If you know your fabrics, you are sure to have come across modal before. It is a commonly used fabric in consumer textiles and is widely used for many purposes. Its many natural benefits make it the perfect fabric for clothing, but what exactly is modal? Where did it come from?
Well, modal is a type of rayon (a textile made from regenerated cellulose) and is a semi-synthetic cellulose fabric. Rayon is usually made up from the wood pulp of any tree, whereas modal is made up of the pulp from beech trees. It is referred to as semi-synthetic because the material it is made from is natural, but the process of turning wood pulp into yarn is chemical.
You’ll sometimes find it used on its own, but sometimes it is blended with other fibres such as spandex or cotton. It is delicate, lightweight, drapes well and is usually cool to the touch.
How Is it Made?
The process of making modal fabric begins with harvesting the wood from the beech trees and extracting the cellulose. After this, the process gets a little complicated. It involves forming the cellulose into sheets, adding chemicals and breaking it into crumbs. The cellulose is then made into a syrupy solution that is spun into yarn.
Once the yarn is ready, it can be woven into the modal fabric.
What Are the Benefits?
Modal has a number of natural benefits, which is what makes it so popular. Here are just a few of them:
It’s breathable – The lightweight fabric is incredibly breathable. The natural composition of the fibres makes it suitable for wearing close to the skin.
It’s moisture-wicking – Modal fabric wicks moisture away from the skin, helping your skin to feel refreshed. This makes it particularly popular for use in underclothing.
It’s stretchy and robust – Another natural element of the fabric is that it is incredibly stretchy and durable. Making it a comfortable fabric for a variety of clothing, the stretch element makes modal hard-wearing and long-lasting.
Shrink resistant – Modal is more shrink resistant than cotton and is also resistant to pilling, another element contributing its long life expectancy.
Where Can You Find It?
Because of the benefits above, you can find modal in many places. High thread counts of modal can be used to make luxury bedding, but it is more often used in clothing.
You’ll find modal fabric in underwear, loungewear, and other clothing such as yoga pants and t-shirts.
Harem Modal Lounge Pants Black
How to Care for Modal
All modal fabrics will come with their own individual washing instructions, so it is important that you pay attention to these to ensure you’re taking care of your garment properly. Despite this, most modal fabrics are easy to care for.
For instance, our modal is machine washable at 30 degrees and can be tumble dried on low heat. What’s more, you can also cool iron it on the inside. However, it is recommended you use gentle detergent and avoid chlorine or bleaches. Read more about the fabrics we offer at Jasmine Silk, in the rest of our blog.
