Color Changing Fabrics

The obsession of almost every human being towards the clothing is also skyrocketing these days. No wonder, the world of fashion is evolving with every passing day. The time of sticking on to the clichéd wholesale cotton fabric, linen, silk, etc., from a textile company have long gone now. In the past few years, people used to recycle the technologies used by the older generation in the name of cutting-edge technology and heritage. However, people are now in search of new and creative technologies in clothing that can rule the world of fashion industry.

Most of the fanciful clothing such as mood responsive dresses, bubble spewing fabrics, etc., that are commonly seen in fiction movies can be a reality in the near future. The growth of fashion technology as well as the scientific breakthroughs included in it is enough to solidify this. Below are some of the best technologies that are ready to rock the fashion industry like never before.

3D Printed Clothing

The chance of having 3D clothing was limited up to some sci-fi fictional movies and dreams for the past few years. However, the jaw-dropping exploration of incorporating 3D technology in clothing over the years has made it a reality. In fact, many reputed brands have already started marketing their 3D apparels.

It is quite common that people might feel it awkward to wear this kind of garments. Fortunately, designers are keen on keeping it conventional just like simple cotton fabrics. This technology is enough to show how a traditional and ultra-modern expertise and tools can be combined to produce a remarkably amazing end product.

Interactive Clothing

This is another trend, which is going to change all the concepts of fashion. Interactive apparels are made possible by using the NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. This is a wireless based technology, and the best part about NFC is that it is comparatively inexpensive and is readily available.

With this technology, you can easily get all the details about your desirable dress within seconds on your smartphone. That is, if you waved your phone over the tag of apparel, you can see all the details like the type of garment, its construction, fabric quality, durability, how to style it, and many more, on your smartphone screen.

Color Changing Fabrics

There will be hardly anyone, who does not dream of color changing clothes, at least in their childhood. In this technology, a membrane of tiny crystals is employed in the clothing that reacts and changes color when exposed to light of different wavelength. This is because of the presence of a thin sheet of indium tin oxide that charges the crystals when light hits it.

Another technology involved in color changing fabrics is a slight current that is harnessed from the body movements. This type of fabrics is generally known as electronic fabrics. Here, the color of the fabric tends to change even with slight body movements.

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Latest Fashion Trends

The fashion segment is fully dependent on the requirements of customers. In an industry where trends can and do change very quickly, companies should have the tools to be ahead of the game. When it comes to purchasing decisions on the basis of numerous things, all factors have to be taken into account.

Lacking up-to-date information or knowledge about customers can result in lackluster insight, a loss of business opportunity, and little or no growth. That is where technology can come in handy. By constantly collecting and looking at customer information, fashion brands can keep ahead of the field. Here is how it can help brands in the fashion industry get closer to customers.

Drive Agility

Fashion brands are setting up shop every single day. Fashion trends change with just one post from the best influencers. Brands constantly strive to be familiar with trends in the fashion world, in addition to customer preferences, and they change their approaches to be more successful than their competitors.

Being sufficiently nimble to serve the ever-changing customer needs is important to gain the biggest possible advantage from market opportunities as these appear, but fashion brands can also strive to get products to customers. A typical GTM (go-to-market) strategy involves many processes across numerous places and teams. Technology could just help these companies manage more agile manufacturing operations, in addition to supply chain operations. For instance, analytics can allow brands to improve product tracking and product traceability, product flow management, manage their warehouses with higher amount of accuracy, and optimize inventory levels. Improved efficiency can help them not just keep the optimal stock levels, but also supply the market with the right products at the right time.

Understand Consumer Behavior

Assume if you could understand what a fashion customer will purchase even before he or she visits your brick and mortar store or e-commerce website. Dozens of factors influence consumer behavior in regards to fashion, and technology can simplify those variables.

Technology can actually help fashion brands know their customer’s requirements before the latter fully realize it themselves.

Enable Personalization

In this customer-centric age, people prefer brands offering a considerable degree of personalization. Today’s technology allows companies to make the customer experience more personal. With AI-powered programs and machine learning, fashion brands are able to send targeted fashion product recommendations to customers. By keeping an eye on what resonates with consumers, fashion brands can personalize the experience of shopping by customer. For instance, if a fashion company tracks one has been seeing a particular garment’s silhouette, then its site can recommend styles matching what that customer has been looking at.

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Interesting Fabric Facts

The fabric or the material of your dress plays an important role in both making and ruining your looks as well as in keeping you comfy and confident. Hence, you must be really particular while selecting the fabric. For this, you must be well aware of the upsides as well as the downsides of the fabric that you are choosing. However, the dizzying numbers of fabric options available in the market may make this task an overwhelming one. On top of that, the color, pattern, softness, etc., come into the play. Of course, not everyone will be a pro in this field. In order to help you out with this and make your selection process more accurate, below are the pros and cons of some commonly used fabrics.

Cotton

Cotton can be used to make any kind of textile, from shorts to T-shirts, socks to caps, skirts to dresses. In simple words, cotton clothes can be used as everyday wear. The main upside of cotton fabric is its ability to hold moisture so as to keep the wearer from getting damp even if he/she is sweating profusely. The soft and breathable nature of cotton makes it comfy wear, especially in the summer season. Since cotton is made out of natural fibers, it is hypoallergenic and hence, anyone can wear cotton apparels. However, cotton clothes tend to wrinkle real fast and hence, it will not be a great choice for the people who hates ironing.

Linen

Linen is one of the most luxurious clothing fabrics. As a result of its extreme comfort, it is used in the manufacture of almost every clothing article these days. The main highlight of linen fabrics is its light weightiness that will surely give a floating effect to the wearer. While linen fabric is extremely stylish and glamorous, it is equally casual and simple. However, the poor elasticity, coarse nature, relatively higher price, and wrinkling nature of the textile are counted as its downsides.

Silk

Another ultimate clothing fabric that every person, especially women would love to don irrespective of their style and personality is silk. Even though you can find pants and hats made out of silk, it is commonly used for sewing dresses and blouses. The main attraction of the silk fabric is its lustrous, luxurious, and soft appeal. During summers, the way silk clothes reflect its color under sunlight will be definitely a treat for your eyes. Nevertheless, silk fabric is costlier when compared to most other options and it is hard to care and maintain. Besides, this fabric is made by killing worms and hence, will not be a suitable choice for people who believe in the concept of ethical clothing.

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Interesting Fabric Tips

Corduroy is a sturdy fabric made either completely of cotton, or of a cotton and polyester blend. The term “corduroy” (cord du roi) roughly translates to “king’s cord”, but that said, one is less likely to see this fabric used in royal garments. Many fashion designers and tailors in today’s textile industry swear by the reliability of this fabric.

Corduroy is usually woven, and then cut into distinctive striped ribs or wales, which run across the entire length of the textile material. Some lightweight corduroys are seen to have smooth and short piles with almost invisible wales. Although it can be tagged as a cousin of velvet, the difference corduroy has from the latter is that its pile is manufactured from the extra floats in the yarn or weft. Besides, it is not that difficult to sew with corduroy, and it is even possible to ensure a smooth finish using special techniques meant specifically for cutting and sewing this fabric.

The Different Types of Corduroy

Corduroy is available in the market in a lot of variations in respect to wales, sizes, and fabric weight. There is also stretchy corduroy, which is produced by mixing a little spandex in the fabric to give it more flexibility. You can also get printed corduroy fabric in any preferred design and pattern when it comes to the final product.

You can also get corduroy fabric in different qualities – the all-cotton type is considered to be of the highest quality. Yet, when buying the material, you can also go for inexpensive types, which have a verdant pile as well as superior gloss and draping capability. Besides, you should also examine the reverse side of the textile material when buying; it is supposed be tightly woven and firm enough to produce a fine, beautiful garment.

You can check if the filler yarns meet the selvedges at the right angles, by rubbing the fabric vigorously or scratching it with your fingernails. If you see any loose bits of the material, or if scratching creates a powdery dust, it means that weaving was not done properly, and the tailor used excessive sizing to cover up poor quality.

If you are not sure of the quality of the fabric which you would like to buy, just ask for a quarter yard of each textile material and wash it with your usual load of garments. If the soft and shiny fabric becomes stiff and uneven to the touch, it is better to look for other options. On the contrary, if the fabric piece turns silky and supple, then this is what you want to buy.

Corduroy’s Design Elements

As the soft fabric has strong vertical wales, it gives the material a characteristic visual appeal which is distinctive from those of silk, suede, and even velvet. Designers can even get amazing textures in a corduroy garment by mixing different weights of the fabric piles into one outfit. Then there is the possibility of creating contrast and texture in the final clothing as well, based on how the tailor cuts the ribs of the fabric. Note that corduroy cannot be taken as a runny, swathing fabric, which means that it is better for designs that offer body-fit appeal.

Corduroy has much surface interest, so it is advised to select a pattern with simple lines for the final product. That would allow its wales to balance the design pattern. Moreover, since corduroy fabrics can vary greatly in weight, you need to choose a type which is suitable for the intended garment. For instance, soft and lightweight corduroy textile are perfect for dresses, blouses, and vests, while medium-weight fabrics would be the ideal choice for jackets, skirts, and trousers. At the same time, wide wale varieties, which are the heaviest ones, are the best for coats and other winter wear.

You should also keep in mind that corduroy is a napped textile material just like velvet, which means that its pile reflects light in different ways when viewed from different angles. Expert designers recommend using an additional fabric to complement the napped layout, while having all the patterned pieces facing the same direction.

Caring for Corduroy Garments

Corduroy does not usually demand special care, especially the all-cotton type. However, to prevent fading of the bright colors and designer patterns of the garment, you should wash them inside out in cold water. In addition, it is advised to hang-dry clothing made of corduroy instead of leaving it in the dryer for hours. When hanging it on the line, it is also better to straighten up the seams and loosen up the wrinkles first.

Steam ironing is recommended to restore the napping property of this fabric, while brushing it with a small piece of corduroy is also a good way of reviving its natural sheen.

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Knit Fabric Guide

Double knit fabric can be used for different types of garments. In contrast to most knit fabrics, used for garments that necessitate stretch for proper fit, its unique construction results in an extremely stable fabric that is suitable for clothing items, whose weight would actually distort when any other knit is used. The best in the fabric construction business recommend the use of two sets of ballpoint needles when sewing it.

Construction of Double Knit Fabric

The fabric is constructed using needles, creating loops upon the back and front. These loops are woven together so that the layers are intertwined, and they will not separate. The result is a dense fabric, which is twice as thick as a common knit fabric as well as has firm stability that compares favorably with woven fabrics. Fabric manufacturers say this one originated in Italy.

Fibers

Since its unique construction is fundamental to the textile’s stability, the material used to make it can vary greatly. The natural fibers and synthetics, like silk and polyester respectively, can be used for the purpose of creating double knits. Rayon and cotton are other popular options.

Advantages

The double-needle construction results in a fabric that, in contrast to single knit ones, does not curl at their edges. Since knitted loops constitute the back and front, you can use either side of the fabric as its “right side”. This type of fabric is wrinkle-resistant too, which makes it perfect for travel wardrobes.

Uses

The fabric is unique for its weight as well as stability. Thanks to these characteristics, the fabric can be used for the kind of projects that are usually kept for woven clothing, comprising jackets, skirts, and pants. When constructed from a single knit fabric, such clothing items would distort as well as stretch out on wearing. As the edges of a double knit fabric do not curl, it can be used even for making a bandage.

Care

Double knit fabric usually withstands dry cleaning and does not shrink. Yet you should always wash any fabric with care. It is advisable to clean it as per the fiber used to construct it. While cotton may shrink, the polyester material items should not be exposed to high heat. When it is a fabric blend, you have to treat it as per the more delicate material in it.

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