Dye is a process of giving color to our fabrics. We start with grey goods which will knit unfinished fabric, just removed from our knitting machines. We place the green fabric and dyeing tanks for a specific period and temperature depending on the material and color intensity required. Our state-of-the-art dye machines are extremely efficient in terms of energy and water consumption and allow gentle processing of our fabrics. At our core lab, we have a vast library of colors, each with its own formula for the colors we use. We use low impact fiber reactive dyes which are dyes that are classified as eco-friendly. This requires less rinsing and has a high absorption rate in the fabric, which creates less waste water. These special dyes molecularly bond with the fibers rather than merely remaining as an independent chemical entity within the fiber. Some benefits of this are:
We can also achieve colors that are brighter and richer, and they provide excellent colorfast properties, meaning they will not fade or be washed out. Also, at our dye house we have the capability to do compacting, mapping, brushing, plus many speciality finishes such as moisture wicking, antimicrobial, and UV to name a few. Stay tuned for our next episode called cutting.