G
Garment dyed - Dyed garment; process during which the finished garment in fabric of a natural colour is dyed.
Genova - Italian name for denim. The Italian town claims to be the birth place of indigo canvas (the indigo "fustian" quality was formerly more treasured and easier to manufacture) which was used for lorry roofs and tarpaulins. In the XVIIth century, the Ligurian peasants wore cloths dyed in indigo (see also "NIMES").
H
Hairy denim - During the processing, the fabric is not singed and consequently acquires, after washing, its "hairy" appearance. Also known by the name of "Gold Rush" (by Atlantic Mills and Burlington Denim).
Hand - Or the feel, the softness, the rigidity of materials, which may be dry, coarse, stiff, etc.
I
Inch - American unit of measurement used for jeans (length and waist):1 inch = 25.4 mm.
Indigo
1 - The "authentic" is a natural colour used from the dawn of time. Today, natural colours can be reproduced by using chemical processes. Indigo is an extract from two plants, the "Indigenous Pastel" and the "Indigofera Exotica". However, the colour is in fact the result of a chemical transformation that the dyers have developed over the centuries. Harvested indigo is colourless and it is only during enzyme hydrolysis (which starts when the indigo plants are reddened) that the two neutral molecules produce indigo in contact with the hydrogen contained in the air. The resulting visible colour is insoluble. During washing in an alkaline solution containing oxygen, indigo then shows its ?magical strength?: when the material is dipped into the dye, it changes from yellow-green to night blue.
2 - The dye used for denim was initially taken from the indigofera tinctoria plant. It was synthesised after Adolf Bayer identified its chemical structure in 1897. Pre 1920s denim was generally dyed with natural indigo, but since then nearly all denim is dyed with manufactured indigo. Natural indigo (or "plant indigo") is now limited to short run, highly exclusive fabric bases, normally developed by top level Japanese brands, in very small numbers.
