Velvet, also known as Zhang velvet, originated in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, China. It has been mass-produced in the Ming Dynasty and is one of the traditional Chinese fabrics. There are two types of floral velvet and plain velvet.
Flower velvet is to cut part of the loops into fluff according to the pattern, and the fluff and loops are alternated to form a pattern. The surface of the plain velvet is all loops. The fluff or loops of velvet stand tightly and have the characteristics of luster, wear resistance and non-fading, and can be used for fabrics such as clothing and bedding.
The velvet fabric uses cocoon grade A raw silk, and also uses silk as the warp, cotton yarn as the weft, and uses silk or rayon to raise the loop. Both warp and weft are first degummed or semi-degummed, dyed, twisted and then woven.
According to different uses, different raw materials can be used for weaving. In addition to the silk and rayon mentioned above, it can also be woven from different raw materials such as cotton, eyeliner, viscose silk, polyester and nylon.
So the velvet fabric is not really woven with velvet, but its hand and texture are as smooth and shiny as velvet.
How to maintain velvet fabric?
1. When using velvet fabrics, minimize friction, pull hard, and keep changing and washing frequently.
2. Velvet fabrics are suitable for washing, not dry cleaning.
3. When ironing velvet fabrics, it is required to iron at medium temperature, and push and pull should be used less when ironing, so that the garments are naturally stretched and aligned.
4. The velvet fabric is highly hygroscopic, so it should be protected from high temperature, high humidity and unclean environment when storing, and should be stacked flat and placed in a clean and tidy environment to prevent mildew.
