Acid
wash is a washing process in which stones soaked in chlorine acid are
used to soften and bleach fabric, especially denim garments. In the
80's, both sexes were wearing the all important acid washed jeans. Acid
wash is a chemical processed denim that stripped the top layer of color
off to a white surface with the undertones of navy blue remaining in the
jeans. And not only jeans are acid washed; for truly fashionable, there
was option for acid washed denim jacket that matched said jeans. While
blue was the most popular color of acid wash, in the late 80s denim
manufacturers also experimented with red styles and black. For several
years now, fashion jeans in distressed denim are highly popular.
Treatment
Acid washed denim results in a pre-worn look that have more texture,
different coloring from frosted, bleached light to faded looks and
distressed edges. Fashionable jeans buyers would break in their own
denims by wearing, washing, bathing and sometimes even bleaching them.
Now, it is more trendy and easy to buy jeans that look like they are
already broken in. The distressed denim look is mostly achieved through
the use of chemicals (bleaching), mechanical treatments (rubbing or
abrading), or a combination of both. They can be achieved by variations
of washing the denim fabric with special pumice stones soaked in a
bleaching agent called potassium permanganate, in a huge washing
machines.
Different sized stones create different effects. By combining the
bleaching, the pumice stones rubbing of the fabric surface and the
laundry action itself the fabric will soften and abrade and create a
worn or second hand look on the surface. A relatively long rinse wash is
needed to remove the leftover bleach from the denim. If this step is
skipped, the fabrics will turn yellow when they come in contact with
warm water, hot air, or sunlight and this can then not be repaired. Even
though this particular look is sometimes called "acid washed",
there is no actual acid used anywhere in the process.
