SMALL WONDERS FOR JEANS.

Small wonders for fashionable jeans
Textile chemicals: versatile and responsive to every new trend
When Italian designer Roberto Cavalli starts talking about jeans fashions he goes into raptures: “Jeans are my speciality and are probably the key to my success. I was able to transform basic denim into a luxury product - using patterns and designs generated by lasers and crystal applications. For the next season, I propose very light stretch jeans made precious by glitter applications.” As one of the pioneers of the “precious look” Cavalli relies on textile finishing products that make jeans not only blue, but also fashionable. Thomas Pfisterer, head of the Performance Chemicals for Textiles unit at BASF, states: “Without textile chemicals it would not be possible to create the fashionable jeans that are worn and loved by hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Our developments in the area of textile chemicals allow us to make a contribution to the current five to six fashion cycles each year”.
Trendy textile finishing - The “in” look for jeans: precious, clean and fade-out
Viewed historically, BASF made jeans fashion possible almost right from the beginning. The legendary German emigrant Levi Strauss had his riveted “waist overalls” patented in 1873 at the time of California’s great gold rush. Not long after, in 1890, BASF was granted the all-important patent to manufacture the blue synthetic (jeans) dye indigo on the industrial scale. Combined with the hard-wearing cotton fabric imported from the French city Nimes (de nimes = Denim), this added up to a fashion success story unrivalled to the present day. The world of jeans fashions owes its vitality to its ability to change constantly and combine individualism with the spirit of the times. Jeans fashions such as bleached, stone- or sand-washed, destroyed, fade-out, used-look, over-dyed, authentic or clean-look are all products of innovative textile finishing - and these are just a few examples.
The innovation begins with the treatment of the yarns used to produce the denim fabric. The cotton has to be prepared for processing, dyeing with indigo and weaving. Pretreatment products like detergents, sizing agents to make the fabric tear-resistant and smoothing agents for the cotton yarns are used during this phase. Here too, BASF is one of the world’s leading suppliers. The fabrics then have to be dyed, coated or printed - whatever is needed to create the desired effect. Gloss and glitter also present no problem for BASF’s range of textile coating chemicals. The final step is removing the excess textile chemicals. All processes and products are designed to meet strict health and ecology standards.
The “laundry” is where the look reflecting the current fashion trend - from used to clean - is applied. In the high-volume production of fashion jeans, the efficiency of the processes and the cost effectiveness of textile finishing are paramount, while for special pigment printing leading fashion designers use specialty chemicals such as liquid crystals that cost as much as EUR 1,000 or more per kilogram.
The prospects
Stefaan Willems, finish development manager for Denim at Levi Strauss & Co Europe, Middle East and Africa explains: “Advances in textile finishing are a source of inspiration flowing directly into each of our current collections. The used, worn and trashed looks are today’s most popular jeans fashions. Our ultimate dream at the moment is the clean look - indigo jeans in their purest form - completely “unwashed” but with a consistently high-quality appearance.”
The know-how of BASF textile experts is also in demand in translating this vision into reality - for example by applying finishing products after the dyeing process to optimise the color fastness and make sure the dye remains on the jeans even after washing. And perhaps blue jeans will soon be able to do even more than provide their wearers with the ultimate look. The textile industry and BASF researchers are working on the textiles of the future which will help regulate the wearer’s body temperature, resist acquiring unpleasant odors and will be “immune” to soiling. Promising market growth is expected for these “functional textiles.”
The denim look: blue outside, white inside
Blue jeans or denim jackets are blue on the outside but much lighter on the inside because of the weaving and yarn dyeing techniques employed. The term “denim” describes a tough cotton fabric produced by the twill weaving process, in which the longitudinal yarn (warp) is dyed with indigo blue and the transverse yarn (weft) remains white. The appearance of the fabric is thus determined by the blue warp yarn on the one side of the fabric and the light-colored weft yarn on the other.
Another secret of the denim look derives from the use of indigo, originally a plant-derived dye. In response to growing demand, the race to perfect the chemical synthesis of this increasing popular blue coloring agent began as early 1880. BASF chemists won the race in 1897 well ahead of their competitors. An interesting fact for everyone favoring the “back to nature” approach: all the indigo plants on the earth would not be enough to produce the approximately one billion pairs of blue jeans sold every year.
This demand can only be met with synthetic indigo. DyStar, a BASF joint venture company specialising in textile dyes, now delivers several thousands of metric tons of indigo annually to dye works around the world for the industrial dyeing of yarn for jeans.

NANO TECH: SMALL WONDERS TO TEXTILES

nano technology: small wonders to textiles
7.0 Indian scenario Department of Science and Technology, UGC have already started many programme in the nano technology area. Indian Premier research and academic institutions are working towards the development and innovation related to MEMS, Nano structures, Synthesis and characterization, Nano electronics, CNT and Nano-composites. Some of the Bangalore based private companies Biomix,Q-tex, Velbionano and Yashnano- also in the development and application of Nano technology. Nano- Tex, the US based nano technology company has planed to set up a research centre in Bangalore. Our Indian Government is phase in with the Nano technology mission.8.0 SummaryWorking at a billionth of a nanometer scale is a continuous source of new opportunities for the textile industry. Nanotechnology will not only help the marketing of fabric and fashion because of its unique and incompatible properties but it is also a revolution for human beings like the Internet. Nanotech can surely opens up an interesting new playing field for the textile industry in future.

WONDERS ON TEEEXTILES

Plasma Works Wonders on Textiles
Today's sophisticated consumers look for additional functions in apparel, such as water resistance and UV protection.
Chemicals or resins with these desired properties are traditionally applied to textile surfaces by dispersion or coating methods, which nevertheless forge only weak bonding between the chemicals and the fabrics, resulting in short-lived added functions. Resin coating, in particular, could also undermine certain properties of the cloth concerned, such as its softness, breathability and appearance. In addition, these conventional processes require waste treatment systems for compliance with environmental regulations.
To address these problems, HKPC has developed an innovative treatment method to equip textiles with long-lasting additional functions such as resistance to crease, stain, water, UV and bacteria. The technology is based on the use of plasma, an electrically neutral, highly ionized gas composed of ions, electrons, and neutral particles. With short duration and high efficiency, the process does not affect the desirable properties of the textiles. It is also environmentally friendly and affordable to local manufacturers.
This new technology will add value to local clothing products and enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong's textile and apparel industry.
Visit HKPC's Innovation Gallery to view product samples.
For further information, please contact Mr Raymond Chan of HKPC at tel. (852) 2788 5506 or e-mail: mkchan@hkpc.org