What fibres can be dyed at CullaChange?

Put simply, we dye ALL fibres and fabrics, except leather, suede, and real fur. Having said that, different fibres dye more successfully than others. Before we go into specific fibre types, it’s important to discuss the difference between fabrics and fibres.

A close-up of comparison of different fibres. Pic courtesy of Connie Powers Knits

When it comes to dyeing, the first thing we need to know is what fibre (or mix of fibres) your item is made of. Manufacturers of fabrics have made the distinction between fibre and fabric tricky, by introducing names for fabrics (for example satin, crepe, organza, jersey, canvas, tulle, taffeta, the list goes on…), which actually only describes the way the fibre is knitted or woven. While certain fabrics are often closely linked to a fibre type, (for example, satin is often thought to be silk and canvas is commonly made of cotton), in our many years of experience we know never to assume the fibre, based on a fabric name. Does this mean you need to know the exact fibre type of your item? Nope! Again, in our many years of experience, we have tricks of the trade and a 99% correct strike rate when making an educated guess of unknown fibres.

Another important point to make, before detailing the expectations of dyeing individual fibres, is that fabrics can be treated or have finishes applied that are not visible to the naked eye. In our experience it is quite rare, however, whether it be for anti-creasing, stiffening, UV protection or water-protection, a finish can affect the way the fabric absorbs the dye, potentially blocking the full uptake of colour. In these few circumstances we reprocess the item a few times to give it the best opportunity to take all the colour.

There are many, many, many, different fibres used in modern fabrics, so if you don’t find your fibre type listed here, one of our consultants will happily discuss it with you.

cotton linen hemp bamboo soy flax ramie baumwolle

Derived from plant fibre, these natural fibre types dye well. They are the most straight forward fibre to dye and can be quite versatile. We are more likely to be able to remove the original colour of your item, and completely transform it to a new shade. If any shrinkage occurs, these fibres have excellent size recovery. These fibres all dye with the same type of dye - a group of dyes that don’t dye synthetics. Why do you need to know about that? Well, if like 95% of items, yours is stitched with polyester, or if there is another fibre blended in, or if there is a trim made of another fibre, you might wonder why you get slight colour variations. In our process we add dyes to cover stitching, buttons, plastic accessories, and any mixed fibres, but in order to not over processes the fabric we focus on the main fibre. What does this mean? In some cases the stitching, trim or other fibres can dye lighter or dark. We only make this decision where the ‘other’ fibres are not very prominent and don’t affect the greater look of the item. Your consultant will happily cover the specifics of your item if you have concerns.

polyester acetate acrylic

The most common synthetic fibre is polyester - used in 95% of items just for the stitching, as well as being creatively spun and woven to mimic other fibres and fabrics. Polyester is also commonly blended with natural fibres to provide more strength. You are limited in colour choice by the original colour of your polyester item, as we can’t remove it before dyeing. While we dye hundreds of polyester items each month, it’s important to understand some technical differences with polyester. Essentially, polyester is plastic. The way it is extruded to make the fibre can be varied depending on the temperature used. So? If the polyester is made at an extremely high temperature, it can only be dyed at that same extreme temperature, which is not possible once it is made into a garment. What does this mean?! Actually, it doesn’t matter too much, unless you are wanting a deep or dark colour, then the item (or stitching of the item) will likely dye lighter than expected.

Polyester, acetate, acrylic can easily mimic other fibres. Pic courtesy of Schott textiles

Acetate (acetate rayon) can be an unpredictable fibre to dye. The final colour ma not be as planned with this fibre, but more poignantly, it can develop a crushed effect, or shrink - which in the case of crepe knitted acetate, shrinkage can be permanent. Results are far more successful when it is blended with another fibre, and, it’s good to note, that often the acetate content on a fibre label may just refer to the lining of the item.

Acrylic is a synthetic fibre, often used to mimic wool or cashmere. Unfortunately, acrylic does not dye well, and we find we can only shift the colour tone slightly, so we don’t recommend dyeing it. When blended with other fibres, we dye the secondary fibre and the acrylic is left undyed resulting in a fleck through the fabric.

viscose modal tencel lyocell cupro

These fibres are sythesised from plant-based fibres. They are made from cellulose, and while man-made they dye well, with the same expected outcome as cotton, linen, etc, explained above. The only caveat with these fibres is when the fabric is polished to look like imitation silk. Dyed to deep or dark colours the fabric can have a sueded look after dyeing. This is caused from the fine fibres breaking away from the polished surface, creating a subtle suede effect.

wool cashmere mohair pashmina angora alpaca

These fibres dye really well! In fact, if they are mixed with other fibres, these fibres can dye so well they err on the dark side. For this reason we recommend dyeing them in our Tailored Tint individual dyeing service. This way the dye is weighed specific to the weight and percentage of your item. You are limited in colour choice by the original colour, that we can’t remove before dyeing. What about shrinkage and FELTING?!? In our many years of dyeing, the only shrinkage we have experienced with these fibres, have been with very old woolen items (this suggests they were made from untreated wool, which inherently felts), and loose knitted mohair. Our consultants will discuss this with you if needed, and our machines are custom made to process these fibres with minimal agitation. Otherwise, these fibre are a great success being recoloured.

silk

A silk worm and the eggs silk is derived from. Pic courtesy of Trusted clothes

Silk dyes beautifully, and in many cases we can even remove the original colour of this fibre, widening your colour choices. The most common issue with silk is with the finish. Silk comes in many different fabrics, raw silk, jersey, thai silk, satin, dutchess satin, etc. Fundamental to silk’s luster and sheen, is it’s natural oil content, which can be lost in hot water, which coincidently, is also the only way to dye silk - awkward! Not all silk will do this, however, when it does happen the fabric can look dry and have a whitish fuzzy suede look, either all over or in creases - Thai and raw silk will get this look on the little raised slubs/thicker threads. At CullaChange, we have developed a process that re-oils the fabric and improves this problem hugely - though in a small number of cases a professional silk finish will need to be put on at a specialist dry cleaner. Dutchess silk satin is not recommended for dyeing, as the starch finish on this fabric cannot be wet, otherwise it cracks, making permanent creasing all over.

nylon

Nylon dyes really well, and is the best fabric for Eclectic effects and hand dip-dyeing. Like woolens, this fibre can dye too well and often when it is mixed with other fibres - for example being the backing mesh to other fibres in lace - it dyes very, very dark. To dye this fibre to a light or mid colour, it needs to be dyed in our Tailored Tints individual dyeing service. Very fine stocking-esque nylon fabrics need to be dyed individually too, as they can snag easily on other things in the dye bath.

lycra spandex elastane metallic-fibres

These fibres are considered auxiliary fibres, that means they are extra fibres that are included to providing stretch or shine. They dont dye but that can’t be seen as they are internal to the main finres. The only caveat is with metallic-fibres, which can still be seen as a fleck through the fabric and it has been noticed that in older items the metallic fibres can start to break and they leave the fabric feeling very rough, like fine sandpaper.