Stone washing
Encyclopedia
Stone washing is a textile manufacturing
process used to give a newly manufactured cloth garment a worn-out appearance. Stone-washing also helps to increase the softness and flexibility of otherwise stiff and rigid fabrics such as canvas
and denim
.
The process uses large stones to roughen up the fabric being processed. The garments are placed in a large horizontal industrial clothes washer that is also filled with large stones. As the wash cylinder rotates, the cloth fibers are repeatedly pounded and beaten as the tumbling stones ride up the paddles inside the drum and fall back down onto the fabric.
A number of people and organizations have claimed to have invented stone-washing. According to Levi Strauss & Co.
, Donald Freeland, an employee of the Great Western Garment Company
(later acquired by Levi's), invented "stone-washing" denim in the 1950s. Inventor Claude Blankiet has also been credited with having invented the technique in the 1970's. The jeans company Edwin claims to have invented the technique in the 1980's.
that have been treated to produce a faded, worn appearance. This is usually accomplished either by washing the jeans with pumice
in a rotating drum, or also by using chemicals to create the appearance without the use of a rotating drum. Stonewashed jeans were a popular fashion trend in the 1970s
. In the 2000s, stonewashed jeans were heavily distressed, with pre-made holes, frayed edges and extensive fading caused by sandblasting
The fungus Trichoderma is also commonly used in the process of "stone-washing" jean material. Since the fungus decomposes cellulose with the enzymes that it produces, this allows for the characteristic appearance that the jeans have been washed with a stone.
is washed with pumice
stones and chlorine until it is bleached almost white. The process was invented in Italy by the Rifle
jeans company. Acid wash jeans, worn with fringe jackets or the Perfecto motorcycle jacket
were popularised by hard rock
, outlaw country
and heavy metal
bands in the 1980s. Skinhead
s and punk rockers would spatter bleach
on their jeans for a similar effect. Acid washed jeans made a comeback in the late 2000s among teenage girls.
Textile manufacturing
Textile manufacturing is a major industry. It is based in the conversion of three types of fibre into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. These are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. Cotton remains the most important natural fibre, so is treated in depth...
process used to give a newly manufactured cloth garment a worn-out appearance. Stone-washing also helps to increase the softness and flexibility of otherwise stiff and rigid fabrics such as canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
and denim
Denim
Denim is a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This produces the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric, which distinguishes denim from cotton duck. Denim has been in American usage since the late 18th century...
.
The process uses large stones to roughen up the fabric being processed. The garments are placed in a large horizontal industrial clothes washer that is also filled with large stones. As the wash cylinder rotates, the cloth fibers are repeatedly pounded and beaten as the tumbling stones ride up the paddles inside the drum and fall back down onto the fabric.
A number of people and organizations have claimed to have invented stone-washing. According to Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co. is a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1853 when Levi Strauss came from Buttenheim, Franconia, to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business...
, Donald Freeland, an employee of the Great Western Garment Company
Great Western Garment Co.
The Great Western Garment Company was a Canadian denim and western wear clothing company founded in 1911 in Edmonton, Alberta by Charles A. Graham and Alexander Cameron Rutherford ....
(later acquired by Levi's), invented "stone-washing" denim in the 1950s. Inventor Claude Blankiet has also been credited with having invented the technique in the 1970's. The jeans company Edwin claims to have invented the technique in the 1980's.
Stonewashed jeans
Stonewashed jeans are jeansJeans
Jeans are trousers made from denim. Some of the earliest American blue jeans were made by Jacob Davis, Calvin Rogers, and Levi Strauss in 1873. Starting in the 1950s, jeans, originally designed for cowboys, became popular among teenagers. Historic brands include Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler...
that have been treated to produce a faded, worn appearance. This is usually accomplished either by washing the jeans with pumice
Pumice
Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid...
in a rotating drum, or also by using chemicals to create the appearance without the use of a rotating drum. Stonewashed jeans were a popular fashion trend in the 1970s
1970s in fashion
1970s fashion, which began with a continuation of the mini skirts, bell-bottoms and the androgynous hippie look from the late 1960s, was soon sharply characterized by several distinct fashion trends that have left an indelible image of the decade ...
. In the 2000s, stonewashed jeans were heavily distressed, with pre-made holes, frayed edges and extensive fading caused by sandblasting
The fungus Trichoderma is also commonly used in the process of "stone-washing" jean material. Since the fungus decomposes cellulose with the enzymes that it produces, this allows for the characteristic appearance that the jeans have been washed with a stone.
Acid Washed jeans
Acid-washed denimDenim
Denim is a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This produces the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric, which distinguishes denim from cotton duck. Denim has been in American usage since the late 18th century...
is washed with pumice
Pumice
Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid...
stones and chlorine until it is bleached almost white. The process was invented in Italy by the Rifle
Rifle (fashion)
Rifle is an Italian clothing company founded in 1958 in Prato. They were most famous for their jeans during the 1980s, especially in the USSR, Bulgaria, and the rest of Eastern Europe.External Links# http://www.riflejeans.com/...
jeans company. Acid wash jeans, worn with fringe jackets or the Perfecto motorcycle jacket
Perfecto motorcycle jacket
Perfecto is a brand of double style leather motorcycle jackets manufactured by American clothing company Schott NYC. The first jacket was introduced in 1928, making it the first ever double style leather motorcycle jacket. Marlon Brando wore a Perfecto #613 in the 1953 movie The Wild One...
were popularised by hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, outlaw country
Outlaw country
Outlaw country is a subgenre of country music, most popular during the late 1960s and the 1970s , sometimes referred to as the outlaw movement or simply outlaw music...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands in the 1980s. Skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
s and punk rockers would spatter bleach
Bleach
Bleach refers to a number of chemicals that remove color, whiten, or disinfect, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach , lye, oxygen bleach , and bleaching powder...
on their jeans for a similar effect. Acid washed jeans made a comeback in the late 2000s among teenage girls.
See also
- 1980s in fashion1980s in fashionIn the 1970s, the silhouette of fashion tended to be characterized by close fitting clothes on top with wider, looser clothes on the bottom. This trend completely reversed itself in the early 1980s as both men and women began to wear looser shirts and tight, close-fitting trousers.Men wore power...
- 2000s in fashion2000s in fashionThe 2000s are often described as a "mash-up" decade, where trends saw the fusion of previous styles, global and ethnic clothing, as well as the fashions of numerous subcultures, such as hipsters. For the most part, the decade did not have one particular style but recycled styles from the...
- Punk fashionPunk fashionPunk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry, and body modifications of the punk subculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including...
- Heavy metal fashionHeavy metal fashionHeavy metal fashion is the style of dress, body modification, make-up, hairstyle, and so on, taken on by fans of heavy metal, or, as they are often called, metalheads or headbangers.-Origins:...
- Washing machineWashing machineA washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets...