut short so that it reveals the stomach.

 

Men’s wear (Business insider, 2017)

Double breasted Jackets and Tuxedos

  • Denims with sneakers
  • Elastane incorporated pants and trousers
  • High tech wearables like shoes, watches, etc.
  • Accessories: bandanas, beaded belts, suspenders, crochet ties, tote bags Rompers
  • Shirts and T Shirts

6. Future trends in fashion apparels

 

Special fabrics with high performance is the rule of the thumb. Lightweight nano sheer fabrics weighing only 18 gms but very high in durability and performance, 3D spacer fabrics, Bonded Fleece, mesh fabric as film mesh or mechanical mesh, light weight quilts, overprint plaids and movement seersucker are some of the current trend performance based fabric (Zhenlihua, 2014).

 

Technology is playing a vital role in designing fashion apparels and has the power to change the world of fashion in many ways. Apparel is very functional and hi-tech and stretches beyond the role of covering the body. Some of the technologies which are to govern the design of functional clothing are:

  • Contact :Clothing that reacts to the surrounding elements for protection of the body
  • Probe : is creation of smart functioning textiles with the use of state-of-the-art-technology.
  • Schismatic : creating apparel with multiple applications and performance pushing away all regular boundaries.
  • Transcendental : light weight apparel with high levels of performance
  • Defense : Tough and stable high performance apparel for protective wear (ISPO Textrends, 2017)
  • NFC Interactive clothing – Near Field Communication and holograms
  • VR modelling : Photo realistic representation of the person for modelling
  • Colour changing fabrics with photo chromatic technology and chromosomic technology which converts sound waves to heat energy to change dye colour.
  • Self healing apparels : Superamphiphobic materials have coatings will melt at low temperature when fabric is damaged and seal the holes (Gwilliam, 2015).

Product development has become highly interdepartmental and it requires integration of many ideas and technologies. Future trends in apparel development are Digital product development with 4D body scanning and digital printing, lower cycle times, Fit customization and virtual human modelling, mobile applications as apps as in Figure 7 (Fashion2apparel, 2017).

  1. Conclusion:

Fabrics and fashion go hand in hand. Woven and knitted fabrics are not enough for the present day fashion but nonwovens and special fabrics are the need of the hour. Fabrics are made in a sustainable way from unconventional sources and great care is taken not to harm the environment both during production and after use. Cradle to cradle is the concept and cyclic economy is the latest trend.

We have so far seen all the fabrics and prints and weaves for fashion apparel. The fashion trend forecast has also been mentioned here and the future trends in fabrics and fashion apparels have been discussed. This can serve as a source material for engineering new fabrics and garments for special functional needs.

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REFERENCES

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Web links

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  • https://www.pinterest.co.uk/thestylemine/creative-explosion/
  • https://in.pinterest.com/lisajhooper/sketchbook-ideas/?lp=true
  • https://in.pinterest.com/dacostajeanfran/carnet/?lp=true
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr5kyr4s89Y
  • https://www.creativebloq.com/web-design/grid-theory-41411345
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