What is Viscose?

What is Viscose?
Soft and lightweight, viscose is a much loved fabric used in the Made In Italy Clothing industry.

At Laundry b we love a good Italian made viscose in the many guises it graces our rails in, soft, breathable and lightweight, viscose fabric has been a fixture on our site and shops for many years. Although you would be forgiven for thinking it's a modern fabric, it has actually been in use since the 1800’s viscose mainly comes from trees and is relatively sustainable. It's cheap to produce and is a versatile fabric as it works for blouses, dresses, knitwear as well as heavier fabrics that are good for jackets and coats too. Viscose is made from wood pulp and can even be used as a silk substitute as it has a similar drape, flow and the smooth feel to a luxury fabric. This type of viscose was first used in 1883 and is now available in so many textures. 

How is Viscose Made? 

It's made from tree wood pulp, often beech, pine or eucalyptus but it can also be made from bamboo. The plant is chipped into pulp and through a chemical process is turned into brown wood solution. Its then washed and cleaned and then put through another process to create fibres. The viscose is then put through a spinneret machine which creates filaments called regenerated cellulose. It's then spun in to yarn which can be woven or knitted into the viscose you know and love for our infamous Made in Italy clothing. 

The Characteristics of Viscose.

It's lightweight with a great drape and high end finish with a soft touch. It's relatively inexpensive but looks luxurious at a much much lower price point. It plays well with other fabrics and the Made In Italy manufacturers are great at creating new and exciting blends with cotton, linen, polyester and spandex, viscose is lovely at creating stretch clothing. It's absorbent characteristics are great for hot flushes, so a great option for tee’s and vests. Due to its weight viscose is airy so works well for summer dresses and blouses. Its breathability means it wont stick to the body making it great for warmer weather. Its super soft touch makes this material look like silk yet feel like cotton. It's great at holding its silhoette and blended with elastane makes for some exciting and comfortable stretch clothing. Viscose is also dye fast and rarely fades even after years of wear.

This is why we love this magic fabric here at Laundry b and each season we are excited to see new textures to come from Italy.