Corduroy (fine wale & wide wale)
Also known as: cord, wale corduroy
Cotton or cotton-blend fabric with characteristic vertical ribs (wales); differentiated by rib density into pincord (>15/inch), standard cord (8-15/inch) and wide wale (<8/inch).
Description
Corduroy (from French corde du roi, "king's cord") is a cotton fabric with typical raised vertical ribs (wales). They are created by adding extra weft threads in rows and cutting them after weaving, producing a velvety pile. The ribs are visible from a distance and give the fabric its characteristic look.
Classification is by wales per inch: pincord (baby cord) with more than 15 wales/inch is fine and used for shirts, women's trousers and men's blazers. Standard cord at 8 - 15 wales/inch is the classic autumn trouser fabric. Wide wale (jumbo cord) with fewer than 8 wales/inch looks rustic and is used for jackets, jeans-style trousers and furniture. Classic corduroy colours are sand beige, cognac, olive and rust.
The fabric is warm, soft and durable but has drawbacks: it attracts dust and pet hair, can "go flat" at the thighs and seat with intensive sitting, and the ribs can be flattened when ironing. Corduroy has regular fashion comebacks - most recently autumn/winter 2019 and 2022 in combination with retro and 70s trends. In corporate wear it is a deliberate statement, not a standard.
Properties
| Issuer | Not a label - fabric type |
|---|---|
| Scope | Pincord >15 W/inch, standard 8-15, wide wale <8 |
| Label | Trousers, blazers, shirts - typical autumn/winter goods |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- Wikipedia: Corduroy Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corduroy
- Wikipedia: Cord (Gewebe) Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord_(Gewebe)
