Denim is a tight, sturdy, thick cotton fabric with a diagonal ridged texture. It is traditionally made from long-staple cotton and is often blended with a stretch fiber like elastane for more fitted garments.
According to WGSN, Chinese consumers consider cotton denim the most authentic, durable, and comfortable. Let’s look at why that might be the case.
Versatility
Cotton is one of the most versatile fabrics available. It’s a great choice for jeans and can be used to make various other clothing items, including skirts, dresses, jackets, and caps. It’s comfortable and can be worn in any season. It’s also easy to sew and wash.
Denim is a type of cotton fabric woven in a specific way. It’s often dyed indigo, which gives it its classic blue color. It’s typically woven on a shuttle loom or a projectile loom. Shuttle woven denim is called “selvage,” it has a smooth, sturdy edge that can be cut without fraying. Projectile woven denim has a single weft thread for every row and a more delicate edge that must be sewn carefully.
The term “denim” originated in Nimes, France, for a type of cotton cloth known as serge de Nimes. The weavers created this fabric using a twill weave, and then indigo dyed the warp threads while leaving the weft threads white. This gave the fabric its distinct blue color on one side and white on the other.
Style
Cotton is a sturdy, versatile textile that can be made into all sorts of clothes and accessories. It has a natural shine and is also soft. It can be dyed in many colors, but the most well-known color is indigo, which gives denim jeans their iconic blue hue. It can also be dyed with other colors to create different styles.
A specific type of long-staple cotton variety is used to make denim. This variety is called upland cotton, the industry’s workhorse. It’s easy to grow and produces high-quality fabrics.
The fabric is woven using shuttle looms. This technique gives the finished product a clean self-edge, also known as selvage. This helps the material keep its shape and prevents fraying.
Cotton production can be problematic because of harmful chemicals and pesticides. It also requires a lot of water. It takes 5,700 liters of water to produce one pair of jeans. This amounts to significant environmental damage and harms the livelihood of local people in countries such as India, Bangladesh, and China.
Comfort
Cotton jeans are naturally breathable and soft against the skin. This makes them very comfortable to wear all day. This is one of the main reasons they are so popular, especially among die-hard denim fans who prefer non-stretch fabrics.
Originally, jeans were made of sturdy, breathable cotton fabric woven using a twill weave. This creates the diagonal ribbing pattern that we associate with denim. Nowadays, many brands use a blend of cotton and polyester to control shrinkage and add stretch for more fitted styles. Sometimes, these fabrics also include a percentage of spandex or elastane for added flexibility and comfort.
The type of cotton used in these blended fabrics can make a big difference in how the fabric feels and looks. Some brands use extra-long staple Zimbabwean cotton for its luster, durability, and ability to soak up the color of indigo dye. This variety of cotton is grown by smallholder farms and harvested by hand, meaning it’s one of the most ethically-produced cotton in the world.
Durability
Cotton jeans are a staple clothing item everyone wears, from babies to adults. They are a popular garment found in many clothing stores and online. However, many people may need to learn that other jeans are not made from denim but from a different fabric. This other fabric is called cotton, and it has various benefits. It is soft, breathable, absorbs sweat, and can be dyed into various colors. It is also more durable than other fabrics, such as polyester and nylon.
What sets cotton apart from other types of fabric is the type of weave and finish. Cotton can be woven into various types of clothing, but it is typically used to make jeans. Jeans are made from a strong twill weave that includes passing weft threads under two or more warp threads. This creates the diagonal ribbing that is so iconic in jeans.
Creating denim begins with harvesting the cotton fibers, making them into yarns, and dyeing them. The yarns are then woven together on a shuttle or projectile loom to create the jeans.
Sustainability
Cotton is a natural, sustainable fabric that has long been considered a good choice for jeans. It’s easily woven on a shuttle or projectile loom, making it suitable for many styles of denim. It can also be dyed with indigo, giving denim a classic blue color.
However, the massive amount of water required for denim production makes it one of the most environmentally taxing fabrics. And the chemical processing it requires can be harmful to workers’ health. Often, pesticides are used in cotton cultivation, and traditional indigo dyeing uses a mix of toxic chemicals, including azo dyes, that can release carcinogenic amines. Thankfully, many companies offer more sustainable options for jeans made from cotton.
