Taffeta Fabric: What Is It?
What is Taffeta Fabric? High-end women’s clothing frequently uses the crisp, light-weight fabric taffeta to create various styles. This smooth, plain-woven fabric can be made from a variety of various materials.
The Persian term taffeta, which means “twisted weaved,” is the source of the English word “taffeta.” Although it is true that many other textiles are also formed by twisting the yarn as it is woven, the starched and shape-retaining features of taffeta are more indicative of its distinctive qualities than its name.
Taffeta was traditionally made of silk, but when synthetic fibres became more widely available in the 20th century, textile makers began producing similar fabric from materials like rayon and polyester. While silk taffeta fabric is still available, it’s far more typical to find variations of this material produced from polyester.
| Fabric name | Taffeta |
| The fabric is also known as | Paper taffeta, shot silk |
| Fabric composition | Silk, rayon, or polyester |
| Fabric breathability | Very breathable |
| Moisture-wicking abilities | Low |
| Heat retention abilities | Low |
| Stretch ability (give) | Low |
| Prone to pilling/bubbling | None |
| The country where the fabric was first produced | Persia |
| Biggest exporting/producing country today | India |
| Recommended washing temperatures | Hand wash cold or dry clean |
| Commonly used in | Wedding gowns, evening wear, blouses, party attire, curtains, insulation, sleeping bags |
It’s not known whether the taffeta of long ago resembled the kind of fabric that goes by this name today, despite the fact that the term “taffeta” has been used to describe lightweight silk clothing for close to a thousand years. The history of this fabric is extensive; for instance, it is said that tabby cats were first given their name because they resembled a particular kind of striped taffeta fabric.
Taffeta’s sharpness results in a relatively loud rustle when it is worn. Taffeta can produce an iridescent look as its wearer moves, or its paper-thin texture can catch every air current that passes through space, depending on the type of taffeta that is worn. Due to the special characteristics of this fabric, it has gained a reputation as a luxury textile that has endured even as polyester and rayon have mostly replaced conventional taffeta fabric materials like silk.
How is taffeta cloth produced?
Ethylene, a chemical that is a component of petroleum, is the source of polyester. Monomer alcohol is created when this ethylene reacts at a high temperature with dimethyl terephthalate. The polyester polymer is created by mixing this monomer with terephthalic acid.
A slot is used to extrude the liquid material, which is then allowed to cool and solidify into long ribbons. These ribbons are subsequently chipped and remelted. The strands of textile fibre produced by the subsequent extrusion of this molten polyester through a spinneret are allowed to cool before being stretched in a procedure known as “drawing.” The pulled polyester fibres are then coloured or given antistatic or flame retardant treatments.
After obtaining raw textile fibre, taffeta fabric can be created by hand weaving or using an industrial weaving machine. To give this fabric its crisp and lightweight properties, a unique twisting process is applied. Taffeta fabric may be coloured before or after weaving, depending on the type that is created.
How Is Taffeta Fabric Used?
Where Is Taffeta Fabric Produced?
Ancient Persia was the place where silk taffeta fabric was first created, but it is unknown how much this fabric resembled contemporary taffeta. Over time, production of this material moved to China and India, which continue to be the world’s two largest producers of silk.
Although part of this fabric is still made in the Middle East, Indian manufacturers have long been the top producers of taffeta. In addition to China, which is the largest manufacturer of most textiles, Pakistan also produces this fabric, and there are numerous factories in China that make this kind of fabric whether it is made of silk or a synthetic material.
While high-quality taffeta fabric was made in China between 1970 and 1990, this country no longer manufactures the highest-quality versions of this fabric. India’s textile factories only began employing mechanised looms in the 1990s. The best varieties of the modern taffeta fabric are still created in Western countries because it was first invented in France and Italy in the late 19th century. A prominent exporter of this textile commodity is also Russia.
What Different Types of Taffeta Fabric Are There?
How Does Fabric Made of Taffeta Affect the Environment?
The type of fibre used to make taffeta has an impact on the environment in many ways. Silk is by far the most environmentally friendly material utilised to create this fabric out of all the different materials.
Only the killing of living silkworms during the manufacture of silk can have an adverse effect on the environment. While some animal rights groups may have a problem with this, most textile lovers and environmentalists applaud silk’s low environmental impact in comparison to the destruction caused by synthetic or semi-synthetic textile fibres.
No pesticides or fertilisers are needed to produce these kinds of trees, and silkworms spend their entire lives on the surfaces of mulberry trees. No caustic chemicals are used in the creation of silk, and most of the time, eco-friendly dyes are utilised to colour this kind of cloth.
Additionally, silk is completely biodegradable; if a silk garment is discarded, the environment will recover it in a few years or decades. These characteristic guarantees buyers that the silk products they purchase won’t significantly contribute to pollution.
