Problems with new fashion trends
ew fashion trends
usually become problems for many drycleaners. This occurs
because the cleaners are not familiar with the fabric and rely
on the label, which is often incorrect.
The garments with problems that I receive
at my Independent Garment Analysis Service usually could have
been avoided by understanding the limitations of the garment
before processing and relating these limitations to the
customer. Log on to our new web site at www.esdc.us for the
latest information.
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Leather is becoming a year-round garment
rather than limited to the fall and winter season. Cache is
showing jackets, halters, pants and skirts in leather and suede
for the spring.
The leather used for spring wear is
Italian lambskin, which is lightweight. Leather and suede used
for spring wear is an array of brighter colors and detail
trimming such as ruffles, embroidery and crochet trim. Yansi
Fugel introduced ultra thin “paper leather” Donna
Karan, Kenneth Cole and Ann Taylor are all using lightweight
leather. Leather and suede are also becoming elegant enough to
be worn with evening wear.
Problems. Ultra-thin
paper leather is a problem in handling. Rick Watson, general
manager of Radiant Leather Care, will only clean these items
one time before obtaining a release from the customer. When the
garment comes in for cleaning, he says that he knows if it was
previously cleaned. Remember, the life of these garments is one
cleaning and the risk and liability of the second cleaning has
to be the customer’s. All leathers and suedes should be
carefully inspected at the counter and customers should be made
aware that a slight change in color and feel is unavoidable.
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When suede and leather become fashionable,
imitation leather and suede also become popular. These garments
are made to resemble suede and leather by using plastic and
lamination in construction. Gap and Bebe make similar imitation
fur and suede jackets.
One of the labels on the garment says
“wash” and another says “dryclean.”
Testing has shown that there are very few problems in
wetcleaning these items, but drycleaning will cause a
separation and puckering.
The plastics used for lamination can be
polyurethane or vinyl. No matter what the label says,
wetcleaning is usually a safer process than drycleaning.
Imitation leather trimming can also be
seen on higher priced items such as those made by Prada.
When wetcleaning is not safe to the fabric
portion of garments trimmed with imitation leather, a customer
release should be obtained before processing.
Jeans
The fashion sales in women’s jeans
are up 7 percent while skirt sales are down 29 percent. Some of
the interest in jeans can be attributed to rock legends. Rock
and Republic is a new clothing line that names its jeans after
famous musicians such as Britney) Spears, Christina Aguilera,
Courtney Cox, Debra Messing and Jewel. Superstars like Cameron
Diaz wear these jeans because they have a proper fit and look.
These jeans range from $110 to $140. The
look, feel and fit of these jeans can be maintained in
wetcleaning by using proper cationic detergents, dye setting
agents, proper drying and tensioning equipment. Dye crocking is
also prevented by turning the jeans inside out when processing.
When drycleaning jeans, they should also
be turned inside out and run in a short run. Remember that
using less detergent does not prevent dye crocking. Less
detergent causes the fabric to dye crock more because more
friction is produced on the fabric.
When spotting, jeans color loss is best
avoided if the garment can be spotted from the reverse side.
Tamping action is a safer mechanical action than brushing or
rubbing the fabric, which produces more dye crocking and color
loss.
Knitting
The Craft Yarn Capital of America claims
that there is a large increase in knitters and crocheters and
15 percent of them are now under 35 years of age.
Now is the time to let your customers know
that you can block these items into shape. Blocking is aligning
and shaping the yarns in the knitting construction.
In blocking, it is important to know the
fiber content of the yarn. Wool fabrics are blocked differently
than acrylics.
The burn test will determine the fiber
content. You can pull some hairs from the yarn and roll them to
form a sample yarn. When a lit match is held to wool it sizzles
and leaves a bead that can be easily crushed. When a lit match
is held to acrylic yarn it melts and the resulting bead cannot
be crushed.
Wool can be blocked and shaped by
steaming, pulling and vacuuming. A velvet brush is a handy tool
to aid in blocking wool. Acrylic fabrics must be blocked in an
entirely different way.
Do not steam the acrylic fabric or
stretching and loss of shape will occur. Simply preheat the
buck of the press before putting the acrylic fabric on. Put the
fabric on the buck of the press and then proceed to shape by
hand.
Spotting problems
Mira makes a silver colored silk jacket
with yarns that bleed on contact with water. Pierre Cardin also
makes a jacket with silk yarns that bleed easily.
A towel should be placed under the fabric
before spotting. Check the towel for dye transfer after using
the steam gun.
Avoid using alkali, ammonia and protein
formulas as this will cause more bleeding on silk fabrics. A
powdered enzyme is the safest way to attempt stain removal of
protein stains on silk fabrics.
Labels that say ‘Do not dryclean, do
not wash, spot clean only”
The labels are commonly used on gowns and
are often misleading. Many of these garments can be wetcleaned
and even drycleaned. The fact of the matter is that the way you
process these items depends on careful testing beforehand.
A beaded gown usually can not be
drycleaned because the beads will dissolve in drycleaning
solvent. These garments, however can be wetcleaned if the
fabric portion of the garment is polyester.
If the fiber content of the garment is not
stated in the label a burn test will determine if the garment
is polyester. When a lit match is held to a fiber sample made
of polyester it will melt and form a round bead that cannot be
crushed when cool.
I would not wetclean a silk beaded gown
due to the amount of time needed for finishing after
processing.
Also, remember that using petroleum
solvents and Green Earth is safer to beading than
perchloroethylene solvents.
When in doubt, a customer release would be
required before drycleaning. An experienced spotter can also
attempt spot cleaning. Spot over a towel to avoid spreading out
and enlarging a wet area. Use the technique of feathering to
avoid rings. Light soil can be removed by using a volatile dry
solvent and the similar feathering technique.
Silk prints
It used to be thought that when you
received a silk print item for cleaning it was an item
belonging to a woman. This is no longer true as the silk print
shirt is becoming increasingly popular in men’s wear.
Tommy Bahama in 1993, which was his first year of business,
generated $3.5 million in sales. Now annual sales exceed $300
million. Tommy Bahama places emphasis on men’s brightly
colored printed Hawaiian shirts.
The popularity of their shirts can also be
attributed to the fact that silk can be imported cheaply and
the price of their shirts is $110, which is affordable. Some
cleaners have problems processing these shirts and other silk
fabrics while other cleaners do not have a problem. The
following rules should be followed to avoid problems.
1. Inspection. Examine the underarm area for discolorations due
to chloride salt damage. Examine for yarn shifting on areas of
stress.
2. Spotting. Do
not use alkali based spotting agents such as ammonia or protein
formulas. Use a powdered digester for removing protein stains.
General Formula, because of its alcohol content, is also
dangerous to use.
3. Drycleaning. Hot solvent and moisture will cause the dyes to
bleed. Keep solvent temperatures around 75°F. In hotter
months, dryclean silks early in the morning.
4. Wetcleaning. Test dyes for safety when wetcleaning. Used an acid
based cationic detergent with a softening agent.
Dan Eisen recently retired as chief
garment analyst for the Neighborhood Cleaners Association after
33 years with that organization. He is available for seminars,
consultations and independent garment analysis. He also has
published a book, “The Art of Spotting,” which is
an indexed compilation of articles he wrote for National
Clothesline and NCA over the past three decades. He can be
reached at (772) 340-0909. His address is 274 NW Toscane Trail,
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986. His e-mail address is cleandan@adelphia.net.
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