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Why did some designs switch to rayon from cotton?
We learnt a lot with the Foxy Dress design, it needed a flowing style and feel. So we used silk/cotton blend. And while it was silky and soft, we did have more runs in the fabric and after a few washes the dresses started to look very ragged. So we had to change materials but not loose the pretty, flowing and soft design of this dress and also get better printing results, so we went with Rayon for our second batch.
Here's why:
- Rayon is breathable, super important in our hot Aussie climate. It is a natural material, made into fibre by a factory process from naturally occurring materials, mostly bamboo and wood pulp
- Rayon can absorb (wick) more moisture than the cotton which means it cools you more. However the dress design itself still has the most impact on being cool or not
- Rayon is a great imitator (New Foxy still feels like Silk), it dyes easily and evenly and is colourfast which results in longer lasting prints and no runs
- Most importantly it is able to reflect the original design of the Fox Dress where the flow, feel and lightness of the dress is vital to the design.
We have a habit here of always using the best processes and technology in our production. It makes for better service, lower prices and better products. We keep evaluating what is the best way to bring a given design to life, some need cotton, some will feel softer with rayon and be lighter. Some have linings, some don't. Some with intricate prints, others a single colour. We will keep making sure we use the best materials for each design and print to make sure our dresses are the best they can be.
Comments
Miss Robyne Ferri said:
Although Rayon is very breathable, because it is man-made, it is not 100% breathable such as natural fabrics like cotton, silk, linen and wool. Please make sure you also offer dresses made of cotton, as there is still a need for 100% breathable fabrics. Kind Regards. Miss Ferri
Richard Ford said:
Thanks for the feedback Robyn. It is actually a bit of a myth that cotton is the most breathable. It all comes down to the weave and the “wicking” capability of the fabric. Most sports clothes are made with rayon as they “wick” moisture away better than cotton and dry out quicker – thus being cooler.
In our case we wanted to replace our silk/cotton blend with something that was as soft and silky and as breathable/cool – but more sturdy. As we found the cotton/silk would deteriorate quickly. We tested ourselves and ran a small trial to ensure we kept things the same or better. So while we can’t compare to other’s and their weaves and materials, compared to our own previous silk/cotton we have done better in all areas with the rayon.
Not all designs will be suitable for rayon – but it is our go to now for replacing the silk blend designs. Other designs that need a less flowing and more rigid shape, cotton is still best. :-)
Sue said:
I’ve always been wary of rayon because garments in the past tended to crease really badly. Is your fabric any different?
Susanna said:
I love my rayon foxy dress. I actually prefer it over the cotton dresses. I wish more of your dresses were rayon
Richard said:
G’Day Sue,
I am not sure of the mechanics of different weaves, though the weave that we use was initially designed to replace our silk/cotton blend. It is designed to be very flowing and soft. It does not crease as much as our cotton dresses, though that could in part be due to the cotton dresses being made of thicker material and often also lined to hold their shape as dictated by their design.