A TECHNICAL STUDY ON 3D EFFECT ON DENIM JEANS
Elias Khalil
Lecturer, Department of Textile Engineering, World University of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Abstract
Washing is considered as the nal process in denim jeans production and is the core of denim nishing. It is the
key to create the style in denim garments which is now becoming an art of creating fashion trends. The three
dimensional (3D) effect is one of the most demandable nishing techniques for producing vintage denim jeans.
Various types of 3D making equipments and methods are applied to jeans after resin application for producing
such 3D effects. Denim jeans are then dried and nally cured in an oven for specic time at right temperature
for getting nal product.
Key Words: Three Dimensional Effect, Resin Application, Curing, Denim Jeans

1. INTRODUCTION
Denim jeans is considered as the most widely used garment in the fashion business. It is well known
that denim and jeans have had a major inuence on the lives of consumers since their inception. Jeans
have become symbols for cowboys, women, youth and economic status. Through the ages, jeans have
evolved from work wear to casual wear and then to premium wear and functional wear. Consumers
evaluate jeans based on style, brand, country of origin and company ethics. As with any other
apparel, denim garment companies target specic market segments, however, no other garment can
claim the social culture that denim has already set. Designer jeans as well as premium jeans rst
inuenced a small group of luxury consumers, but now consumers from all social and economic
classes embrace them. Challenges faced by denim apparel manufacturers and fashion designers
include the need for reinventing products for niche markets, and meeting consumer demands for better
apparel sizing [1].
Garment nishing is one of the nishing methods
applied on garment, with the use of new technologies and equipment enables to obtain the
desired results [2]. For nishing of denim garments, a range of treatment methods such as enzymatic
treatment [3-5], bleaching treatment [6-7], acid treatment [8], silicone treatment [9] etc. are being
used widely. They all are aimed at new possible effects of fabric appearance. Particularly the dry
nishing creates many effects on denim fabric, it will stimulate the customers to buy, and also it
increases the market potential of the denim market [10].

1.1 3D Effect and Resin
There is a big demand in the market for 3D effects (Permanent wrinkles on denim surface, also known as crinkle effect) on jeans. Resin application is done on denim to retain this effect even after wash [11-
12].
It is the fabric deformations based on its visco elastic properties, meaning a slight depression in the
smoothness of a surface [13-15]. It gives fabric a vintage and aged appearance. The wrinkled-jeans
look is created with chemicals and machines that manipulate the denim fabric and wrinkle it in the
desired areas [16]. Resins are viscous liquids that are capable of hardening permanently [17]. Resins mainly fall into two groups, one is deposition type of resins. This type of resins is deposited on the fabric as Surface coating. No reaction will take place between the ber and resin. They include Phenol formaldehyde

resins, Urea formaldehyde resin, Alkyd resins, Ketone resins, Vinyl resins etc. Another is Cross linking type of resins. These types of resins chemically react with the ber and cross link the
ber molecules. The type of nish obtained is durable and much better than deposition type. They
are also known as N-Methylol compounds as the Methylol groups (-CH2OH) are attached to the
nitrogen. The cross linking compounds are commonly called resins but the term pre condensate
is correct. The pre condensates further polymerize to form resins [18-19].

2. PRINCIPLE OF 3D EFFECT FORMATION
Cotton is a cellulosic ber and its polymer is linked by many hydroxyl (-OH) groups. The structural
units of cellulose contain crystalline region, amorphous region and intermediate region. In the
crystalline region, the cellulose chains are closely packed and the mobility of the chains is low.
However, for the amorphous and the intermediate regions, the molecular chains are temporarily held
together with weak hydrogen bonds and the bonding could be broken easily when distortion force is
applied. After the force is applied, the temporarily bonds would reform into a new position and the
chains are failed to return to their original positions. As a result, wrinkle or crease is formed [20].

3. HOW RESIN WORKS
Since the forming for wrinkle is because of the weak intermolecular bonding, crosslinking resin could
build a memory into ber to allow it to return to its original size and shape. Resin nishing for wrinkle resistant is to enhance the “memory” of the cellulous chain so that they could return to its original position. The resin nishing forms covalent bonds crosslinking to replace the weak hydrogen bonds between the cellulose chains. Therefore, the stability of the bonding would be improved and the
molecule chains would more likely to return to its original position. When cellulose cotton ber is
treated with resin agent, intermolecular crosslinks would be strengthening because of the bonding. As a
result, cellulose chains would be able to hold the adjacent molecular chains and return into its original position. An example of Crosslinking of cellulose

4. RESIN APPLICATION
Resin is applied on nished garment where 3D Effect has to be made then wrinkles are created
manually or semi automatically [21]. Low formaldehyde or formaldehyde free catalyst
integrated crosslinking N, N-dimethylol 4, 5- dihydroxy- ethylene urea (DMDHEU) type resins
along with support auxiliaries are being used in a large scale in denim industry[22,23]. Support
auxiliaries are used for various purposes such as improving resin penetration into thick fabrics and
seams, creating creases at low temperatures, improving handle when used as a softener in last
bath, imparting extra shiny look etc. [24]. Different types of resin application systems are described
below.

4.1 Garment-Dip Method
In the garment-dip method, garments constructed from non-resinated fabric are impregnated with a
resin solution, extracted to about 65 percent wet pick-up and then tumble dried to 8-10 percent
moisture content, a critical factor that is determined using a moisture meter [25].
4.2 Spray and Chemical Application Cabinets Spray method is a latest technology of wrinkle
nishing, the resin is applied by spraying it onto the garment during tumbling in an enclosed rotational
device, or on spray booth where garments being hanged to inated balloons & sprayed a measured

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