Why Is Denim So Comfortable?

Why is denim so comfortable? Denim used to be a twill weave made from cotton. It was a favorite in work wear because of its durability. When the wrap yarn was dyed with indigo, stains and dirt were not so obvious. Furthermore, the good old jeans became more comfortable after every wash and with wear. No wonder jeans became a mainstream. However, today denim comes in all kind of varieties, colors, and materials as comfortable street wear for all ages.

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Who Invented the Good Old Blue Jeans

When Jacob Davis invented the blue jeans in 1873, his goal was to create strong clothes for the miners of the 1848 California Gold Rush. The miners needed tough work wear that could withstand rough working conditions. The problem were the corners of the pockets that easily ripped. Davis reinforced them with metal rivets. In 1873, he and Levi Strauss from whom he bought the fabric for the pants, received patent no. for this product. Shortly thereafter, Strauss hired Davis to oversee production at Levi Strauss & Co. Back then, the trousers’ fabric was from cotton twill. At that time, no one thought about the secrets to wear denim like a pro. The jeans were worn just by the workers.

Blue Jeans: From Work Wear to Street Wear

As so often in fashion history, a great high quality product makes its way from the clothes of a minority to mainstream. The fashion industry has offered denim periodically in all kinds of colors, even camouflage like in the ootd. However, colored denim fails to be so soft as jeans.

Comfort Is Key

In the present era, the denim fabric of the garment experienced multiple permutations and combinations regarding fibers, yarns, and inclusion of Lycra in various percent. Not to mention cuts. The eco-friendly trend in retail experimented with hemp blends in jeans that grows well without fertilizers. However, often these modifications ignored the comfort aspect that originally made them street wear.

Regaining the Wearing Comfort

Besides other natural and man-made fiber-based yarns, regenerated cellulose-based fiber derivatives are cool, soft, fairly strong, and durable. However, cellulosic derivatives like modal, bamboo, and Tencel yarns have different thermal and moisture transfer properties than cotton because of their manufacturing techniques and raw material.

Thermo-physiological properties depend upon ability to conduct heat and contact area of fabric with the body. The cellulosic content determines the moisture content within the fiber. As a result, the wearer feels a cooling sensation. As compared to cotton, the decreased yarn fineness and hairiness improves the wearing comfort because the regenerated cellulosic fabric provides a greater, smoother and softer surface to conduct heat.

Air permeability measures the passage of air thru the fabric. It is obvious that in hot weather, fabric with less cover factor implies more comfort. This is the case for the regenerated cellulosic fabrics. They are more breathable than cotton. Therefore regenerated cellulose fibers permit to adapt the traditional rustic look of jeans for tropical regions.

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