Denim remains one of the core elements which make up a lot of clothing we wear every day. Denim has a good relationship with the clothing industry for being fashionable, practical and suitable for a lot of different items.
The denim industry is one which has been booming for many years and continues to be a fashion mainstay. The process of denim manufacturing is a very complex and exciting process, and there’s a lot which is done before such a time as you can put on a new pair of jeans.
We are going to be taking a look at many different areas of denim and look at all of its aspects, to provide you with a complete picture as to how you can create high-quality jeans.
A brief history of denim
Denim has a history which dates back to 1873. A man called Levi Strauss invented blue jeans, which is where the chain ‘Levi’s’ originated. They began life as a work based clothing - robust yet practical, the jeans could be used in a variety of different situations. On average, each American owns seven different pairs of jeans. There is also an estimated 2,700,000,000 metres of denim fabric manufactured across the world.
The idea that jeans could be worn in all kinds of situations was something that didn’t immediately kick off - the lower class and workers initially used them. However, when the American military began to wear them while they were off duty, the industry started to boom.
Why add denim to a fashion collection?
There are various reasons why you should add denim to a fashion collection. When you consider that jeans have grown and expanded into clothing suitable for all kinds of different occasions, you can begin to understand their appeal. Jeans have a place in nearly every fashion collection because they’re relatively inexpensive to produce, can be marketed exclusively as ladies jeans if needed, and are usually of consistently high quality.
There are a few key elements which you have to consider when trying to add jeans to a fashion collection. You will need to research the industry to make sure that the choices you make regarding design, colour and composition are going to be appealing to the broadest possible audience. You’re then going to want to make sure that you are considering how best to produce a consistent standard of quality for your product. Customers aren’t going to want each pair of jeans they buy to have a varying level of quality, so consistency is everything.
It’s also worth making sure that the jeans you do produce, you can create in high quality for an affordable price. This part of the process will have a direct impact on how much you can afford to market your product for, so it’s integral to your success.
The manufacturing process
To help you to begin to understand what it is that you might come up against or encounter during the manufacturing of jeans, we’re going to look at some of the different processes which are involved in the creation of jeans.
The process involved in the successful creation of jeans is a three-step entity. First, you must make sure you have all the necessary raw materials to make the product. This list may include such things as the right fabric, as well as rivets, buttons and zippers depending upon the type of jeans you are attempting to produce.
Next, you must consider the type of clothing factory that you require. Believe it or not, there are a lot of complicated machines which go into the creation of high quality branded jeans, and these can include such things as the stitching machine, the folding machine, logo making machine and many other different systems. If you’re producing a small collection, a specialist clothing manufacturer for small businesses will be able to help you with the whole process.
The manufacturing process itself is the final component for you to consider. You must check the samples for imperfections before you move onto the other methods. These methods will include cutting, stitching, embroidering, and other processes which are all necessary to ensure that the jeans are made and ready to be sold.
Further information: How to Work With Clothing Manufacturers
Bespoke denim washes
There are many different things that you can do to a pair of jeans to give them a unique colour, look or feel. For example, black denim occurs when a pair of jeans or the material to make them are dyed black. Raw denim, on the other hand, is a type of jeans which have not been changed or altered in any way.
The material is identifiable by a very dark blue colouration and a distinctive sheen. Enzyme washing is another process which involves softening the fabric, and working to make sure that it looks and feels more worn than other jeans. The denim itself is usually worn over time and becomes more comfortable as a result; this is the accelerated edition.
A dark wash is often employed to make sure that the jeans are of a darker shade than before. Natural denim is a blue colour, which is why the bulk of all jeans are blue, but this is not always the case.
An acid wash , known to some as a stonewash, is where people have deliberately taken acid or pumice stones infused with bleach to reduce the colour of the jeans - you’ll find that these kinds of jeans are often much lighter. Mid wash jeans are often considered to be softer than raw denim and have had exposure to a higher concentration of dye.
The light wash has been through a longer washing process than some of the other washes, and this means it has a lighter shade of colour to it. Grey denim has been dyed much like black denim, and so the two are similar concerning their processes and features.
White denim has no colouration in it all and is instead a unique fashion all it’s own. A bleach wash is one which has been, unsurprisingly, bleached of colour, and then the vintage wash offers a worn look which visibly ages the fabric.
Can you add custom hardware?
Thankfully there are a lot of things you can add to denim for a touch of individuality. You can that add buttons, patches and even embroidery to your jeans, thanks to the durable yet flexible manner of the material.
Alternate clothing options
Denim is a material which can be used in many different ways and is often considered to be one of the more flexible elements in garment manufacturing. You can quickly turn the material for jeans into denim shirts, a jacket or any other kind of denim-based item.
For a more sustainable approach, perhaps you could combine old and worn out denim which has been thrown away. You can quickly clean it, repurpose it and sell it on as something brand new. This process is part of the enduring appeal of denim - the material is so durable and so long-lasting that it can go on to be used again and again and again.
Creating a new collection
Overall, the manufacturing of denim is something which can prove to be a fruitful endeavour. We’ve all worn jeans before and experienced just how versatile they can be, which is why it is evident to anyone that there’s a lot of potential for jeans within any industry or fashion collection.
Jeans have a long history of being used for all kinds of different roles. People often consider the jean to be a hallmark of casual clothing, but this hasn’t always been the case. The jean can be changed and altered in many ways. You don’t have to restrict jeans to one colour and configuration - there’s a lot you can do with them on a consistent basis to make something new and exciting.
As you can probably tell, the processes that go into making denim clothing are often reasonably complex, but they help to assure the same consistent standard of quality. We all want to make sure that we’re getting good quality denim from start to finish, which is why it’s important to work with the right manufacturing partner for your collection. Making denim items to sell does have a lot of viability, with many people finding that the clothing has a place within nearly every kind of industry.
It’s a reasonably inexpensive way of adding to a fashion collection, but at the same time, you don’t find that it takes over existing items. Instead, it complements and supports a current lineup, working as an extra feature that will serve to attract people but not be the only reason they visit your collection.
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