Why We Garment Dye

Garment dye is a specialized technique that gives a piece of clothing a vintage aesthetic. It leaves the clothing feeling soft to the touch, as though you've already been wearing and loving it. If you love the ‘lived in’ look, you can get it right out of the box with a garment dye. 

It’s a technique and isn’t a specific type of dye. It involves dyeing the entire garment after assembling the pattern together. If you want clothing with a character of its own, look no further than garment dye.

We’re sharing a look at what is garment dye and how it adds personality to our clothes. At Sea Breeze of California, we use garment dye to give our resort wear a classic look and high-quality finish.

How garment dye works.

 

Quality over volume.

When you typically add color to a garment, it’s done using a process known as piece-dying. The fabric is dyed to achieve the desired color before it is cut into the pattern. This technique means that the fabric achieves an even color, first becoming popular in the 1980s.

What makes garment dyeing different is that we do this process in reverse. The fabric is cut into the pattern and sewn before being washed to achieve its color. You can tell that a piece has been garment dyed when it has a washed-out appearance. A tell-tale sign is that the stitching of the garment will also be dyed as its pre-assembled before the color wash.

Assembling the garment before dyeing it means that the texture and color are softer, giving you an elevated look.

Garment dye adds character.

 

What we love about garment dyeing is that it gives every piece a unique character. All the clothing is dyed at once, meaning that they’re not identical in their color. You’ll notice a subtle difference in color between different garments, even if they have the same style.

 

Standing the test of time.

Trust the process.

Just like your favorite denim jeans, garment dye will age with washing and wear. The color washes down to give you a vintage heritage look. One reason people are attracted to garment-dyed clothing is that the piece is one color all-over for a monochrome look. If you enjoy a simplistic style, this technique is for you.

The color follows the garment's shape and silhouette, as the palest hue of the color is at the edges.

One benefit of garment dyeing is that your clothing is less likely to shrink in the wash as it’s more durable. If you’re buying an investment piece, you want it to be garment dyed to improve its lifespan. The garment-dyeing process considers the clothing shrinking during the color wash, incorporating it as part of the design process.

You want to give your garment-dyed clothing the same TLC as your denim jeans. Wash your clothes in cold water and allow them to air dry to help maintain their color. It’ll help protect your garment-dyed clothes and help reduce your environmental footprint.

Do you want to find out more about our process? Get in touch.

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