PropShirt

Hey everyone, hope that I'm not too off topic for this section....I just joined. I have a question about these popular soft fabric t-shirts that are coming out. American Apparel has their unique poly/cotton/rayon tri-blend which is soft and has a vintage look and feel to it. I also recently bought some shirts that are both 50/50 (cotton/poly) and 100% cotton and have a similar vintage look and feel...although not as soft as the tri-blend.

I'm confused because I thought that fabric composition was the most important when it comes to feel and softness, which is why the AA blend is so soft. Most of the 50/50 or 100% cotton shirts I run into don't have this soft, vintage quality. However the cotton and poly shirts that i recently bought feel and look more vintage. Is this a factor of how the fabric is knit or how the threads used to make the cloth are processed?
What's the difference between the 50/50 that looks and feels like the American Apparel tri-blend style, and the 50/50 that looks and feels like...well a regular shirt?

If anyone has any insight I'd really appreicate it...thanks!

 

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adivito

knits have a large number of variables. everything from the yarn combed vs ring spun to size of weave and needle number. Do a search on google on knit textile manufacturing and after reading a few of the results it should give you a better understanding.

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sallyinboston

Okay, so you have multiple fiber fabric.

Let's discuss cotton first. Some of the differences in 100% cotton t-shirts:

• short versus long fibers -- sea island cotton and Egyptian cotton are extra long staple [ELS] cotton; they have LONG STRONG fibers; pima comes next with having long fibers
• whether the cotton is combed or not -- combing the raw cotton gets rid of some of the short fibers and makes all the fibers go in the same direction, this makes the yarn feel smoother and softer
• The density of the fabric -- the yarn/threads per inch will affect the durability and feel

Polyester is made as a by-product from oil refining. Modern technology has gotten good at simulating different effects from this source of yarn.

Rayon is soft, but not especially durable. From Wikipedia: Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. Because it is produced from naturally occurring polymers, it is neither a truly synthetic fiber nor a natural fiber; it is a semi-synthetic fiber. ...Rayon is a very versatile fiber and has the same comfort properties as natural fibers. ...The durability and appearance retention of regular rayon are low...

These synthetic fibers can make something that feels good and looks good on day 1, but will not necessarily hold up with regular laundering. Probably, the American Apparel tri-blend has the softer vintage feel because it pairs the softness of the rayon with the strength of the polyester.

The soft 50/50 t-shirts are using a higher-quality polyester that is designed for softness, where other brands are using the cheapest polyester.

I've seen some success for achieving a vintage look by stone-washing an Egyptian cotton t-shirt. Egyptian cotton is very durable and soft.

 

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