The Complex Journey of the Humble T-shirt

T-shirts are widely popular as a basic closet item since they are long-lasting, timeless, and flexible clothing. The cotton fields that are most frequently found in the US or India are where a T-life shirt's begins. However, polyester or a polyester-cotton blend are also available. They are normally composed of 100% cotton. Stretchable knit fabrics or jersey, which are very cheap and excellent for screen printing and heat applications, are frequently employed. Fabric usage vary depending on the designer's choice of material and budget. Before a T-shirt is stocked by your favourite retailer, it goes through multiple procedures.

The cotton balls are placed in a gin, which mechanically separates the useable cotton from the seeds and chaff. Multiple powered cleaning cylinders and saws are used in modern cotton gins, which increases production and requires less labour than earlier techniques did.

In a facility, cotton fibre bales are carded, combed, and blended before being spun. Cotton is removed from a picking machine prior to the carding procedure, which includes separating the fibres into loose strands. After that, the spun cotton is knit on a loom (the weaving process) to create a coarse, grizzled cloth.

The fabric is given its final touch and appearance after being exposed to heat and chemicals. Bleaching, printing, and dyeing are a few examples of this. At this point, the fabric is examined for grey fabric. Preparation, colouring, and finishing are the three distinct processes that make up this process. The desired softness and colour are achieved by "finishing" the fabric.