Textile Printing in Fashion Essay Sample
Fashion has been a sign of the social class one belonged in since about the 13th century in Europe. The higher the social class the more likely individuals would have more colorful and luxury materials as an expression and easy distinction between the wealthy and the poor. In many other cultures colors stood for different rankings in society. For example, a yellow robe was to only be worn by the emperor.
Printing is a technique that has been used on textiles for a very long time. Some of the earliest evidence of textile printing is found from around the 4th or 5th century B.C. Block printing, or relief printing, among the first common method of textile printing in China and Asia. These blocks were often made of wood, copper, rubber, and other materials. The materials would be carved so that the desired design is raised. Dyes are then applied to the pattern and stamped onto the fabric. This process allowed for repeated designs to be applied faster and there for allowing for more of a mass production to be sold.
Figure 1 below is a picture of block made of terracotta dating back to around the 5th century A.D. This block was excavated in India in Bannu District and is thought to have been used for block printing. This block has an intricate design of bee-like shaped carved into many rows.
As travel through the world became more accessible so did the desire to have the up-to-date fashions from other countries among the upper class. Along with the higher demand came a need for faster and effective printing. In the 18th century roller or cylinder printing was created. Much like the block printing the designs were carved and the dyes pressed into the fabric. However, instead of each block being hand pressed one by one rollers were used. The fabric is then carried along a rotating cylinder and multiple rollers press the design. This allowed for more designs to be pressed and even added the ability to print 6 colors at once.
In the 20th century the modern process of screen printing was created. This process used a stencil of an image on a screen of porous mesh (this was traditionally made of silk), a roller is used to pull ink over the stencil which is in turn forced through the mesh and onto the fabric. For each separate color a different stencil is used ending in a result of a full print of the image.
As we have progressed throughout history the fashion sense has changed, and social class is much harder to determine by the clothing worn. We have a much more inclusive and varied rules on what is acceptable to wear. People of every social class have the choice to wear any design they would like. This has led to more advances in the way printing is done.
We now, in the 21st century, have digital textile printing, this uses computer-controlled lasers and high-pressure jets to inject ink directly into the fabric. This allows for much more detailed and variety in color and design. Figure 2 is an image illustrating a personalized logo being digitally printed onto black material. The design has an orange and white color that shows a logo for a sporting team that says, “back-to-back champs.”
In conclusion, printing has been a very important technique used in fashion. It has helped transform textiles into colorful and designed wear. Allowing civilizations to express patterns and social class and wealth easily. Throughout history, social classes, wealth, and the technology have changed to.
