HOW ARE OUR CLOTHES MADE?

Virtually all fashion companies have recently been communicating how they work with sustainability. They know that many customers want to choose more environmentally friendly alternatives. But instead of buying all the fashion brands' promotional campaigns, maybe it's time for consumers to learn how clothes are actually made.

There are some countries noticeably gifted by nature as they produce tons of annual cotton that is a basic ingredient for cloth manufacturing. Countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh are among top producers and exporters. Many Pakistani clothing brands are exporting a huge amount of stitched fabric to UK, USA and other countries.

1. Cultivation of the raw material

Cotton grows best in warm climates, most of the world's cotton is grown in India, Uzbekistan, the USA and China. Of the natural materials used in textiles and fashion today, cotton is the most common. Although cotton is a natural fiber, the cultivation process is far from sustainable. Large amounts of water and pesticides are used, and studies show that non-organic cotton consumes as much as 25% of the world's pesticides. For every 100 grams of cotton, 27 grams of chemicals are used, and up to 20,000 liters of water are required to produce 1 kg of cotton.

 

2. Harvest

Cotton grows relatively quickly and is ready for harvest about 160 days after it has been grown. It can then be picked using a special machine, but in many parts of the world it is still picked by hand.

 

3. Purification from seeds

The harvested cotton passes through a machine called cotton gin, it separates the cotton fibers from the seeds. Then the cotton is packed and sent to spinners that make yarn. The spinning mills can be located far away, in many cases in countries other than where the cotton is grown. The cleaned cotton can be sent by plane, boat or truck.

 

4. Spinning

At the spinning mill, the cotton fibers pass through various different machines that clean the cotton, and then the fibers are combed and laid parallel to each other. They are then twisted into different thicknesses until the yarn has reached the desired coarseness. Several threads can also be twisted together into a yarn. The whole process requires a lot of energy.

Inside the spinning mills there is a lot of dust in motion, and it is important for factory workers to use face masks that protect them. Far from all factories follow the protection laws that exist.

 

5. Knitting

Now the spun yarn is ready to be knitted or woven into a fabric. T-shirts are made of jersey which is a thin knitted fabric and made in circular knitting machines. The yarn must be waxed / oiled in to pass more easily through the small needles in the knitting machine. Natural wax is very uncommon today, most people use chemical oils. Different knitting factories use different qualities, cheaper factories often have cheaper wax. Knitting and weaving require a lot of energy to keep the machines running. Pakistan export fancy knitted Pakistani Dresses online Uk, USA, Australia and Canada.

6. Dyeing / bleaching

Dyeing and bleaching can take place at different stages of manufacture, either directly by the fiber, or by the yarn or by the fabric. In some cases, ready-made garments can also be dyed or bleached. There are two different ways to dye clothes, naturally (from plant pigments) or chemically. Nowadays, all commercial garments are dyed with chemical dyeing methods.

The dyeing usually takes place in warm water by mixing toner and other chemicals that cause the dye to be fixed on the fabric. Some chemicals that have been used in dyeing have been shown to be carcinogenic and have been banned by the EU. But it is difficult to know exactly how garments have been dyed as they are made thousands of miles away.

Cotton naturally has a light beige color, not chalk white. To get an all-white T-shirt, the cotton must be bleached, and then chemicals are used that can be dangerous to humans. One of the common chemicals is Dioxin.

Dyeing and bleaching require a lot of water, energy and chemicals. Protective equipment and waste management are required, but depending on the factory, these may be completely missing.

 

7. Washing the fabric

After knitting or weaving, the fabric is washed to avoid shrinkage later. Many factories use fabric softeners to make the garments feel soft, but they can contain dangerous chemicals. It is not known if certain ingredients in fabric softener can be dangerous in contact with the skin, so always wash new garments before using them.

 

8. Design and pattern construction

Although the process of making a T-shirt begins with the cultivation of the raw material, it also starts with a fashion company that decides to make and sell a garment. They design a T-shirt that they want it to look like and then decide how the measurements should be to get the right fit. Then a pattern designer produces a pattern according to this design and specified dimensions. Other than Men, women clothing stream has a very vast range specially in eastern culture, women wear very colorful cloth specially Indian sarhi, kurta shalwar and Pakistani gown are famous in east and other western countries.

9. Find the right material and sewing factory

The fashion company is looking for a similar material that they want, usually from a factory or agent who works with fabrics. When they have chosen fabric, they are also looking for a factory that can sew the fabric for T-shirts. There are often several options and the price is crucial.

 

10. Cut out pattern parts

When the fashion company has chosen a sewing factory, the fabric is sent to it together with sketches, measurement lists and patterns. The fabric is cut into garment parts according to the pattern designer's pattern, for a T-shirt that is a relatively simple garment; there is a front piece, back piece and sleeves. At least 15% of all fabrics end up in the landfill from the cutting process. Some companies take care of their fabric waste, but most often it is thrown away. Fabric waste from 100% cotton fabrics can be used to make paper, but it is very unusual unfortunately.

 

11. Fabric printing

Many T-shirts have some print on them, either a small logo or a larger all-over print. You can print directly on the fabric or on the ready-made garment, or alternatively on the cut-out pattern parts before sewing together. The fabric printing industry uses large amounts of chemicals and causes a lot of pollution.