Garment dyeing is a process where pre-fashioned garments such as jackets, pants, t-shirts, jeans, dresses, skirts, and coats are dyed once the manufacturing process is completed. It is a direct contrast to the more traditional method of the use of pre-dyed fabrics to create garments, without additional dyeing or washing done on the garments once the production ends.
Garment dyeing is often done when there is a need for quick response to rapid changes in the market, or if the manufacturer has a low capital investment yet still prefers to process as few or as many items in the most economical way possible. Aside from that garment dyeing also produces unique and special effects on the fabric that traditional dyeing processes is not able to achieve.
The different techniques used for this process of garment dyeing include dip dyeing, tie dyeing, spray over dyeing, dyeing, and others. The following is a brief run-through of these methods of garment dyeing.
Techniques of Garment Dyeing
- Dip Dyeing
Based from its name, the entirety or a part of a garment piece is dipped in the dye bath. It can be done by a specialized machine for dip dyeing or by hand.
- Over Dyeing
Overdyeing refers to re-dyeing a garment with another dye of completely different color. It is done to achieve deeper shades or simply rescue a dye job that was previously botched.
- Reverse Dyeing
A relatively new garment dyeing method, reverse dyeing involves using reactive pigment dyes on the already colored or pre-dyed garments. It is done to create a distressed and uneven look on the fabric.
- Tie Dyeing
A dyeing technique that the hippies popularized during the 60s and 70s, tie dyeing involves tying the knot in the fabric prior to immersing it in the dye bath. The remaining parts of the cloth take on the dye’s color, but the dye doesn’t penetrate through the knotted part.
- Spray Dyeing
Also known as pigment dyeing, spray dyeing make use of water-based colors and color pigment paste to create a vintage feel and look to garments.
Why You Need to Protect the Zippers during Garment Dyeing
Zippers are easily affected when exposed to the dye’s chemicals and all the special treatments and processes involved in the garment dyeing method. Among the issues that result from incorrect dyeing include the following:
- Discoloration in the zippers as well as the surrounding fabrics.
- Shrinkage of the size of the zipper due to long-term exposure to heating.
- The zippers’ color fastness fails to achieve the desired standard.
- The hem of an open-ended zip may peel off because of soaking in the chemical reagents and heat exposure for a long time.
- Weakening of zipper teeth that could get loose because of bleaching agents as well as other harsh chemicals.
If ever the zippers on your favorite jacket get damaged because of garment dyeing, you don’t need to worry because you can always buy new jacket zippers via ZipperShipper.com as replacement.
