Denim is a durable heavy weight twill weave woven textile which creates a subtle diagonal ribbing pattern on the back of the fabric.
Originaly, used for clothes worn by miners due to it's durability. Denim eventually crossed to the fashion industry thanks to Levi Strauss.
Denim was made with 100% cotton fiber. Today much of the denim on the market is produced by blended fibers to create an elastic component. Which eventually became known as "stretch denim."
Here are a few forms of denim that is available in the market.
Raw Denim: also known as dry denim, the fabric is not washed after the dyeing process. This type of fabric allows the denim to look more natural and to naturalized the distressed process of the fabric.
Selvedge Denim: typically more expensive that your normal denim, a selvedge ( also known as self-edge ) is the narrow, tightly woven band on both edges of the denim fabric. This creates a clean finished look that does not unravel.
Stretch Denim: are produced by blending an elastic component such as spandex and/or lycra in order to create a certain amount of stretch in the fabric. This allows movement to be more freely and gives the wearer a bit of comfort.
Poly Denim: lighter in weight than other denim fabric, poly denim contains polyester fibers blended in it. This gives the fabric a softer feel to it and a strong resistance to wrinkling.
Ramie Denim: a blend of ramie with other fabrics such as cotton, polyester and spandex. One of the advantage of ramie denim is it's ability to hold it's shape / form.
Bubblegum Denim: contains lycra that creates a 35% to 50% stretch in the fabric.
Wax Denim: heavy cotton and/or synthetic blends are finished with a coating that resembles candle wax. It creates a "shinny" or "wet" look on the fabric. And it's a lot stiffer than the ordinary denim.
