Minggu, 12 November 2017

In Love With 4 Way Stretch Fabric

By Edward Olson


Clothes that really fit, that really move with you, that neither chafe nor constrain, are a pleasure to wear. The reason that we can enjoy such garments is stretch fabric. The first stretchy thread was invented by DuPont in the late 1950s. Today 2 way and 4 way stretch fabric is sold by the yard and incorporated with natural fibers in much of the clothing made for the retail trade.

In 1978, Peter Golding, a British designer with a shop in trendy Chelsea, introduced the first stretch jeans. He used a fabric from Japan and sold the shape-revealing pants in several bright colors. These form-fitting garments delighted the fashion-flouting and fashion-setting rock stars and teens of Chelsea.

Stretch fabrics come in a keep-the-shape but not so form-fitting 1% to the slinky 4%. The look is not the only reason people like stretchy fabrics. A pair of riding breeches that stretches both from side to side and up and down does not bind in the seat or the knees. The pants don't bag after a long ride, don't bind when the rider lifts a leg to the stirrup, and gives a professionally trim look when astride.

All sports clothes use Spandex, Lycra, or another form of the original stretchy material today. You see it in the outfits worn by bike riders who pedal along looking a little like colorful insects or helmeted aliens. Yoga would not be so impressive without form-fitting, elegant workout gear. Bathing suits as we know them would not be possible. The clothing trade once used this cloth mainly for bras and swimming suits, but now uses it in every kind of garment for the fit and comfort it enables.

Stretchy fabrics are also sold by the yard. Many who wear ready-made clothes will be astounded at the variety of cloth on sale for sewing, house decor, and crafting. Don't think that cloth that gives with any strain put upon it need have a certain look; check online fabric stores for smooth and brushed cotton, sleek and shiny sateen, metallic or spangled cloth, prints for kid's pajamas or pretty sheets, and soft, luxurious velvet.

All the stretch comes from elastane, the original discovery. It was developed in 1959, but didn't really hit the fashion world until Golding's introduction almost twenty years later. At first only the rich and famous could have these comfortable clothes, but the mass market grew rapidly, with the jeans companies leading the way.

The fabrics wash well. However, they break down if you use hot wash water or the high-heat setting on the dryer. If your new fabric or garment is a big-ticket item, you might want to hand-wash and line-dry. Never, never use chlorine bleach.

There seems to be no limit to what can be found in a stretch fabric. Even faux furs and leathers are sold by the yard or made into fashionable clothing. Shop online if you want cloth. If you want clothing, pick up any catalog, visit any department store, or tell any friend what you need to borrow. Stretch is everywhere.




About the Author:



Tidak ada komentar:

Posting Komentar