aElasticated cotton
Elasticated cotton is a fairly new fabric, made possible by the invention of elasticated microfibers. These are added to the cotton thread in a ratio of between 4 and 10%. Originally, this material was used only in the production of sports garments. Now it has been utilised in the underwear world, predominantely in garments where a good fit is necessary.
The knitting of elasticated cotton
Elasticated cotton is a jersey fabric, which is made using circular knitting machines. At every single feeding point microfiber (Elastane) is added to the cotton thread. The result is a very compact, resistant and smooth fabric.
Charateristics of elasticated cotton
Elasticated cotton has the ability to stretch in both directions (width and length). It is soft but also resistent. These charateristics make it ideal for the production of boxers and briefs. Furthermore this fabric is fresh and ensures a very good fit. Due to its jersey structure, it has a natural tendency to twist, especially when low quality cotton is used. This twisting is caused when the thread tension and the machine rotation tension are not perfectly aligned.
How we avoid twisting in 4 stages
In order to eliminate this problem, here at Visconti di Angera we use only the highest quality cotton in which it is possible to choose the correct tension for our machines. This tension balance together with the addition of small percentage of Elastane, stabilises the fabric. Additionally to reduce this problem yet more , we use a 30 feeding point machine which has a low production capacity compared to the modern 90 feeding point machines. The lower the number of feeding points the slower the production rate but the higher the quality of the fabric. On top of this we add another stabilising treatment during the dying process, the fourth and final stage to guarantee the stability of the fabric, is a long period of rest before cutting.
Final result
The final resulting fabric is perfect to produce very fresh and durable garments with a perfect fit.