Color Measurement and Colorfastness of Different Weaves and Dimensional Forms

Color of the apparel plays an important role in deciding to accept or reject the product by consumers. Previous researchers also explored improvement of the color strength and performance, as well as coloration through dyeing and printing. The reported study was designed to bring together several aspects of apparel product development such as textile testing, garment design, and 3-D printing wit implications for fashion merchandising. fashion merchandising This study however, investigated the impact of woven fabric structures (weaves) and three-dimensional forms on their color appearance.

Factorial research design (2x3x3x5) guided the study. Color values of flat fabric were compared against their color values on five different three-dimensional regions of the human torso (chest, shoulder blade front, under arm, shoulder blade back, and side seam) for their impact on the fabric’s color appearance. The investigation involved plain, twill and satin weaves sourced form Cotton Incorporated. All the fabrics were dyed in red and green colors. Structural attributes were evaluated according to ASTM and AATCC standards. Miniature tunics were sewn with plain, twill, and satin weave fabric in red and green color. These tunics were put on to a 3D dress form and color values were measured with a spectrophotometer.

The color data were collected under day, incandescent and fluorescent lights. Eleven null and alternative hypotheses were developed. The collected data were analyzed with IBM SPSS, Minitab and Microsoft Excel software. General factorial regression and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to test the hypotheses. The results were mixed. Some of the previous findings were supported and some were contradicted. Findings with implications for fashion merchandising.