California Apparel News

Los Angeles designer Avril Ozen remembers when garment-dye fell into the realm of men’s T-shirts and activewear. “In the ’80s, garment-dye belonged to a certain category,” she said. “It had a sporty, beach look—it was faded and comfortable for a casual lifestyle.” At a time when most sartorial tastes ran from punk to preppy, the surfer dude look was a hard sell in most mainstream outlets. “You couldn’t really sell it in department stores,” Ozen said.

The process, in which blanks are sewn from white prepared-for-dye fabric and later dyed with harsh chemicals and enzymes, was hard on garments. “It could get messy. You’d end up with holes and tatters in the fabric,” said Dick Cantrell, owner of Hard Tail, a Los Angeles brand that makes casual activewear—100 percent of which is garment-dyed. Better brands and sportswear brands steered clear of the treatment.

“It took a brave soul to do garment-dye 20 years ago,” Ozen said. “Designers had to develop their own fabric, because the mills didn’t make fabric especially for garment-dyeing. It was very experimental. There was a lot of trial and error to see what could survive the process and how different materials would react,” said Ozen, who designs Language Los Angeles and Ogle, two lines of contemporary garment-dyed blouses and dresses.

Thanks to the efforts of mills, dye houses and designers, the process has evolved greatly. The washed-out, borderline tattered look of the original garment-dye process has been replaced with specialized fabric, brilliant colors and innovative treatments. Garment-dye has been elevated to a staple embraced by upscale brands producing everything from juniors Tshirts to men’s sportswear and beautiful dresses. Brands, including C&C California, Juicy Couture, Splendid, Michael Stars, Ella Moss, Rebecca Beeson, True Religion and Salvage, rely on the process to achieve their signature casual luxury aesthetic.

Piece-dye not, want not

Several factors have pushed garment-dye to the forefront of contemporary fashion, not the least of which are financial concerns.

“In this industry, the kiss of death is a warehouse full of colors that aren’t moving,” Cantrell said. His line offers 180 colors at all times. “With garment-dye, you don’t have to dye until you get an order, so you don’t have to commit so far ahead.”

That is important for smaller brands that can’t afford to risk a dud or for larger brands that want to offer every color of the rainbow—but there is a trade-off.

“It’s more expensive and a lot more technical than fabric-dyeing or roll-dyeing,” said Jeff Shafer, owner of Los Angeles–based premium- denim brand Agave Denimsmith. Starting with basic direct dyes and reactive dyes through pigment dyes and enzyme washes and ending with specialty hand washes, garment- dyeing can get pricey. Depending on the size of the batch and the types of treatment, garment-dyeing a single pound of cotton can cost from $2 to $8 or more.

And there are other costs on top of the actual garment-dyeing. Before a single batch can reach the dye machines, color formulas must be developed and perfected for each fabric, lab dips must be performed, and dye samples must be made. Fees for these necessities can easily reach hundreds of dollars.

For the brands that can afford the added costs and complications of garmentdyeing, the benefits outweigh the pitfalls. “In a way, the cost is prohibitive, but in another way, you save money because you’re not stuck with unwanted product,” said Deirdre O’Boyle, designer of She-Bible, a young contemporary brand out of San Francisco. “You dye what you sell, and your money comes back to you sooner because you don’t have to sit on yardage.”

Tactile textile

Garment-dye lovers always point out the soft, supple hand the process lends to fabrics. Enzymes used in the wash eat fabric uniformly, leaving a very soft, light fabric in their wake. Silicone finishes add a velvety texture. “We do abrasion and chemical washes on our knits, and they end up feeling like silk,” Shafer said.

In recent years, as the new round of garment- dyeing has taken hold, mills have been proactive in developing fabrics that withstand the process with beautiful results. “Vendors are now doing their own tests and taking the next step to see how their fabrics will react to garment-dyeing,” Ozen said. “They are making fabrics just for the medium, and when you buy, they are able to tell you how the fabrics will behave.”

Color also plays a big role in the treatment’s enduring popularity. “The depth and quality of the color are unparalleled. You simply can’t achieve the same effect with piece-dyed fabric,” said Osi Shoham, co-owner of Pacific Blue Garment Solutions in Los Angeles and designer of Gypsy 05, a line of high-end T-shirts for men and women.

Garment-dyed treatments can range from saturated colors to stone-washed, dappled, tie-dyed, faded or splattered effects. “There is a lot of versatility with garmentdye,” she said. “You can get just about any finish you want. We have to constantly innovate or else we’ll get left behind.”

Designers continue to test the limits of the process. Shoham honed her skills helping designers achieve new washes at Pacific Blue, where 70 percent of her business is garment-dye. More than a year ago, she launched her own line as a vehicle to test and sell her ideas. Sold in upscale boutiques across the country, Gypsy 05 is packed with innovative techniques that came after years of tinkering. Shoham offers her own Gypsy 05 treatment concoctions, including a brand-new solid dye antique wash, to her Pacific Blue clients.

“Consumers want a personal touch, something that looks like it has been touched by another human being. They are sick and tired of the ’uniform’ look and are willing to pay for something unique,” Shoham said. “Garment-dyeing gives a garment life.”

O’Boyle does discharge-printing and silk-screening over her garment- dyed T-shirts and dresses, and has just signed on to try a new sand-washing technique for She- Bible’s Spring 2007.

Tal Mir, designer of the new Just IV Me line of casual activewear, is garment-dyeing French terry. “It’s a tough fabric to garment-dye because it gets easily damaged and has 5 percent Lycra in it, so it shrinks a lot,” he explained.

When designing the line of embellished sweatsuits, Mir has to test every fabric for shrinkage and calibrate his designs to compensate. Still, he said, the unique look he achieves and the comfort of the garment-dyed fabric are enough to keep him motivated. “I’m very stubborn and won’t take the easy route.”