Know your Indigo Denim shade!

Which is the first thing you associate with denims? What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when words surplus denims or jeans are uttered? It is the ‘blue’ color! Picking that perfect blue from the several shades of blue, right from the lightest blue to a blue that almost resembles black is a task at times!

For denim customers, color is the quality that distinguishes surplus denim from other apparel fabrics, especially the unique appearance of Indigo. Indigo is a deep, purply blue with some indigos having more blue or more violet. Basically, Indigo is a plant that got its name because it came from the Indus Valley. It was discovered some 5,000 years ago, where it was called nila, meaning dark blue. By the 7th Century BC, people starting using the plant as a natural dye and in the last 100 years, it is primarily available in the synthetic form.

Indigo-dyed denim differs vastly due to variations in color, especially after washing. The most basic method of organizing Indigo-dyed surplus denim is to cut small samples of fabric from each roll of fabric. These samples are then compared and shaded, usually from dark to light. Indigo dyeing is difficult to control which usually gives multiple shades in each dye lot and these changes can occur quickly. Due to this, even within a short jeans fabric roll of 100 meters the washed color can change.

Wholesale denim fabric suppliers around the globe rely on one wash method, usually a rinse wash to produce the sorting. With other procedures such as stonewashing, bleaching or enzyme treatments, the samples will fade differently than in a rinse wash. Indigo is the most difficult and complicated of all dyes to apply to cotton. Until the 20th century, it was used primarily for wool and silk which are more suitable for Indigo dyeing.

The Indigo dyeing process is inherently unstable as normally practiced. The dye must be reacted with a reducing agent, normally sodium hydrosulfite, which begins to lose strength as soon as it is mixed and the concentration available in the dye mix changes during the dyeing operation unless it is buffered, which results in the Indigo shade changing during the long periods of dyeing. This in turn, results in from 8 to 15 washed Indigo shades per set. While the Indigo dye molecule does not itself change color during dyeing, the yarn does develop different color tones, usually with reddish or greenish effects occurring. These tone differences are almost always a result of variations in reducing agent levels during Indigo dyeing.

No other commercially available dye can match the appearance of Indigo, especially when faded to light shades which produces a special appearance which is similar to the glow of a blue sky. From acid wash and chambre to light wash and colored, surplus denims look wonderful in all hues due to Indigo dye.

Denim brands today are looking to differentiate themselves on various levels – whether it’s quality of jeans fabric roll, wash, or styling. However, one of the key elements of this differentiation is now the cool and numerous shades of INDIGO. Deep dark indigo is still fascinating for the surplus denim enthusiast.

Manjiri Morey is a Masters in Journalism. Fierce passion for writing drives her to deliver her best every time she puts her pen on paper. Writing and designing lifestyle, features and fashion articles is her niche and forte.