25 Feb 2023
JERSEY AND KNITTED FABRICS
Jersey fabrics are made using circular knitting technology, giving the possibility to create knitted fabrics by combining yarns of all kinds, from natural, artificial to synthetic fibers often joined by spandex yarns.
In the late 19th century, "jersey" was a knitted fabric used primarily for workwear by fishermen on the English island of Jersey. The fabric was a stockinette stitch, light, soft and with good elasticity; was made suitable for multiple uses in the field of clothing.
Always considered a rather humble material and not very suitable for the world of tailoring, it found its relaunch in the spring of 1924 thanks to a figure who made the history of fashion: Coco Chanel. The designer used it for her creations, clearing it in the textile market and especially in the world of clothing.
Jersey knit fabrics are characterized by lightness, softness and elasticity – both in width and length – made possible by the use of stretch yarns containing LYCRA® fibre. The garments made with Jersey fabrics are used for different occasions of use from the swimwear, to sportswear, underwear and fashion, and are modeled on the shape of the body in a comfortwear key.
Among the most used Jersey knit fabrics for fashion, there is the "Milano Knit", a type of Jersey that imitates a loom fabric in terms of stability and weight while maintaining the elasticity characteristic of the knit. The fabric is made with double needle beds so it has two absolutely identical faces; the final appearance is that of a particularly compact stockinette stitch on both sides.
For sportswear and underwear, on the other hand, single jersey is the most widely used elastic fabric, made with LYCRA fiber to guarantee clearly superior elasticity and high levels of compression.