FLEECE FABRIC AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME

Abstract

A fabric having a first side and a second side and comprising weft yarns and warp yarns woven together in pattern. At least some of the weft, or warp, yarns float over a number of warp yarns, or weft yarns, and below a number of warp yarns, or weft yarns, to provide weft, or warp, over portions on the first side and under portions on the second side. The under portions and/or over portions of the yarns form loops. At least some of the yarns that form the loops are conjugate yarns comprising a plurality of filaments that are separable, i.e., splittable into sub-filaments. The loops of the conjugate yarns extend for a length of at least three adjacent warp, or weft, yarns.

Claims

1. A fabric having a first side and a second side, the fabric comprising weft yarns and warp yarns woven together in pattern, wherein at least some of the weft, or warp, yarns float over a plurality of warp yarns, or weft yarns, and below a plurality of warp yarns, or weft yarns, to provide weft, or warp, over portions on said first side and weft, or warp under portions on said second side, whereby at least one of said under portions and said over portions of the yarns form loops, wherein at least some of said yarns that form said loops are conjugate yarns comprising a plurality of filaments splittable into sub-filaments, and said loops of said conjugate yarns extend for a length of at least three adjacent warp, or weft, yarns.

2. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein at least part of said sub-filaments of the loops are separate from each other and at least some of said sub-filaments are broken to provide a plurality of loose ends protruding from a body of the fabric and forming a fleece layer.

3. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein said conjugate yarn has a count comprising between about 75 and 600 den.

4. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein said sub-filaments include a count between 0.01 and 0.5 den.

5. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein said splittable filaments comprise between 3 and 100 said sub-filaments.

6. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein some of said weft yarns are elastic.

7. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein said conjugate yarns extend in a first direction and a ratio of said conjugate yarn to other ones of said weft or warp yarns extending in said first direction, lies between 5:1 and 1:2.

8. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein said under portions and said over portions extend in a weft direction, said under portions form said loops and said over portions define connection portions and said loops extend past a first number of warp yarns and the connection portions extend past a second number of warp yarns, the first number being at least 3 times the second number and less than 24 times the second number.

9. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein said under portions and said over portions extend in a warp direction, said under portions form said loops and said over portions define connection portions and said loops extend past a first number of weft yarns and the connection portions extend past a second number of weft yarns, the first number being at least 3 times the second number and less than 24 times the second number.

10. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a warp density and a weft density is between approximately 25 and 80 warps/cm after three home washes.

11. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein said fabric is a denim fabric.

12. The fabric according to claim 11, wherein said denim fabric includes said first side having a denim appearance and said second side being a fleece layer.

13. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein said warp yarns have an English cotton number between approximately Ne 4 and Ne 100.

14. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein said loops are on said first side of said fabric and on said second side of said fabric, said conjugate yarns pass over a weft yarn or a warp yarn, and further yarns adjacent to said conjugate yarns pass over the same weft or warp yarn passed over by the conjugate yarn, or a weft or warp yarn that is adjacent to the weft or warp yarn passed over by the conjugate yarn.

15. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein a length of the loops of said conjugate yarns is at least 1.5 times greater than a length of said under or over portions of other ones of said yarns.

16. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein said conjugate yarn has a count comprising between about 20 and 1800 den.

17. A method for producing a fabric, the method comprising: providing warp yarns; providing weft yarns, wherein at least one of: at least some of said warp yarns are conjugate yarns; and, at least some of said weft yarns are said conjugate yarns, said conjugate yarns comprising a plurality of filaments splittable into a bundle of sub-filaments and said conjugate yarns including under portions and over portions with respect to said warp or weft yarns; and forming loops with at least one of said under portions and said over portions of said conjugate yarns, said loops extending for a length of at least 3 adjacent warp/weft yarns.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: splitting at least part of said filaments into said sub-filaments; and breaking apart at least part of said sub-filaments to form fleece.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising tailoring said fabric into a garment after said splitting.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein said conjugate yarns are well yarns and said weft yarns include further weft yarns.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein at least one of said splitting and said breaking apart is carried out by a process selected from the group consisting of: stone washing, perlite washing, sand blasting, hand-scraping, laser treatments, bleaching, caustic-shrinking washing, enzyme biostoning, chemical treatments, thermal treatments, mechanical treatments, and abrasion on fabric.

22. An article comprising a fabric having a first side and a second side, the fabric comprising weft yarns and warp yarns woven together in pattern, wherein at least some of the weft, or warp, yarns float over a plurality of warp yarns, or weft yarns, and below a plurality of warp yarns, or weft yarns, to provide weft, or warp, over portions on said first side and weft, or warp under portions on said second side, wherein at least one of said under portions and said over portions of the yarns form loops and at least some of said yarns that form said loops are conjugate yarns comprising a plurality of filaments splittable into sub-filaments, and said loops of said conjugate yarns extend for a length of at least three adjacent warp, or weft, yarns, said article comprising a garment.

23. The article according to claim 22, wherein said fabric is a denim fabric that includes said first side having a denim appearance and said second side being a fleece layer and said garment comprises one of pants, jeans, a shirt, a sweater, a jacket and track suit bottoms.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] The present invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying non limiting drawing. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawing are not necessarily to scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. Like numerals denote like features throughout the specification and drawing.

[0042] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are a view of a section of a splittable filament of a conjugate yarn suitable for the invention.

[0043] FIGS. 2A-2F are schematic views of other embodiments of a splittable filament of a conjugate yarn suitable for the invention.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a fabric suitable for the invention.

[0045] FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic views of an exemplary embodiment of a fabric before the splitting and breaking step and after the splitting and breaking step respectively;

[0046] FIGS. 5-9 are weaving reports of fabrics according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0047] FIG. 10 is a weaving report according to a further embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] With reference to FIGS. 1-4B, a fabric 1 is provided with a first side 1a and with a second side 1b. The fabric 1 comprises weft yarns 2, 3 and warp yarns 4 woven together in pattern.

[0049] At least some of the weft yarns 2, 3 float over a number of warp yarns 4 to provide over portions 2a, 3a in the first side 1a, and below a number of warp yarns 4 to provide under portions 2b, 3b in the second side 1b. The under portions and/or the over portions of the yarns provide loops.

[0050] Advantageously, at least some of the yarns providing loops are conjugate yarns 2. As above discussed, in the shown embodiment conjugate yarns 2 are part of the weft yarns 2, 3. However, embodiments are possible wherein the warp yarn forms under portions and/or over portions providing loops, and wherein part of these warp yarn loops are conjugate yarn.

[0051] Conjugate yarns 2 are yarns made of, or they comprise, several splittable filaments 6. As discussed, after weaving the fabric 1 or after making a garment, splittable filaments 6 of the loops 5 of the conjugate yarns 2 (from now on also referred as “loops 5”) are split into sub-filaments and broken so as to provide the above mentioned fleece look to the fabric.

[0052] A splittable filament 6 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 1. A further splittable filament 6 according to another embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, where the same numeric references are used for similar elements.

[0053] In general, the splittable filaments 6 consist of fine sub-filaments 6a and 6b. Typically, one or more of the sub-filaments 6a, 6b may have higher mechanical properties than the other sub-filaments, and are used to support the other sub-filaments. From now on, for greater clarity of the description, the supported sub-filaments will be referred to as “sub-filament(s) 6a”, while the sub-filaments supporting the weaker sub-filaments will be referred as “support sub-filament(s) 6b”. The sub-filaments 6a and the support sub-filament 6b are co-extruded together in the co-extrusion step in a way known in the art. Typically, as per the shown embodiment, the sub-filaments 6a and the support sub-filament 6b are co-extruded according to an arrangement known in the art as “splittable pie”. Other known arrangements are however possible, as an example the ones shown in FIGS. 2A-2F. Also other arrangements, not shown in the figures, can be used with the present invention, i.e. the section of the splittable filaments of the conjugate yarn according to some other embodiments of the present invention different from the ones of FIGS. 2A-2F.

[0054] In FIG. 2A a side-by-side arrangement is shown, where two sub-filaments 6a are placed one next to the other. In FIGS. 2B and 2C core-sheath arrangement are shown, wherein a sub-filament 6a is enclosed within a support filament 6b. The sub filament 6a may be coaxial with respect to the support filament 6b (as per FIG. 2A) or eccentric with respect to the latter (as per FIG. 2C). In FIG. 2D a “hollow center pie” arrangement is shown, which is similar to the one of FIG. 2. In FIG. 2E a “splittable pie” configuration is shown, wherein a plurality of sub-filaments 6a (possibly different one to the other) are placed one next to the other to form a filament of a closed section (typically substantially circular). In FIG. 2F a “island in a sea” configuration is shown, wherein a plurality of sub-filaments 6a are placed within a support filament wherein the splittable filament 6 is provided with a closed hollow section. Possibly a support filament 6b may be inserted within the splittable filament 6 of the present embodiment.

[0055] Different material can be used for the different parts of conjugate yarn 2, such as polyester, nylon, viscose, lyocell, acrylic fibers, polypropylene, etc. Non-compatible materials are advantageously used for the different portions to prepare splittable filaments 6 so as to enhance the splitting step; examples of non-compatible materials are e.g. polyamides co-extruded with polyesters.

[0056] In various embodiments, fine sub-filament 6a has count comprised between 0.01 and 0.5 denier.

[0057] According to different embodiments, a splittable filament 6 may comprise a number of sub-filaments 6a between 3 and 100.

[0058] The embodiment of FIG. 1 has eight sub-filaments 6a and a central or support sub-filament 6b, while in the embodiment of FIG. 2, four sub-filaments 6a and a support sub-filament 6b are shown. In general, a plurality of splittable filaments 6 are grouped together into a conjugate yarn 2, so that the count of a conjugate yarn 2 may be between 200 den and 1800) den. According to an aspect, conjugate yarns 2 can be obtained from staple fiber or from filament fiber. Conjugate yarns 2 can be of any color (or color combination) desired.

[0059] In various embodiments, conjugate yarns 2 can be twisted, texturized, intermingled with elastane or used with an outer support filament, e.g. conjugate yarn could be intermingled with 20 denier polyester as a supporting yarn, so basically conjugate yarn could be produced with any type of the yarn production method in staple or filament form as long as there are enough filaments that can be split into sub-filaments to provide a “fleece” effect.

[0060] According to exemplary embodiments, splittable filament 6 can be bi-component, and/or it can be provided with sub-filaments 6a having different shrinkage characteristics, and/or it can be provided with sub-filaments 6a having crimps, as known e.g. from previously cited prior art.

[0061] An exemplary embodiment of conjugate yarn 2 will be now disclosed with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a polyester/nylon splittable filament 6. In this exemplary embodiment, nylon is used for the support filament 6b, which creates the body of the splittable filament. The fine sub-filaments 6a are polyester based. In particular, there are 8 fine polyester sub-filaments in the core of each splittable conjugate filaments. Composition of the splittable filament 6 is 70% polyester 30% nylon. The cross-section of the filament 6 is of the splittable pie type. 72 splittable filaments 6 form a conjugate yarn 2. Size of the conjugate yarn 2 is 150 denier. As a result, the average count of each splittable filament 6 is about 2 den (150 denier divided by 72 is equal to 2.083 den). As 70% in composition is polyester, the total polyester part will be 70% of 2,083, i.e. 1.45 denier. Considering that each splittable conjugate filament contains 8 fine sub-filament 6a, the average count of each fine sub-filament 6a is around 0.18 (i.e 1.45 denier divided by 8). Considering that the conventional micro polyester fineness is around 0.5 denier per filament, the sub-filaments 6a of the present embodiment are about 65% finer than conventional polyester filaments. As a result, the present sub-filament 6a is softer and weaker in terms of strength and can easily break or rupture to provide the required fleece on the side of the fabric where the loops are located.

[0062] According to an exemplary embodiment, the weft yarns comprise standard yarns 3 in addition to conjugate yarns 2. The “standard yarn” can be any suitable non-conjugate yarn that can be coupled to the warp yarn. The standard yarns 3 and the conjugate yarns 2 are arranged in a predetermined arrangement, in some embodiments advantageously comprising at least one conjugate yarn 2 alternately arranged with at least one standard yarn 3.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the standard yarn 3 has a greater shrinkage ratio than conjugate yarn 2, when measured with the same test. Suitable apparatuses for measuring the shrinkage ratio are known in the art, e.g. an Uster Tensorapid tester (Uster, CH) can be used to determine the shrinkage ratio. In any case, standard yarns and conjugate yarns having substantially the same shrinkage can be used, e.g. conjugate yarns and standard yarns both comprising elastane.

[0064] In exemplary embodiments standard yarns may be substantially elastic or substantially non-elastic. In some embodiments, the ratio of standard yarns 3 to conjugate yarns 2 (i.e. between the number of the standard yarns and the number of the conjugate yarns) is between 2:1 and 1:5, inclusive. The average ratio of standard yarns 3 to conjugate yarns 2 may advantageously be between 1:2 and 1:3, inclusive. Furthermore, the characteristics of the standard and/or of the conjugate yarns and the ratio of standard yarns 3 to conjugate yarns 2 need not be regular, or the same throughout the fabric; namely designs may be obtained by using different weft yarns, conjugate and/or standard, in different ratios in different areas.

[0065] As mentioned, the weave of the fabric 1 is such that the conjugate yarns 2 form loops 5; loops 5 can be obtained in different ways known in the art. As an example, the above mentioned difference in the shrinkage ratio may help to create deeper loops. However, loops 5 can be formed even without such a difference.

[0066] In general, when the completed fabric 1 is removed from the weaving loom, i.e. when the fabric is no longer under tension, the fabric will shrink (typically by at least 10% with respect to its original dimension, depending on the construction) so that the under portions 2b, 3b and/or over portions 2a, 3a provide a plurality of loops on the back of the fabric. Shrinking may be favored by using elastic standard yarns of the type previously discussed; however, loops may be formed also without elastic standard yarns through natural shrinkage that occurs, possibly helped by washing either in fabric or in garment form.

[0067] The average number of adjacent warp yarns 4 passed by each loop 5 is at least 3, and it may vary within the range of 3 to 24; the number of warp yarns 4 passed by each loop 5 need not to be the same for all loops 5. It is not strictly necessary that every single loop 5 pass at least three warp yarns 4. Provided that for each conjugate yarn 2 the average number of warp yarns 4 passed by each loop 5 is at least three, the number of warp yarns 4 passed by individual loops 5 can vary without deviating from the inventive concept, as would be known to one skilled in the art.

[0068] The weaving construction may provide for loops of different lengths, e.g. the loops of a first conjugate weft yarn float over three warp yarns, while the loops of another conjugate weft yarn float over 5 warp yarns. In general, wider loops 5 provide longer broken protruding sub-filament 6a, 6b and thus a stronger “fleece effect”.

[0069] All the loops 5 may advantageously be arranged on the same side of the fabric 1, so as to obtain a fabric having a fleece on one side; in another exemplary embodiment the loops (and the resulting fleece) are provided on both sides of the fabric. As an example, with reference to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, loops 5 are formed when the conjugate yarns 2 pass a number of warp yarns 4 along the second side 1b of the fabric. The same conjugate yarn 2 will also pass a number of warp yarns when it floats on warp yarns 4 on the first side of the fabric: in the present description, the portions of conjugate yarn on the first side are defined as connection portions 7. A connection portion 7 is typically intended to provide a support for the loop on the other side of the fabric. Connection portions 7 float over a reduced number of warp yarns 4 with respect to the loops 5.

[0070] According to an embodiment, the ratio of warp yarns 4 passed by loop 5 to warp yarns 4 passed by connection portions 7 is between approximately 3:1 and 24:1, inclusive. The standard yarns 3 may form alternately arranged under portions 3b and over portions 3a with respect to said warp yarns 4 in the weave. These under portions 3b and over portions 3a form a weave with respect to the warp yarns 4 that is tighter than the weave formed by the conjugate yarns 2. The weave patterns of FIGS. 5-10 show various embodiments of the present invention.

[0071] According to exemplary embodiments, loops 5 of the conjugate yarns 2 are created such that they are in substantially less tension than under portions 3b and over portions 3a created by standard yarns 3.

[0072] In exemplary embodiments, the warp density after weaving but before shrinking is between approximately 20 and 70 warp yarns per centimeter, inclusive. After treatment of the fabric and after three home washes, the warp density may advantageously be between approximately 25 and 80 warp yarns per centimeter, inclusive. Home washes are carried out at 60° C. followed by drying and the last wash and dry is followed by a conditioning step for 8 hours; these tests are usual in the art and reference to ASTM D 3776/96 and to BS 63302A is made for said tests.

[0073] It is even more preferred that the warp density after weaving but before shrinking be between approximately 25 and 60 warp yarns per centimeter, inclusive, and between approximately 30 and 65 warp yarns per centimeter after three home washes. The warp density may be between approximately 30 and 50 warp yarns per centimeter, inclusive, after weaving but before shrinking, and between approximately 35 and 55 warp yarns per centimeter after three home washes. Generally, the warp and weft density measurements are made at 65% humidity, ±5%, and 20° C., ±2° C.

[0074] Similar to the warp density, exemplary embodiments can also define weft densities. It is preferred that after weaving, but before shrinking, the weft density should be between approximately 20 and 70 weft yarns per centimeter, inclusive. After three home washes it is preferred that the weft density be between approximately 25 and 88 wefts per centimeter, inclusive. In various embodiments, it is more preferred that after weaving, but before shrinking, the weft density be between approximately 30 and 60 wefts per centimeter, inclusive. After three home washings, it is more preferred that the weft density be between approximately 38 and 75 wefts per centimeter, inclusive. It is even more preferred that after weaving but before shrinking, the weft density be between 35 and 55 wefts per centimeter, inclusive, and between approximately 44 and 68 wefts per centimeter, inclusive, after three home washes.

[0075] In a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the warp yarns have an English cotton number between approximately Ne 4 and Ne 100, inclusive.

[0076] Similarly, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the standard yarns 3 are made from filament yarn and have a denier between approximately 20 and 600 denier, inclusive. In another exemplary embodiment, the standard yarns 3 are made from staple fibers in the range between approximately Ne 6 and Ne 100 inclusive. As mentioned before, the conjugate yarns 2 have a count comprised between approximately 20 and 1800 den, inclusive, or a count between 75 to 600, or between 150 to 450, in various embodiments.

[0077] Weaving reports of exemplary embodiments are shown in FIGS. 5-10. According to various embodiments, the weaving report is configured so that the loops 5 of the conjugate yarns 2 are always protruding from the warp yarns 4 more than the under/over portions 3a, 3b (according to the side of the fabric 1 where the loops 5 are provided) of the standard yarn 3. Thanks to this, especially when applying a mechanical treatment to the fabric, all, or most of the stress is applied to the loops 5 of the conjugate yarn 2, so as to provide a better splitting/breakage of the loops 5, and thus a good “fleece effect”.

[0078] More in detail, in some embodiments, a particularly good fleece effect is obtained if the length of the loops 5 (i.e. the number warp yarns over which the loops float over) is greater than the length of the under/over portions of the standard yarns 3 that are provided on the same side of the fabric of the loops (i.e. the under portions 3b, in the shown embodiment). If the length of the loops 5 and/or of the under/over portion is not constant in the weaving report, it is advantageous that the length of the loops 5 is greater than the length of the under/over portions of the standard yarns that are placed adjacent (i.e. immediately above or immediately below in the shown embodiments) to the conjugate yarn 2 providing the loops 5. In one advantageous embodiment, the loops are at least 1.5 times longer than the under/over portions of the standard yarns 3.

[0079] The configuration of the weave report may also help to provide a particularly good fleece effect. According to an embodiment, the connection portions 7 are placed at the under/over portions 3a-3b (i.e. the ones on the same side of the connection portions 7) of a standard yarn 3 that is adjacent to the conjugate yarns. In other words, on the side of the fabric that is opposite to the side of the loops 5, the connection portions 7 of a conjugate yarn pass over the same warp yarn 4 that is passed over by the under/over portion of a standard yarn 3, i.e. the portions of a standard yarn 3 placed on the same side of the connection portions 7 (which, in the shown embodiment, are the over portions 3a), that is adjacent to the conjugate yarn 2. Connection portions 7 may also pass over a warp yarn 4 that is near the warp yarn 4 that is passed over by the under/over portion of a standard yarn 3 adjacent to the conjugate yarn 2. The expressions “near” and “at” varies according to the length of the loops 5 and of the standard yarns 3. Preferably the distance implied by “near” and “at” is less than two warp yarns 4.

[0080] With reference to the drawings: [0081] in the embodiments of FIG. 5-7, the length of the loops of the conjugate yarn 2 is greater than the length of the under portions of the standard yarn 3, and also the connection portions 7 are placed at the over portions of the adjacent yarn. In particular, in FIG. 5 the length of the loops is 5.5 times the length of the under portions 3b, in FIG. 6 the loops 5 are 2.3 times the under portion 3b, in FIG. 7 the loops 5 are 2.5 times the under portions 3b. The fleece effect is particularly good. [0082] in the embodiment of FIG. 8, the loops 5 of the conjugate yarn 2 are longer than the under portions of the standard yarn 3, and also connection portions 7 are placed at the over portions of the adjacent yarn. In particular, the length of the loops 5 is 1.17 times the length of the under portions 3b. The fleece effect is good. [0083] in the embodiment of FIG. 9, the length of the loops of the conjugate yarn 2 is much greater than (i.e. it is 2.5) the length of the under portions of the standard yarn, and the connection portions 7 are not placed at the over portions of the adjacent yarn. The fleece effect is good. [0084] in the embodiment of FIG. 10, the loops 5 of the conjugate yarn 2 are longer than (i.e. 1.17 times) the under portions of the standard yarn 3, and the connection portions 7 are not placed at the over portions of the adjacent standard yarn. The fleece effect is acceptable/good.

[0085] After weaving the fabric 1 with the above mentioned loops 5, a fleece may then be provided. In particular, the filaments 6 of at least part of the loops 5 are split, so that at least part of the sub-filaments 6a separate one from the other and from the support filament 6b, if present; the sub-filaments are then broken, i.e. severed, so that each sub-filament provides two parts of sub-filament that protrude from the fabric, namely from the connection portion 7 between two adjacent loops.

[0086] This operation can be carried out stressing the fabric 1 according to various methods. The fabric 1 may be subject to chemical or physical treatments in order to separate the sub-filaments 6a, and possibly also the support filament 6b, to break at least part of them; abrasion is one advantageous physical treatment. As an example, stone washing can be used in garment form. It was found that 60 minutes of stone-washing in ambient water may be sufficient to split the sub-filaments. Also, in some embodiments, washing is performed without stones and in this case separation of the sub-filaments 6a is caused by friction of fabric on fabric. Longer loops are easier to break and provide a greater fleece effect.

[0087] In general, various methods can be used, that impart a stress on the fabric that is suitable to separate the sub-filaments 6a, without substantially damaging the other parts of fabric 1.

[0088] Broken sub-filaments 6a provide for the above mentioned “fleece effect”.

[0089] According to an embodiment, thanks to the loop arrangement, separation of the sub-filaments can be carried out substantially at ambient temperature. On the contrary, in the known art sub-filaments 6a, 6b were separated by means of complex chemical treatments, typically involving high temperatures. As a result, the known method caused a high waste of energy and they were also time consuming. Furthermore, further physical treatments such as brushing or emerizing were needed to complete the separation step. These treatments may damage the fabric.

[0090] On the contrary, simple and safe treatments can be used according to the present embodiments to separate the sub-filaments 6a, 6b (i.e. to split the splittable filament 6) and to break the separated sub-filament to provide a fleece construction. As mentioned, the splitting step of the process is preferably carried out on the garment obtained from (or including the) fabric according to the invention. This step may be carried out together with the “stoning” step, i.e. the step carried out to provide the garment with a “used” or worn-out look.

[0091] Separation and breakage of the filaments 6 present in loops 5 into sub-filaments 6a, 6b can be performed in garment form by suitable processes such as chemical treatments, thermal treatments, mechanical treatments. As an example, the separation and breakage of the filaments can be obtained by means of at least one process selected from the following non limiting list of examples: stone washing, perlite washing, sand blasting, hand-scraping, laser treatments, bleaching, caustic-shrinking washing, enzyme biostoning, abrasion on dry fabric.

[0092] If the treatment is mechanical (like stone washing, hand scraping, etc.), the treatment may advantageously be applied to the side of the garment where the loops 5 are, thus making the above mentioned separation easier and faster. For instance, if a denim fabric is designed with “reverse side” loops of the conjugate yarns 2, i.e. loops placed on the side of the fabric that is arranged so as to be directed towards the user (i.e. the reverse side), a pair of jeans obtained from such a fabric can be stone washed for 1 hour to obtain the fleece effect in a non-reversed condition (i.e. in the “traditional” form).

[0093] However, if the jeans are stone washed in the reverse condition (i.e. in the “inside out” form, with the reverse side exposed), the same fleece effect can be achieved with the same stone washing treatment, in only 30 minutes. This is not so relevant for the chemical treatments like caustic shrinking treatment or enzyme washing.

[0094] It has to be noted that none of the above mentioned easy and not-aggressive treatments will allow a fleece effect on a fabric designed with the same yarns of the present invention but lacking the loops 5 of the conjugate yarn. It should be also noted that the above mentioned separation step can be performed before tailoring the fabric, but also when the fabric 1 is already in garment form. In other words, a garment may be created from the fabric 1, having the sub-filaments in non-separate form (i.e. with the loops 5 unbroken) in various embodiments. After a garment or an article, is created from fabric 1, the garment can be stressed to cause separation of the sub-filaments. As mentioned, when the sub-filaments are separated, a fleece can be obtained. In more detail, the sub-filaments are very fine, so that they are easily broken; the broken sub-filaments 6a create edges on top of the fabric surface, thus providing a fleece.

[0095] According to a previously discussed embodiment, the loops 5 may be arranged only on one side of the fabric 1. As a result, the sides 1a, 1b of the fabric 1 can have look and feel very different from one another. As an example, in the shown embodiment, loops 5 are arranged on the second side 1b of the fabric 1. As a result, after separating the sub-filaments 6b of the loops 5, the second side 1b will show a fleece look and feel. On the contrary, the first side 1a is not provided with loops 5, and the fleece is not obtained on the first side 1a.

[0096] According to the yarns and the weaving pattern, a fabric 1 can thus have a fleece side (second side 1b in the shown embodiment) and the first side 1a can be e.g. a denim. Denim for the “non-fleece” side is an advantageous embodiment, but other solutions can be employed, e.g. gabardine, chamber, etc.

[0097] In general, different embodiments provide that on one side the fabric is of the fleece type, while the other side can show e.g. natural fibers (cotton, linen, wool, etc.), regenerated fibers (rayon, modal, lyocell), synthetic fibers (nylon, acrylic, etc), and so on.

[0098] In general, according to the weaving pattern, the first side 1a (or in general the side not provided with loops 5) can be provided with the desired visual effects, while the second side 1b (or in general the side provided with loops 5) can be fleece. In some embodiments, the first side has a denim appearance.

[0099] According to another embodiment, both the sides 1a and 1b of the fabric 1 are provided with loops 5, so that fleece look and feel can be obtained on both sides 1a, 1b of the fabric.

[0100] In view of the above, a method of making a fabric according to an exemplary embodiment will be now discussed.

[0101] The first step of the process is providing warp yarns 4. The step can include selecting a thickness of the yarns, as well as the warp density. Other aspects of the warp yarns, known to those skilled in the art, can also be determined at this step. It will often be the case that this step will include the selection of indigo dyed warp yarns. The use of indigo dyed warp yarns will allow the resulting fabric to take advantage of many of the unique aspects of the indigo dyeing process.

[0102] A further step provides for weft yarns 2, 3. In particular, part of said weft yarns are conjugate yarns 2, i.e. splittable yarns that are made by a plurality of sub-filaments that separate from each other and that break upon being stressed; the remaining yarns are standard yarns, i.e. yarns that do not break under the same stress that is applied to the conjugate yarns; standard yarns provide a structure for the fabric after the conjugate yarns have been split into sub-filaments and the sub-filaments are broken. Similar to what discussed above, this step can include determining all the aspects of the weft yarns known to those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: the thickness of the yarns, shrinkage ratio, elasticity, color, weft density, etc.

[0103] Conjugate yarns 2 form loops 5. In particular, according to an embodiment, conjugate yarns 2 are alternately arranged with standard yarns 3, ensuring that the conjugate yarns 2 form a series of over portions 2a and under portions 2b. After weaving, the fabric 1 is removed from the loom and during the finishing treatments, the fabric shrinks because tension on yarns is removed. The conjugate yarns form thus loops 5 on (at least) one side of the fabric. According to an embodiment, as discussed above, the standard yarns can be elastic, core-spun elastic yarns. According to this embodiment, after weaving higher fabric shrinkage will be obtained therefore higher loop height and easier fleece formation will be achieved.

[0104] It should be noted that shrinking naturally occurs as soon as the fabric is removed from the weaving loom and the yarns are no longer under tension; further shrinking occurs by wetting the fabric, during the processes. According to an embodiment, the fabric 1 is tailored into an article, typically a garment, the garment is preferably a clothing article such as pants, jeans, shirts, sweaters, jackets and any other garment. A preferred fabric is denim or denim-looking fabric, the preferred garments are garments having a side with a denim-look or a jeans-look and the other side having a fleece layer, i.e. the fleece is provided on one side of the garment. Preferably, the fleece side of the denim garment is the internal side of the garment. Subsequently, the article is processed in order to separate the sub-filaments 6a of the splittable filament 6 of the loops 5. According to another embodiment, the sub-filaments 6a are separated before tailoring the fabric into an article.

[0105] In general, the sub-filaments are separated by carrying out on the fabric or on the article physical or chemical treatments that allow separation of the sub-filaments 6a (possibly of support sub-filament(s) 6b, too) without damaging or substantially damaging the fabric 1.

[0106] As previously discussed, the size of sub-filaments 6a is preferably in the range of 0.01 den to 0.5 den, i.e. the sub-filaments are so fine that they are easily broken; sub-filaments are broken in the same treatment that provides separation of the conjugate yarn into sub-filaments or in a subsequent step. As a result of breaking the sub-filaments a plurality of short and fine stubs of sub-filaments 6a, 6b are formed, protruding from the structure of fabric 1 (formed by the warp yarns and the standard yarns) so as to provide a fleece. This condition of the fabric is schematically shown in FIG. 4B for a fleece provided on one side of the fabric; as previously mentioned, the same construction may be obtained on both sides of the fabric.

[0107] The invention will now be further disclosed with reference to the following non-limiting examples of woven fabrics.

Example 1

[0108] The warp yarns, weft yarns, warp density, weft density and loom set-up were chosen according to the values in Table 1. These selections gave the resulting fabric a weight of approximately 10-11 oz/sqyd (335-375 g/cm.sup.2). The weave pattern was selected according to the weave report depicted in FIG. 5. A dobby-type weaving loom with a weft selection system was used to perform the weaving.

[0109] After weaving, the fabric was wetted and stretched in the length (warp) direction. When this happens, the fabric shrinks in the width (weft) direction, the elastic yarn pulling the warp yarns together. Because the conjugate weft yarns are not elastic, they do not shrink as much as the standard weft yarns used in this example, and the conjugate yarn floats on the one side of the fabric forming loops which cover most of the back side of the fabric; all the loops have the same length, the length of the loops was about 4 mm.

[0110] After shrinking, the fabric was subjected to a sanforizing treatment to reduce shrinking in further garment washings. The indigo warp yarns gave the warp side fabric the look and qualities of a denim fabric, such as denim's ability to take on finishing effects, such as abrasion effects.

[0111] The fabric was cut and sewn into an article, namely a pair of track suit bottoms having an inner side provided with the loops; the article thus obtained was then stone washed for 30 minutes at 40° C., in the reverse (“inside out”) form.

[0112] At the end of the stone washing step, the side of the fabric previously provided with the loops was covered by a fleece white in color due to the un-dyed sub-filaments of the conjugate yarns, and was extremely soft due to the very fine count of the sub-filaments obtained by splitting the conjugate filaments. The fleece also prevents the indigo from the warp yarns coming into contact with the skin of a person wearing the garment, preventing the indigo dye from running if the person sweats.

[0113] Due at least in part to the selection of the weave and standard weft yarns, the resulting fabric had very high elastic properties. These properties included the ability to stretch in all directions, not just the weft direction.

Example 2

[0114] The warp yarns, weft yarns, warp density, weft density and loom set-up were chosen according to the values in Table 1. The weave pattern was selected according to the weave report depicted in FIG. 6. Examination of the weave report shows that the ratio of standard-yarns to conjugate yarns is 1:1, as opposed to 1:2 in Example 1. The ratio between the length of the loops 5 to the length of the under portions of the standard yarns is 7/3, i.e. about 2.

[0115] The fabric was used to make an article, namely a pair of skinny jeans having an inner side provided with the loops; the jeans were stone washed after exposing the inner side so as to be abraded in the stone washing process. At the end of the stone washing step, the side of the fabric previously provided with the loops was covered by a black fleece in color due to the color of the sub-filaments of the conjugate yarns, and extremely soft due to the very fine count of the sub-filaments obtained by splitting the conjugate filaments.

Example 3

[0116] The warp yarns, weft yarns, warp density, weft density and loom set-up were chosen according to the values in Table 1. The weave pattern was selected according to the weave report depicted in FIG. 7. Examination of the weave report shows that the ratio of standard yarns to conjugate yarns is 1:2, as per Example 1. The ratio between the length of the loops 5 to the length of the under portions 3b of the standard yarn is 15/6. i.e. 2.5. Furthermore, the over portions of the standard yarn float over two warp yarns, while the connection portions 7 of the conjugate yarns 2 float over 1 warp yarn which are adjacent warp yarns.

[0117] The fabric was used to make an article, namely a jacket with fleece having an inner side provided with the loops; the jacket was stone washed after exposing the inner side so as to be abraded in the stone washing process. At the end of the stone washing step, the side of the fabric previously provided with the loops was covered by a heather/melange fleece in color due to the color of the sub-filaments of the conjugate yarns, and extremely soft due to the very fine count of the sub-filaments obtained by splitting the conjugate filaments.

[0118] The following table 1 summarizes the characteristics of the above examples.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Warps passed by Standard Conjugate Warp Weft Fabric “Loop” Sample Warp Yarn Weft Yarn Weft Yarn Density Density Weight Portion Example 1 Ne 20/1 70 Denier 150 denier/ 27 ends/cm 42 picks/cm 10-12 oz/ 11 Ring spun polyester + 72 filament in in sqyd 100% 40 Denier textured and weaving loom state cotton, Lycra (with soft reed fabric, 48 picks/cm indigo dyed 3, 5 draft intermingle finished yarn ratio) white yarn fabric intermingled yarn Example 2 14/1 ring 24/1 elastic 150 denier/ 25 ends/cm 42 picks/cm 10-12 oz/ 7 spun, slubby standard 72 filament in in sqyd 100% yarn. textured and weaving loom state cotton, soft reed fabric. 49 picks/cm indigo dyed intermingled at yarn black yarn the finished fabric. Example 3 14/1 ring 20/1 elastic 150 denier/ 23 ends/cm 37 picks/cm 11-13 oz 15 spun, slubby standard 72 filament in in 100% yarn. textured and weaving loom state cotton, soft reed fabric. 43 picks/cm indigo dyed intermingled at yarn heather/melange the yarn finished fabric

[0119] As the sub-filaments are very fine and weak, after the fleece formation, pilling will not be a problem because the fiber balls will fall of the surface as they are not strong enough so the pilling test results are better than the fabric made with a conventional yarn which has a coarser denier.

[0120] The fabrics of the above mentioned examples were all subjected to a pilling drum test with machine MS P18A, after the loops are formed but before a fleece is obtained, i.e. the fabric is in the normal (filaments not split) condition. As known, this test method shows how the fabric reacts when it is subjected to friction with itself. Basically small cylinders are covered with fabric subjected to the test and put inside a drum, whose inside is also covered with the fabric. The drum is rotated for a certain time with a certain speed to provide the above mentioned friction. A good fleece effect is obtained when the result of the test is smaller than 3. The above mentioned result is evaluated by means of visual inspection by an operator, who compares the specimen with reference images. The fabrics of examples 1, 2 and 3 showed a result smaller than 2.

[0121] The following example shows the improvement in thermal and air permeability properties of the fabric according to the invention.

Example 4

[0122] As an example, a standard fabric according to WO 2011104022, was prepared following the weaving pattern of FIG. 5, in this fabric the weft yarns making loops were standard yarns made of cotton.

[0123] The same fabric (according to FIG. 5 weaving pattern) was prepared according to the present invention, i.e. with conjugate yarn loops instead of cotton loops which are transformed into fleece by at least partly separating and breaking the fine sub-filaments.

[0124] The two kinds of fabric were tested according to test EN ISO 1109:2014 (to measure thermal resistance) and according to test DIN EN ISO 9237:1995-12.sup.A, on a test apparatus TEXTEST FX 3300 (to measure air permeability). The result of the two tests are shown in Table 2. Performance of the fabric according to the invention was sensibly better than standard fabric, i.e. it showed an increase of about 75% in thermal resistance and a decrease of about 70% in air permeability with respect to the above mentioned standard fabric. As mentioned, both fabrics were produced by using the same weaving report and the same standard and warp yarns.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Thermal resistance Fabric (m.sup.2K/W) Air permeability (mm/s) Standard 0.028 238.0 Example 4 0.049 72.1

[0125] Although the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claims should be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodiments of the invention, which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention.