Denim-like article of clothing and method of producing the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a denim-like clothing mainly including a woven or knitted fabric and having a whitening index of less than or equal to Class 4, which woven or knitted fabric includes ultrafine fibers or fibers capable of forming ultrafine fibers on its surface, and the whitening index is expressed in grey scale for assessing change in color specified in Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS). In preferred embodiments, the denim-like clothing has, for example, the following characteristics: (a) The denim-like clothing has a roughness index of equal to or more than 3 micrometers as determined using a measuring machine, KES-FB4; (b) the ultrafine fibers or the fibers capable of forming ultrafine fibers are ultrafine fibers having a fineness of less than or equal to 0.6 dtex or fibers capable of forming ultrafine fibers having a fineness of less than or equal to 0.6 dtex; (c) the fibers capable of forming ultrafine fibers are multicore fibers; and (d) the fibers have a matrix component that has been degraded. The invented denim-like clothing includes the ultrafine fibers or fibers capable of forming ultrafine fibers on its surface and is easily whitened by flexing or rubbing to thereby exhibit the feeling or semblance of a natural fiber denim.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.