Cotton has been referred to as the “white gold” in the apparel industry for centuries due to its durability, comfort, and versatility. This blog will take you on a journey where you will understand every intricate process completed while producing the comfortable 100% cotton t-shirts and other products that you use daily. Now let us dive deep into the intricate fibres of our cotton products slowly and steadily.
Cultivation and Harvesting
The journey of cotton products starts from the fields where cotton plants are cultivated. Cotton plants are very sensitive and require regions that experience long, dry summers with abundant sunshine and low humidity. The scientific name of the most commonly grown species of cotton is Gossypium hirsutum. This plant is mainly known for its longer staple fibers that are suitable for mechanized textile production. In countries like India, the main time for planting these crops is from September to mid-November, and the harvesting season ranges between March and June.
Once the cotton bolls mature, they are harvested by hand or using special machines like spindle pickers and stripper harvesters. Though picking the cotton bolls by hand is laborious, it ensures minimal damage to the fibers, preserving their quality. But in the case of large-scale production, machine harvesting is preferred due to its high speed and efficiency. Geek-o-tee is responsible for using only hand-picked cotton to get its products ready such that high quality and comfort are ensured to you through the products.
Ginning: Separating Fiber from Seed
Once the cotton is harvested, the process of ginning is initiated. It involves the separation of valuable cotton fibers or lint from the seeds and other impurities. This process was revolutionized by Eli Whitney in 1793 and adopted by the most popular cotton-producing companies around the world. In this process, a saw gin is involved, which comprises circular saws that pull the fiber through narrow grates, preventing seed from passing through. Roller gins are mainly used for longer staple cotton, employing leather rollers and knife blades to separate the seeds. Once the fiber is separated, they are compressed into bales, each weighing about 220 kilograms.
Preparing the Fiber: Opening, Cleaning, and Carding
Once the ginning process is complete, the fibers are further cleaned with certain ailments. These processes are given as follows:
● Opening and Cleaning: The bales are first broken with the help of special machines that are equipped with spikes. Here, the cotton is fluffed and cleaned to remove any residual vegetable matter. This provides a continuous soft sheet known as a lap.
● Carding: The lap is then fed to carding machines, where fine-toothed rollers separate and arrange the fibers, forming a loose strand called silver. This process ensures the parallel nature of the fibers, which is crucial for producing uniform and strong yarns.
Spinning: Transforming Fiber into Yarn
Once the carded silvers are ready, they are subjected to spinning, a special process that twists the fibers to form a yarn. The main steps during this process are as follows:
● Drawing and Roving: Multiple silvers are combined and drawn together to enhance uniformity. This drawn silver is then twisted strategically to form a roving, which is a thinner strand suitable for final spinning.
● Spinning: The roving is then fed into spinning frames, which undergo further twisting to produce yarns of required strength and thickness. The yarns can be made customizable by adjusting the twist and thickness during the spinning process. Each garment is made with its requirements to meet its customer's needs.
Fabric Formation: Weaving and Knitting
After spinning, the yarns are ready to be converted to fabric through the process of weaving and knitting. These processes are explained as follows:
● Weaving: This is a traditional method that involves interlacing two yarns; one is called the warp, while the other is called the weft. The warp is arranged on the loom in a lengthwise manner, while the weft is arranged crosswise. The warp yarns are stretched on the loom, while the weft yarns are woven under and over the warp to create a wide range of textures and patterns. The speed and efficiency of the process have been enhanced by modern looms such as air-jet and rapier looms.
● Knitting: In the process of knitting, the yarns are interloped to create fabrics with inherent stretch. Similar to hand-knitting, weft knitting connects the stitches horizontally, while warp knitting provides vertical chains that are zigzagged together. These knitted fabrics are mainly used for garments that require elasticity, like your t-shirts and activewear.
Finishing: Enhancing Fabric Qualities
The fabric is now called greige, and it is unfinished. It undergoes several finishing processes to ensure enhanced appearance and texture. These processes are as follows:
● Scouring and Bleaching: This process helps to remove any type of natural impurity or processing chemicals, providing a clean, white fabric. This fabric is ready for the process of dyeing.
● Dyeing and Printing: In this process, the fabric is colored using various dyeing techniques or made patterned through specific printing methods. The choice of dyes used depends on the desired vibrancy and color pattern requirements.
● Mechanical Finishes: Once the processes of dyeing are over, the fabrics are pressed between rollers to make them smooth. This method is called calendaring, which is followed by brushing. In this process, the fiber surfaces are raised to enhance softness. The final process involves sanforizing, which is the pre-shrinking of fibers to prevent future shrinkage. These processes help the fabric to achieve its required characteristics.
Quality Control and Distribution
All throughout the process of processing the fabrics are monitored through stringent quality control processes to ensure meeting the industry requirements and customers' expectations. It also involves a wide range of tests for colorfastness, strength, and dimensional stability. Then the products are rolled, packaged, and distributed to garment manufacturers or retailers.
Final Thought: Sustainable Practices in Cotton Fabric Production
As environmental concerns tend to increase, the cotton industry is adopting various sustainable practices. These involve organic cotton farming and innovation in fabric production. The organic growth of cotton involves the use of natural fertilizers and pesticides to ensure biodiversity and enhanced soil health. Organic methods of farming cotton can be beneficial as they yield higher than conventional methods. Many companies also tend to pioneer lab-grown cotton that ensures fibers identical to natural products.
For the latest collection of cotton products, check out GeekOTee. We use the best-in-class cotton for our products.