Dyeing, Finishes & Embellishment: Fashion Glossary
Dye techniques, washes, finishes and embroidery.
A
- Acid WashAcid wash is a garment finish in which denim is tumbled with pumice stones soaked in an oxidising bleach, usually potassium permanganate, leaving a high-contrast, marbled pattern of pale and dark blue.
- AppliquéAppliqué is a needlework technique in which shaped pieces of fabric are laid on a foundation cloth and stitched down by hand or machine, with their raw edges turned under or covered by decorative stitching.
B
- BandhaniBandhani is a resist-dyeing technique, practised mainly in Gujarat and Rajasthan, in which tiny points of cloth are pinched up and bound with thread before dyeing, so that each binding leaves an undyed dot.
- Batik PrintBatik is a resist-dyeing technique closely associated with Java, Indonesia, in which hot wax is drawn or stamped onto cloth so that the covered areas refuse the dye.
- BeadingBeading is a form of embellishment in which beads of glass, plastic, metal or other materials are stitched to cloth or leather, singly or in strings, to build a pattern or texture.
- Bleach WashBleach wash is a garment finish in which dyed fabric, typically denim, is washed in a bath of bleach, such as sodium hypochlorite, to lighten its colour.
- Block PrintingBlock printing is a hand method of printing cloth in which a carved wooden block is coated with colour, mordant or resist paste and pressed onto the fabric, one impression at a time.
- Brushed CottonBrushed cotton is cotton cloth with a raised, fuzzy surface, usually made by napping: wire-covered rollers pull fibre ends out of the yarns into a soft nap that traps air.
C
- ColourfastColourfast describes a dyed or printed textile whose colour resists fading, running or rubbing off when it is washed, rubbed or exposed to light.
- Crinkled FabricCrinkled fabric is cloth with a deliberately wrinkled, puckered or finely pleated surface, created either during weaving, with tightly twisted yarns or uneven tension, or afterwards by a finish such as caustic soda, heat and pressure, or mechanical crimping.
D
- Distressed DenimDistressed denim is denim that has been deliberately faded, abraded, frayed or ripped during manufacture so that a new garment looks worn.
E
- EmbellishmentsEmbellishments are decorations added to the surface of a finished fabric or garment, such as embroidery, beads, sequins, appliqué and fringe, rather than woven, knitted or printed into the cloth.
- EmbroideryEmbroidery is a method of decorating fabric by stitching designs onto it with a needle, or sometimes a hook, and thread or yarn.
- Enzyme WashEnzyme wash is a fabric or garment finish in which cellulase enzymes break down surface cellulose on cotton and other cellulosic cloth, fading indigo denim or clearing fuzz from cotton knits.
F
- Fringe TrimFringe trim is an ornamental edging of short hanging threads, cords, beaded strands or narrow strips along the edge of a garment or accessory.
G
- Garment DyeGarment dye is a dyeing method in which clothing is cut and sewn first and then dyed as finished garments, often in rotary drum machines.
I
- Ikat FabricIkat fabric is cloth patterned by resist-dyeing the yarns before weaving: bundles of warp threads, weft threads or both are tightly bound so the tied sections stay undyed.
M
- Mercerised CottonMercerised cotton is cotton yarn, fabric or fibre treated with concentrated sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), usually under tension, which makes the fibres swell and become rounder.
O
- OmbréOmbré is a colour effect in which yarn or cloth passes through gradations of one colour, from light to dark, made by dyeing, printing or weaving.
P
- PatinaPatina is a surface change that develops on a material through age, light, air and handling, such as the gradual browning of vegetable-tanned leather or the tarnish on brass and silver.
- Pigment DyePigment dye is a colouring method that holds insoluble pigment particles on the surface of fibres with a binder, because pigments have no natural affinity for the fibre.
- Pre-ShrunkPre-shrunk describes fabric or clothing that has been deliberately shrunk during manufacture, by dampening and drying it in a relaxed state or by compressing it, so that it shrinks less when washed at home.
S
- SanforizedSanforized is a collective mark for fabric that has been pre-shrunk by a mechanical compressive process: the cloth is moistened, pushed together lengthwise and dried so that most of its laundry shrinkage happens at the mill.
- Screen PrintingScreen printing is a stencil method of printing in which ink or dye paste is pushed with a squeegee through a fine mesh stretched on a frame, onto the cloth or other surface beneath.
- SequinsSequins are small, flat, reflective discs, each pierced for stitching, that are sewn to cloth to make it glitter.
- Shibori DyeShibori is a Japanese family of resist-dyeing techniques in which cloth is bound, stitched, folded, twisted or clamped before dyeing, so the compressed areas stay pale and form the pattern.
- Stone WashStone wash is a garment finish in which denim garments are tumbled wet with pumice stones in an industrial washer, so the stones abrade the surface, fade the indigo and soften the cloth.
T
- Tie-DyeTie-dye is a resist-dyeing method in which parts of a finished cloth or garment are tied, stitched or folded before dyeing, so the covered areas resist dye, forming the pattern.
W
- Waterproof CoatingA waterproof coating is a continuous layer of polymer, such as polyurethane or rubber, spread onto one face of a fabric so that liquid water cannot pass through.
- Waxed CanvasWaxed canvas is a heavy plain-weave cloth, usually cotton, impregnated with wax so that it repels water.
- Whiskering (Jeans)Whiskering is a denim finish that adds pale, roughly horizontal lines across the lap and upper thighs of jeans, imitating the wear lines that repeated wear rubs into indigo cloth.