Garment Components and Closures – An Overview

Shubham Anil Jain
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited
Bangalore, India
Email: [email protected]

What is Garment Components and Closures?
When the textile components are concerned, they are the extras added to the fabric used to make a textile and fashion item. Without components, it would be very difficult to make textile items. Components are most often pre-manufactured (bought ready-made). Even the components can be home-made, such as shoulder pads or covered buttons. The role of garment components and closures are to help in construction (thread), to allow for opening and closing (zippers), to add strength (interfacing), to embellish (beads), to insulate (wadding), to add shape (shoulder pads), and generally enhance the quality of the product. When choosing garment components, a fashion designer needs to consider care, cost, quality, aesthetic appeal, safety issues and end use.

Different Types of Garment Components:

1. Label and Motif:
It is fact that garments cannot be sold without attaching the labels of its one or more kinds, especially in exports of garments, the presence of labels is compulsory. Labels are one of the essential component used in the garment where some important information is written, such as, the size of the garment, the types of fiber, caring instructions, the country of origin, the company of the make, trade mark etc. All the information mentioned or a part of it may be in the label of a garment. Specially the size labels are present in almost all the garments.

2. Sewing thread:
For sewing of fabrics or garments, needle and thread are basic and first requirement. Sewing thread is one the most essential components in garment. In market, sewing thread may be of various types, various colors and of various constructions. Before sewing of any fabrics or garments, during the time of thread selection, the factors such as, qualities of thread, specially strength, elasticity, shrinkage, size etc. should be checked properly so that the quality of garments is not hampered due to the cause of thread.

3. Interlining:
For increasing the strength of some of the parts of a garment or for giving a desired shape and holding of this shape, additional one or more layer of material, belonging to the special class of fabric are used between two or more layers of fabrics, which is called interlining. Generally, interlinings are used in collar, cuff, facing, the front part of jacket and coat, waist band etc.

4. Lace braid and elastic:
When it is, concerned they are generally narrow and long. It is made from natural or synthetic, that means from both types of fibers. But elastic is generally manufactured from rubber or elastan. Lace, braid and elastic are used for increasing decoration or as functional part or for both the purpose. Laces of various measurements, designs and construction are made from yarn in weaving or in knitting methods. To increase the beauty of garments is the main purpose of using of lace.

5. Wadding:
Various kinds of filling materials are available in different thickness and in the form of sheets, in non-woven method, which are made from synthetic fibers, which is called wadding or batting. Wadding is used in particularly those garments where the garment should posses the worm quality but the weight of the garments should not be raised. There are a number of positive aspects in using wading, such as, it can easily be washed and dried, thickness is high but the weight is very light, the price is also comparatively very cheap.

Some Common Types of Clothing Closures:

1. Zippers:
Zippers are one of the most common and used garment closures. They are available in various sizes, colors, and types. Zippers have either metal or plastic teeth. Some of the common zipper categories include; All-Purpose Polyester Zippers. These are particularly used for pants/skirts, home decor, and dresses. All-Purpose Metal Zippers. These are very strong, durable zippers mainly used for sportswear. They can also be used in pants/skirts, dresses, and home decor. Next is jeans zippers, which are typically made of brass and used in jeans, among other garments that require a medium weight to a heavy-duty zipper.

2. Hook and eyes:
These types of closures lay pretty flat and can close us small areas invisibly. Hook and eyes are available in every size, from very small – added in the top of the zippers to help the zipper be closed; or larger ones for heavy winter coats. It consists of two parts; the rounded “eye” and the angled “hook.” These garment closures are mostly used in bras. Most hook and eye fasteners are made from metal coated in various colors.

3. Buttons:
It is also very basic and commonly used closure. It is available in fabulous colors and styles that can make your garment a fashion statement. They have holes that you can see through. They can also feature a shank hidden on the button’s underside. In addition, buttons can be made from any material, whether plastic, nylon, silver, brass, shell, or bone. They also come in different shapes and sizes that can be customized to give the garment some personality.

4. Velcro:
It is seen that, velcro was a revolutionary product when it hit the commercial product in the 1950s. It continues to be one of the most frequently used garment closures in manufacturing garments and other items. Velcro consists of two nylon or poly material strips. One can attach the tiny flexible “hooks” on the rough pieces to the “loops” on the soft surface. It can be open by simply pulling them apart.

5. Snap Fasteners:
It is also one of the most common fasteners for clothing and accessories. They come in a variety of sizes and finishes, can be made from metal or plastic, and are applied at equal intervals just like buttons. Snaps either be sewn on or applied with a hand-held plier tool (depending on the type). Basically, the pieces go on the inward-facing sides of overlapping material. One piece is always flat with a small hole, and the other has a rounded part that fits into it when snapped or put together. Snaps are great for active-wear and other kinds of garments that are made with materials like rip-stop nylon. This is because the force of pulling open snaps can rip a very thin or delicate material.

Conclusion:
It is very clear that, each of the above garment components and closures can be used to create a fashion statement. However, it is also fact that they all cannot be used in the same functionalities. Some work better in different instances than others. Particularly, garment closures are the items that can be removed and replaced with new ones or different types. Since they come in different shapes, sizes, materials, and colors, one can customize the garment closures to match your preferences.

References:

1. Different Types of Trims Used in Garments, https://textilelearner.net/different-types-of-trims-used-in-garments/
2. Textile Components, Components used for function or fashion in a textile products, https://www.textileschool.com/amp/4903/textile-components/
3. Types of Clothing Closures, By: Rebecca George for AllFreeSewing.com, https://www.allfreesewing.com/Basics-and-Tutorials/Types-of-Clothing-Closures
4. http://www.brainkart.com/article/Buttons-and-Buttonholes_1828/
5. Functions and Importance of Different Trimmings in Garments, https://www.textileblog.com/functions-and-importance-of-different-trimmings-in-garments/

You may also like:

1. List of Garment Accessories: Types, Features, Functions and Uses
2. Different Types of Fashion Trims and Accessories for Dress Decoration
3. Different Types of Trims Used in Garments
4. Interlining in Garments – Complete Know How
5. Interlining: Types, Functions, Uses, Advantages & Disadvantages
6. Different Types of Buttons Used in Garments

Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. He is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.

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