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(11) | EP 1 232 697 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | An item of apparel |
| (57) The invention relates to an item of apparel, such a suit jacket, comprising a fabric
which is washable and has a crease memory. |
[0001] The invention relates to an item of apparel, such as a jacket, usually a man's jacket or suit jacket.
[0002] Men's suits whilst still being bespoke tailored, are increasingly made by mass production techniques. Such techniques lend such suits to be sold relatively inexpensively in retail outlets such as department stores. However, suits have to be cleaned. Cleaning, particularly dry cleaning is relatively expensive, and has to be repeated several times over the life of the suit, so increasing its overall cost.
[0004] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an item of apparel, such as a suit jacket, comprising a fabric which is washable and has a crease memory whereby on washing, the item of apparel is not substantially creased.
[0005] The item of apparel may comprise styling inserts between the fabric and a lining of the item of apparel, and adhesive(s) and thread(s) used in construction of the item of apparel, which may be washable.
[0006] Thus on washing, the shape of the item is maintained, and its appearance is improved after a wash.
[0007] Edges of the styling inserts may be over-locked to obviate fraying. Thus edges of washable canvas chest and sleeve inserts are over-locked.
[0008] The edges of the lining may be over-locked to obviate fraying. This, as with chest and sleeve inserts, assists in maintaining the original styling and hence shape of the item after a wash.
[0009] There may be at least one pocket, a bag of which may be secured to an adjacent seam to obviate creasing during washing. This avoids unsightly creasing in the wash, particularly when the bag may be a breast pocket bag secured to a facing seam by sewing.
[0010] There may be two pockets which may comprise front pockets each bag of which may be secured to a side seam by a tape sewn into that side seam.
[0011] Facings of the item may be stitched to fronts by a blind stitch, to obviate creasing during washing. The blind stitch avoids puckering.
[0012] Long seams may be secured with fused tapes to obviate puckering after a wash. The fused tapes may comprise the adhesive which may have a peel strength of not less than 20 N/5cm.
[0013] The adhesive melt temperature may be in the range 130°C - 140°C, suitably about 135°C. This provides a secure fixing whilst obviating puckering and creasing in a wash cycle.
[0014] The fabric may comprise a wool and synthetic fabric mixture, suitably a polyester/wool/lycra mixture, preferably comprising 55% polyester, 43% wool and 2% lycra. This provides a suitable washable, non creasing item of apparel, which may suitably be a man's jacket.
[0015] According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a combination comprising an item of apparel, as hereinbefore defined, and a wash bag into which the item is placed for washing.
[0016] The wash bag may have a central closable opening through which the item is inserted. Thus when so inserted and laid flat in the bag, the item of apparel is maintained substantially flat during washing, and this, with the feature hereinbefore described, helps to obviate creasing during washing.
[0017] Thus using the invention it is possible to wash say a man's suit including the jacket, in a washing machine.
[0018] An item of apparel, in the embodiment a man's suit jacket, is hereinafter described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side view of a jacket according to the invention;
Fig. 1A shows schematically elevations of style inserts or trim, used in the manufacture of the suit jacket of Fig. 1;
Figs. 2 and 2A show schematically different perspective views, to a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 1A, of style inserts in the form of washable shoulder pads of the jacket;
Fig. 3 shows schematically washable fusible materials of the jacket of Figs. 1 and 1A, and to a larger scale than those Figs;
Fig. 4 shows schematically chest and sleeve style inserts in the form of canvas trim of the suit of Fig. 1, and locked over edges of the canvas to avoid fraying;
Fig. 5 shows schematically two parts of lining of the suit, the edges of which are locked over to obviate fraying;
Fig. 6 shows schematically in elevation a chest or in breast pocket bag sewn into a facing seam to obviate creasing during a wash;
Fig. 7 shows schematically in elevation, front pocket bags secured with tapes sewn into the side seams in order to avoid creasing during a wash;
Fig. 8 shows schematically in elevation style inserts int the form of facings secured to fronts by blind stitches;
Fig. 9 shows schematically long seams secured with fused tapes to obviate puckering after a wash; and
Fig. 10 and 10A show respectively an elevation and a plan view of a washing bag and a bag in which the washing bag is stowed.
[0019] Referring to the drawings, there is shown an item of apparel, in the embodiment a man's jacket 1 of a man's suit, comprising a fabric which is washable and has a crease memory whereby on washing, the jacket 1 is not substantially creased.
[0020] The crease memory is enhanced by styling inserts or trim between a lining of the jacket, and adhesive(s) and thread(s) used in construction of the suit, which are washable.
[0021] Thus Figs. 2 and 2A show washable shoulder pads 2 which are inserted between the lining 4 and the fabric 3, which fabric 3 of the suit 1 is in the embodiment suitably a mixture of polyester, wool and lycra in the proportions 55%, 43% and 2%.
[0022] Fig. 3 shows washable fusible or fusing materials 5 while Fig. 4 shows style inserts in the form of chest and sleeve trim 6, 7 made, in the embodiment, of canvas, the edges of which are secured against fraying by over-locked stitches 8 in the embodiment.
[0023] Fig. 5 shows different parts 9, 10 of a lining of the jacket, the edges of which are also secured against fraying by over-locked stitches 11 in the embodiment.
[0024] Turning now to Fig, 6, a chest or breast pocket 12 of the suit jacket 1 has an inner bag 12 defining the pocket and which is sewn into a seam 13 of the facing 14 in order to obviate creasing during a wash. In a similar manner bags 15 of front pockets 16 are secured with a tape 17 sewn into the side seam in order to avoid creasing during a wash (Fig. 7). The tape(s) 17 hold the side pocket bags 15 in place and are long enough to allow for movement, so avoiding creasing.
[0025] Turning now to Fig. 8, there are shown style inserts in the form of facings 14 secured as by stitching to the fronts using blind stitches 18, while Fig. 9 shows long seams 19 secured with fused tapes 20 to obviate puckering after a wash.
[0026] Fig. 10 shows a bag 21 on which the item of apparel is stowed and laid flat, prior to closing as by zipping up a central opening 22 through which the apparel is inserted, the bag 21 being closed which maintains the item flat so that it can be placed in a washing machine and subjected to a wash cycle, whereafter the suit emerges relatively uncreased, the bag 21 being a mesh bag to allow for full circulation of washing medium.
[0028] During manufacture of the suit jacket 1, fusing machines used to fuse the adhesive are set to provide a desired peel strength, which in the embodiment is no less than 20N/5cm. The adhesive/glue temperature should preferably be 135°C in the embodiment. Also, after manufacture, the suit jacket 1 is pressed for a period of time which adds relaxation and vacuum time in order to achieve a substantially flat press of the jacket, in which shoulder reinforcements are inclined at an angle of 15°.
[0029] Reverting to Fig. 1A, the numerals used in the different style inserts refer to the following features:-
- 601
- Front fusing
- 602
- Lapel + Banana
- 615
- Flap fusing
- 629
- Jets fusing
- 603
- Collar
- 609
- Shoulder
- 611
- Top upper sleeve
- 617
- Arm pit side part
- 618
- Vent fusing
- 610
- Back arm pit
- 605
- Chest piece (canvas)
- 606
- Chest fusing
- 608
- Chest reinforcement
- 613
- Sleeve fusing
- 636
- Lapel reinforcement (Db only)
- 616
- Upper marking fusing
- 635
- Back length reinforcement
- 620
- Chest pocket
- 674
- Pockets no fusing flieselin
- 624
- Helzaflex (vatellina)
- 653
- Hem
- 657
- Flieselin for patch pocket
- 655
- Patch pocket reinforcement
- 670
- Flieselin for side part
- 667
- Front darts fusing
- 627
- Ambassador (sleeve canvas)
- 638
- Chest pocket no' 10
- 631
- Sleeve back seam fusing
- 622
- Lower marking fusing
- 630
- Shoulder reinforcement 15°
- 626
- Chest piece tape 20mm
1. An item of apparel, such a suit jacket, comprising a fabric which is washable and
has a crease memory.
2. An item of apparel according to Claim 1, comprising styling inserts and fusible materials
between the fabric and a lining of the item of apparel, and adhesive(s) and thread(s)
used in construction of the item of apparel, which are washable.
3. An item of apparel according to Claim 2, edges of the styling inserts being over-locked
to obviate fraying.
4. An item of apparel according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, the edges of the lining being
over-locked to obviate fraying.
5. An item of apparel according to any preceding claim, comprising at least one pocket,
a bag of which is secured to an adjacent seam to obviate creasing during washing.
6. An item of apparel according to Claim 5, the bag being a breast pocket bag secured
to a facing seam by sewing.
7. An item of apparel according to Claim 5, there being two pockets comprising front
pockets each bag of which is secured to a side seam by a tape sewn into that side
seam.
8. An item of apparel according to any of claims 2 to 7, facings being stitched to fronts
by a blind stitch, to obviate creasing during washing.
9. An item of apparel according to any of Claims 2 to 8, long seams being secured with
fused tapes to obviate puckering after a wash.
10. An item of apparel according to any of Claims 2 to 9, the adhesive used on the fusible
materials and/or fused tape having a peel strength of not less than 20 N/5cm.
11. An item of apparel according to Claim 10, the adhesive melt temperature being in the
range 130°C - 140°C, preferably 135°C.
12. An item of apparel according to any preceding claim, the fabric comprising a wool
and synthetic fabric mixture.
13. An item of apparel according to Claim 12, the fabric comprising a polyester/wool/lycra
mixture, preferably 55% polyester, 43% wool and 2% lycra.
14. An item of apparel according to any preceding claim, comprising a man's jacket.
15. A combination comprising an item of apparel according to any preceding claim, and
a wash bag into which the item is placed for washing.
16. A combination according to Claim 15, the wash bag having a central closable opening
through which the item is inserted.