All you need to know to speak with your fabric suppliers – PART 1

A – How is a fabric made?

Firstly, let’s understand how are fabrics made. A fabric is made with multiple yarns. In order to create the fabric these yarns will be woven, knitted, or knotted together, then structure will be formed. The end material has a variety of applications, such as garments, accessories, home furnishings, and many more.

The process of fabric manufacturing undergoes several steps, from harvesting to the final finish. It can be created in many different ways, depending on the different types of fabrics. Let’s go in-depth through each step one by one.

1. Fiber cultivation/extraction

This step is also referred as a fiber harvesting. Here, all the raw materials are obtained from natural sources. The natural fibers come from plants (like cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo, wood, jute), animals (such as wool or silk), or petroleum.

2. Yarn production

Once the fiber is harvested, it needs to be spun into yarn before it can be woven or knitted into fabric. The raw fiber is cleaned and carded (combed to separate and align the fibers), then it is spun into yarn. In the traditional method, this process could be done by hand, and now it is mostly made through machines. Spinning twists the fibers together to create a long and continuous yarn.

3. Fabric Weaving or Knitting

After the yarn is produced, it needs to be turned into fabric. This process is done through weaving or knitting.

Weaving is the process of interlacing yarns vertically and horizontally. The vertical threads are known as the warp, and the horizontal threads are known as the weft. The weaving is done by using a machine called a loom. To give a tight structure, the warps are stretched out on a loom, and the weft is passed through them.

Knitting is the process of connecting loops or stitches of one continuous long thread using large needles. This can be done by hand or by machine.

4. Washing (RFD – Ready for Dyeing)

After weaving or knitting, it is important to wash the fabric. The washing process is called RFD (ready for dyeing). Almost all natural fibers contain impurities (like waxes, pectines, and natural oils) that need to be removed before the dyeing stage. After removing all these impurities, the fabric is ready for dyeing.

5. Dyeing/Printing

Once the fabric is clean, it is ready to be dyed. Dyeing gives the fabric its color, and it can be done using various methods, with natural or synthetic dyes/pigments.

Have a small sentence about different dyeing and printing (block print, screen print, digital print). 

Natural dyeing means that it is dyed using natural ingredients derived from plant (Indigofera, indigo, turmeric, marigold petals, Pomegranate, walnut hulls, cochineal, and more) or minerals (alum salt, earth iron).

The other origin of colors which is the most common use is derived from petroleum, it is call synthetic dyes.

6. Final finishing

Often, the fabric undergoes a finishing process after being done with its dyeing process. This process modifies the fabric texture and appearance. It makes the fabric feel smoother and softer. This process is made by the use of chemicals to get the following types of finishing for example flame retardant, UV protection, waterproof, wrinkle free, and many more are there. At the end of the process, the fabric is ready for use in various products.