Soft Crush Fabric
Half N Half Crushed Art Silk Saree in Orange and Fuchsia
A clothing, ironed and well-maintained lends a well groomed look to the wearer. Therefore it might sound surprising that a crumpled looking piece of apparel also sets about achieving the same effect. But that is what designers hit upon when they wanted to give a unique twist to a piece of fabric. They came up with the concept of crushed fabric.
Using an elaborate process involving trimming, heating and use of dye solutions, the piece of fabric is duly crushed and sports a wrinkled look with a wide range of designs.
Origin and History
The crushed fabric treatment was first done with Velvet and Silk. The concept of crushed fabric is an old one but only in the late 20th century, the process was extended to other fabrics.
The Making
With different methods like trimming of the fibres of the fabric, using hot liquids to treat the fabric and more, the fibres are cut and then heated and crushed. Furthermore the fabric is put through a softening process to generate designs and well defined effects are created on the surface of the fabric. Then the fabric is soaked in a dye solution and crushed into a ball. After squeezing out the excess water, the fabric is put into a spin dryer.
Going forward, there are more elaborate processes involved in creating the crushed look for Velvet and Silk.
In the case of Velvet, while the fabric is still wet, it is crushed and twisted by hand or machine. Crushed Velvet is used for making upholstery material like curtains and cushion covers. In such cases, there is a base of another fabric provided below the Velvet to give it strength and stability. In the case of apparel, crushed Velvet provides an elegant and classic look to the person wearing it.
For Silk, a special Silk cocoon is used for the thread. After the fabric is made almost ready, it is wilfully crushed to sport the wrinkled and crushed look. Crushed Silk is generally used to develop designer clothing.
Embroidered Satin Georgette Crushed Circular Lehenga in Pink
Initially Silk and Velvet were the fabrics with which the concept of crushed fabric was used. However in today’s times, the crushed look has been taken forward to fabrics like Cotton, Chiffon, Georgette and even synthetic fabrics like Polyester.
In India, crushed fabrics are used for sarees, kameez, lehengas and even the dupatta used with soft crush salwar kameez.
The pricing of crushed fabric depends on the fabric used. In the case of synthetic fabrics, the cost is approximately Rs. 1500/- to Rs. 2000/- for sarees or salwar kameez without any extra work. With addition of Resham, zari or other work, the price varies between Rs. 2000/- to Rs. 6000/-. Lehengas can cost a little more than that.
Sources of Inspiration
While Velvet and Silk were made as crushed a long time ago, the need to try and adapt the texture to other fabrics has been fuelled by the desire to make it available at a more affordable cost.
Faces behind the Fabric
Crushed fabric has acquired a new sense of fashion and is actively sold to the world by various manufacturers through location stores and websites.
Varieties
Crushed fabric is made from different fabrics like Silk, Chiffon, Cotton and synthetic. Its also available in various forms of ladies’ Indian wear and accessories, as well as caters to men fashion.
Innovations
Crushed fabric is inherently light in weight even in the case of silk mainly due to the special cocoon of silk used. Courtesy of that, crushed fabrics can be worn comfortably on all kinds of occasions. A lot of modern accessories like hand clutch, shoes, etc. are also weaved in soft fabrics of crush!
Global Wear
The crushed fabric is already popular the world over. Hence it is just a matter of selecting the right Indian ethnic wear .
Wearing The attire
Since it talks mainly about Ladies wear, clothing can be accessorized with ethnic looking earrings, neckpieces, and bangles. In the case of lehengas or salwar, kurtas, jootis can be used for footwear.
Suitability
Clothing made out of crushed fabric are generally made for ladies’ Indian wear and are wearable on various occasions ranging from daily wear to office wear, and from formal functions to weddings.
Maintenance
Depending on the fabric, the recommended washing procedure varies. For cotton, a gentle hand wash in cold water is recommended. For other fabrics, the recommendation is dry cleaning for at least the first wash. Ironing is optional and may be done using moderate temperature.
Interesting Facts and Comparisons
- Fabrics like Silk and Velvet are crushed at a stage called pre-manufacturing. It means the stage just short of completing the fabric. In the case of Cotton and other synthetic fabrics, the crushing is done after manufacturing.
- Crushed Velvet is also used for making upholstery, clutches, and footwear.
- A new artistic approach came up of lending a crushed effect to clothes without actually crushing them. There are snapshots taken of crumpled paper and the same are given different effects like translucent, sepia tone and more on a computer. Then the snaps are printed. The printing happens not only on fabrics but on any surface.
Reference
Categories: Textiles