Denim

Many of you wear denim on a daily basis, but do you really know about denim as fabric?

There are several different types of denim and different woven techniques.
Before we talk about those techniques, let’s take a closer look!

warp

Lengthwise yarns that travel vertically, which are held in tension on the loom.

weft

Crosswise Yarns that are inserted over and under the warp.
The Warp yarn (front) is usually dyed indigo while the weft yarn (back) is left undyed.

woven techniques

As some of woven techniques in denim, there are: Right hand twill, Left hand twill, Broken twill

Rihgt/Left twill

The twill is a type of weave that creates a diagonal pattern on the fabric surface.

“Right hand twill” flows from top right to bottom. This is the most common weave in denim nowadays. It does not stretch as much, because of very tight woven technique, compared to left hand twill, it keeps uneven surface after wear. A characteristic of “right hand twill” is color fading on the rough dyed surface.
“Left hand twill” is the opposite of right hand twill, which flows diagonally from top left to bottom right. It is weaved looser than right hand twill, which makes the fabric a bit more stretchable. The surface is more even. One will see color fade vertically.

Broken twill

“Broken twill” is when right and left hand twill alternate each other 2-3 rows at a time. When one looks at the back of the fabric, one may see zig zag pattern. Because the woven lines don’t flow in one direction, the fabric keeps its shape compared to right or left hand twill. This process is time consuming, and thus broken twill denim costs more. Herringbone is a part of broken twill family in which the diagonal switches directions back and forth.

Slub denim

“Slub denim” is an uneven surface denim, which has a small bumps or bulges on the surface, this is the result from yarn irregularities in the weaving process. Some Slub denim or fabrics are highly desirable due to the texture and “patina” they develop overtime.

The denim we use is 100% cotton and mostly Twill Denim and Slub Denim.

weight

Denim is weighed in ounces per square yard. The heavier the weight, the thicker the fabric.

Light weight denim: Less than 12 oz

Midiun weight denim: 12 oz – 16 oz

Heavy weight denim: Anything above 16 oz

Heavy denims are specialty fabric beloved by collectors.