Fleece

woven or knit into fabric. The surface of the fabric is then brushed with wire brushes before it is trimmed (or sheared) to the desired length and finished.

Advantages
There are a number of significant advantages to using fleece fabric. It is easy to sew and launders well. It is machine washable and dries quickly because of its construction and is therefore also water repellent. For this reason, it also wicks moisture away from the body, making it appealing for outdoor and athletic wear. The fabric itself is lightweight, soft, very comfortable and extremely warm. It is available in many colors, patterns and prints. Fleece is an excellent alternative fabric for anyone allergic to wool. And it may be considered earth friendly since some fleece fabrics are made from recycled plastic bottles.

Disadvantages
While fleece is thick and warm, it is not totally imperceptible to wind. In addition, it can sometimes pill or get bally. Fleece should not be washed in hot water, and tumble drying should be avoided. One of the least appealing features of fleece fabric is that it attracts pet and human hair, lint and dust. In addition, since the base product of the polyester fibers used to create fleece is petroleum—and petroleum is a non-renewable resource—every effort should be made to purchase fleece made predominantly from recycled plastic.

Varieties
Fleece fabric is available in several finishes or textures. Berber fleece is a flecked multicolored fabric with a soft nubby surface. Sherpa and Shearling look like lamb’s wool because the surface nap has been curled. Plush fleece is smooth because all the fibers have been trimmed evenly.

Warning
Untreated fleece products are highly flammable. Always be sure any fleece fabric you purchase has been treated to make it flame retardant.

What can be better than fleece jackets to keep someone warm in the cold harsh winters? Whether they are made from the wool sheared from sheep or made using any other artificial fabric materials, they hold everybody’s attention with the sophistication and style they exude. The sixties and seventies belonged to the leather jackets. Today, fleece jackets are the most happening and most sought after. Designed aesthetically, fleece jackets can make stylish fashion statements much like the leather jackets of the 60’s and 70’s. This is why fleece jackets are much in demand among the youth of today.
Fleece jackets are great for providing warmth and comfort during a night out in the winter cold and they can make heads turn wherever one goes. These jackets not only protect the wearer from the cold but are also very light weight much similar to chamois fabric. Cotton, wool or polyester can be used in making these jackets and these jackets are available in many color ranges in the market. Red, blue, black and brown are the popular colors but there are many more newer shades of colors in the market today that are fast catching the imaginations of the younger generation. These jackets can be worn with a regular pair of jeans or with a pair of well designed fleece trousers.

Fleece sweatpants are useful to be worn as stylish jogging pants or just as cozy longs to just hang about in the house. Fleece sweatpants are much in demand by the youngsters of today because of the comfort they offer. These sweatpants are also available in a wide variety of designs and one can see a lot of people wearing them to the gym or for long distance training. Comfort is the main thing when it comes to sweat pants and when they are fleece sweatpants then protection from the winter cold is an added advantage.
Fleece sweatpants come in a huge range of designs these days. Sweatpants are unisexual, which means both men and women can wear them. However, these sweatpants are different in designs for men and women. Kids love these sweatpants because they allow these kids to wear them to play as well as wear hem at night when sleeping. Fleece sweatpants with pockets are a rage with the younger generation and one can see a lot of youngsters wearing them in shopping malls, parks or even to colleges these days. In fact, fleece sweatpants have become a fashion statement among the youth of today. The same can be said of fleece jackets, which is also a clothing item much desired by all, especially the modern generation.

Fleece is a general term for a soft fabric (often with a deep pile), and may refer to:

A fleece, the woollen coat of a domestic sheep or long-haired goat, especially after having been sheared (but before being processed into yarn or thread)
Polar fleece and related modern synthetic materials used to make cool-weather clothing
Horticultural fleece, used to protect plants from low temperatures or insect pests
The Golden Fleece of Greek mythology
Fleece is also the name for a variation of poker

In 1979, when Malden Mills first sold their lightweight, hydrophobic polyester fleece under the trademark Polarfleece, they did not realize that they would be coining a term, i.e., polar fleece, that would eventually come to describe a type of fabric rather than a brand.

Malden Mills’ original fabric was revolutionary because it was both lightweight and warm. It picked up less than 1% of its weight in moisture, and even when completely wet, it maintained its loft and insulating properties. It made an ideal outerwear fabric because it actively wicked moisture away from the body.

Today the term polar fleece is applied to a class of high technology, high performance products that offer tremendous warmth relative to their weight, that are soft to the touch, and that are able to wick moisture away from the body so that they feel dry even when soaking wet. This class of fabric includes both fleece and pile fabrics, even though the two fabric types are constructed differently.

Pile fabrics emerged in the 1960s and 1970s as a result of the introduction of finer gauge, high speed, computerized knitting machines with sophisticated jacquard capabilities accompanied by the introduction of microfibers–high-crimp polyesters and fine denier polypropylenes. Pile fabrics are slightly lighter in weight than fleeces. The loose fibers are dyed, mixed and combed into a long fluffy rope that is guided into a sliver knitting machine. The machine permanently locks the fibers into a fine denier backing. A pile results from the individual fibers standing on end. Finally, the fabric is sheared and finished.

In contrast, fleece is made by first twisting fibres into yarns that are then knitted into a fabric. The fabric is then brushed vigorously to loosen some of the fibers to create a fuzzy (fleece) surface that is then sheared and finished.

In 1998 there were a half dozen or so North American manufacturers of polar fleece; these included Malden Mills, Dyersburg Corporation, Menra Mills, Huntington Mills, Siltex Mills, and Glenoit Mills, in addition to numerous offshore producers.

The history of one leader in the fleece market, Dyersburg Corporation, parallels that of the industry. Begun in 1929 as a family-owned business, Dyersburg originally made cotton sweaters, long johns and cotton fleece gloves. In the 1930s, they introduced the first knitted fleece fabric, a wool blend. By the end of the 1960s, they had expanded into pile fabrics. In 1972, they followed up with the introduction of the first flame retardant fleece made of Monsanto’s SEF Modacrylic. By 1976 they had become the leader in acrylic fleece production. During the 1980s they emerged as a fleece specialist. Responding to changing market trends, they put their expertise in surface finishing to work, creating new cotton-rich fleece products. In 1993 they introduced the world’s first post-consumer recycled polyester fleece made from recycled plastic soda bottles.

Polar fleece (also known as microfleece or micrafleece), usually referred to simply as “fleece,” is a soft napped insulating synthetic wool fabric made from PET or other synthetic fibres. One of the first forms was Polar Fleece created in 1979 by Malden Mills, now Polartec LLC., a new, light and strong pile fabric meant to mimic and in some ways surpass wool. Fleece has some of wool’s finest qualities but weighs a fraction of the lightest available woolens.

Fleece is used in casual jackets, hats, sweaters, jogging bottoms/sweatpants, gym clothes, hoodies, inexpensive throw blankets, and high-performance outdoor clothing, and can be a vegan alternative to wool. It can be made partially from recycled plastic bottles and is very light, soft and easy to wash.

Aaron Feuerstein actively did not patent Polar fleece, allowing the material to be produced cheaply and widely by many vendors, and promoting the material’s wide acceptance.

Fleece garments traditionally come in different thickness: micro, 100, 200, and 300, with 300 being the thickest and least flexible.

and simultaneously highly breathable. Due to this, water vapor from perspiration passes through readily and little is held within the fleece. This makes it a good choice for physical activities where sweating is likely to occur.
Can be considered environmentally friendly as it can be made from recycled plastic PET bottles.
Machine washable and dries quickly. Specific washing instructions include cold or cool water (no more than 30-40°C), line-dry, and do not iron.
A good alternative for those who are allergic or sensitive to wool.
Dries very quickly and retains much of its insulation capability even when it is wet, because of its hydrophobic properties.

Disadvantages
Is flammable. Fleece without fire retardant is categorized as a Group I flammable fabric; with fire retardant, a Group II flammable fabric. (Group III fabrics are the least flammable and are made from natural animal hair, such as wool, from silks and from hides. )
Is made from a non-renewable natural resource: petroleum.
The fabric doesn’t absorb moisture as well as natural fiber fabrics such as cotton and wool (however this is usually a desired effect of fleece).
It tends to generate very high static electricity charges. This makes it a magnet for pet hairs and other dust and fluff.
Not windproof (although some more expensive grades are denser and designed to be windproof.[9], and some have plastic membranes laminated with them to block wind.)
Can be damaged by high-temperature washing (temperatures at or below 30 to 40°C are recommended), or by tumble drying and ironing (only a cool iron is OK).
Lower-quality grades are susceptible to pilling and to early wear and tear.
In some instances it may tear easily.

Fleece cloth are made of bulky fabric materials that are soft and comfortable to the wearer. They are usually made with wool sheared from sheep or by using bulky artificial fabrics. There is nothing trendier than wearing one of these well designed ones in today’s world. One can see a lot of youngsters today wearing Fleece cloth in the form of jackets with hoods or athletes training wearing sweatpants made in fleece materials. These clothes can be designed to look funkier or chic giving versatility to the designs that can be made using fleece material. Fleece cloth can be designed in a variety of models. There can be simple fleece trousers, fleece sweat pants or fleece jackets. Though the materials used in Fleece cloth are soft and bulky, these are also very tough and long lasting. This is why one can see many people wearing fleece jackets in cold weather or athletes wearing fleece sweatpants when training. Fleece jackets are a big hit with today’s youngsters and one can see many of them wearing fleece jackets with hoods in hip-hop music videos. Fleece cloth are ultra chic and sophisticated and every young girl wants to possess a fleece skirt or two in her wardrobe.