Technical Terms
Here are some technical terms in relation to garments and fabrics explained.
| Term | Description |
| Absorbency | The ability of fabric to take in moisture. Very important in relation to skin comfort, but other factors important too, effect on static build up, staining and removal, water repellency, shrinkage and wrinkling. |
| Azo Dyes | Potentially carcinogenic banned dyestuffs |
| Blend | Yarn made up of two or more types of staple fibre twisted or spun together. Polyester cotton is a typical example |
| Breathability | Popular misnomer which really should be Moisture Vapour Permeable. The ability of a fabric to transpire moisture vapour reducing condensation by physical or chemical means |
| Calendaring | Heat and pressure finishing process to put a lustrous, glazed or embossed finish on one or both surfaces of a fabric |
| Carding | Combing process of raw fibres to clean and sort, creates thin layer of fibre prior to spinning |
| Colourfastness | A dyed fabric’s ability to resist fading due to light exposure and washing |
| Cotton | Natural fibre from Cotton plant seed pod. Typically ˝ inch to 2inches long fibres. Highest quality is Egyptian variety with fibres longer than 1˝ inch. |
| Crocking | This is when dye rubs off a fabric improperly dyed washed or finished. |
| Denier | Measurement relating to weight of continuous filament fibre, Denier equals weight in grams of 9000 meters of that fibre. The finer the fibre, the lower the number and vice versa |
| Dobby weave | Raised or textured weave available in many patterns |
| Elasticity | The ability of a fabric to return to its original size after stretching |
| Facing | Finishing fabric inside garments. |
| Gauge | Normally refers to number of needles per inch in knitting machinery |
| GSM | Fabric weight in Grams per square metre |
| GLM | Fabric weight in grams per linear metre, fabric width must be known |
| Herringbone | Zig zag weave effect variation of Herringbone |
| Hydrostatic Head | Measured vertical column of water determines how waterproof a fabric is. |
| Interlining | Padding or stiffening included between inner and outer shells for insulation or structural purpose to maintain shape. |
| Interlock | Variation of rib stitch where two 1 x 1 ribbed fabrics are interknitted. Heavy and more stable than single rib. |
| Jacquard | Loom attachment used in making woven fabrics to create any kind of design. Brocade and Damask are Jacquard weaves |
| Jersey fabrics | Smooth flat faced fabrics with textured uniform back made by interlooped yarns on both flat and circular knitting machines. |
| Knit fabrics | Fabric made from yarns running all in the same direction created by looping the yarns around each other. |
| Lining | Covering fabric in garment inside, can be printed or have woven logo included. |
| Nylon | Strong synthetic fibre with great resilience, the first ever developed. |
| Ottoman weave | A raised rib often self coloured fabric |
| Pilling | Unsightly balling of fibres on fabric surface due to friction worse on inferior fabrics |
| Pique | Knit or woven medium weight fabric with raised dobby designs |
| Polyester | Less strong than nylon but very resilient with lower water absorbency. Only cotton is more used. |
| Quilting | A fabric constructed by layering and stitching together probably in a regular pattern. May include insulation material in the construction. |
| Reactive Dye | Most permanent of dye types |
| Ring Spun | A spinning process which results in smoother yarns |
| Rib Knit | Highly elastic knit, used for special trims, sleeve, neck and waistbands and for close fitting knitwear |
| Rib Weave | Plain weave fabric variations with raised ribs |
| Rip Stop | Weave variation with multiple yarns creating various types of grid pattern which can stop tears, sometimes cosmetic only |
| Selvedge | Created in construction of woven fabrics along warp edges to stabilise and prevent unravelling |
| Spandex Fibre | Elastomeric synthetic fibre which will recover original size even after repeated stretching. Used in small percentages within fabrics to make close fitting garments. Lycra from DuPont is probably the best known brand. |
| Warp | Lengthwise yarns in woven fabrics |
| Weft | Crosswise Filler yarns in woven fabrics, perpendicular to warp. |
| Wickability | The ability of fibres or fabrics to disperse and allow moisture to pass through to the surface where it can be evaporated. Normally used in base and mid layers. |
| Wrinkle resist | Treatment applied to fabric to make easier to care for and require minimal ironing |