Slub and nep are special textures on jeans and important features of vintage denim. They look similar, so they are often confused. In fact, slub and neps are two completely different things, but few people can tell them clearly. Not only do they affect the feel and texture of your jeans, they can also affect their overall fading and change. Today I will share with you the differences between the two and recommend some selvedge denim fabrics with slub or neps.

     

Slub

Early bamboo knots/slubs were a common phenomenon in denim produced on old shuttle looms. The denim of that period did not have a uniform texture. The surface of the fabric was uneven, rough, and full of hairiness.

Causes of Slub/bamboo knots:

• Spinning technology is backward;
• Resulting from the weaving process on an old shuttle loom.

Uneven yarn thickness results from uneven spinning.

Denim fabrics woven with yarns of different thicknesses produce a slub texture.

Additionally, a technique called loom flutter is used in the weaving process, where the loom is set to a low tension level while weaving. This low-tension setting causes the loom to constantly shake as it weaves the denim, causing the yarns to become uneven in thickness, creating a bumpy, rough texture.

Early jeans almost always had a slub texture, which was caused by a manufacturing defect.

American denim factories once borrowed this technology, but Japanese denim factories copied the same period in the United States in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s and copied all the defects in American production at that time, making this uneven and effective fabric reappear. Popularity rises.

 

Today’s denim factories use “slub yarn” to produce denim with a slub texture.

 

Slub yarn is woven into lines of different lengths and thicknesses during the spinning process, and can even make different changes in different areas of the same yarn to achieve an irregular appearance.

Deliberately spun slub yarn can give denim fabrics more variety. By controlling the state of the yarn, the texture of denim from different eras can be replicated.

 

The slubs caused by production defects are irregular, but if the slub yarns are spun using the same rules (same yarn number, same slub thickness, same fiber length, same production process), the denim produced can be Produce regular bamboo textures, such as scattered raindrop effects, dense willow leaf effects, moiré effects, hazy effects, etc.

Slub fabrics with different textures will also produce different dreamy vertical color falls. The unusual fading properties of indigo pigments, which fade at different rates on yarns of different thicknesses, are very interesting.

Neppys/Neps

Neps are small white fluffy particles protruding from jeans, like snowflakes falling on jeans. People often confuse neps with slubbys/slubs/bamboo knots because they have similar characteristics, but the texture of neps is actually more obvious than that of bamboo knots.

In the past, neps, like slubs, were defects caused by manufacturing defects.

 

(Even now, except for vintage denim, nep denim is rarely available on the market because consumers consider it a quality issue.)

Causes of neps:

• The raw materials contain impurities or the fibers are of different lengths;

 

• Produced by the spinning process;

 

• Produced by the weaving process.

 

• Fabric weaved by the Pearl Yarns

 

Neps are visible white fibers exposed on the surface of the fabric. This may be caused by the different lengths of raw fibers. Before spinning, live neps can be combed out through processes such as carding, but some will be further compressed by carding. Dead cotton neps form; dead cotton neps are difficult to untie. After being spun into yarn and woven, large silk balls will cause defects such as cotton balls on the cloth surface. Small white stars are white neps on the cloth surface.

 

The vibration of the loom also intensifies this process, causing the fibers to break or knot more, thus exposing the woven fabric to more entangled neps of fibers.

 

Some neps are white, some are colored, some are even in the colors of the rainbow, and they all have their own beauty.

Unwashed nep jeans can also produce natural color fade, but they also have some special characteristics, that is, the white nep fibers will become more obvious, resulting in a more fuzzy appearance. One of the most popular features of denim jeans is that they also have the uncanny ability to fade horizontally, just like they do vertically.

(This is a pair of jeans with both slub and neps)

How to differentiate the slubs and neps

Compared with slub denim, nep denim is less common. Slub textures often appear in both raw denim and washed denim, but neps are basically only used on raw denim.

 

Since the length and pitch of the bamboo joints can be preset, most of the bamboo joints are arranged vertically and regularly, with similar sizes. The distribution of neps is messy and irregular, with different sizes and shades, and a stronger graininess.

 

If you really can’t see the difference on the surface, you can turn the jeans over and the neps (white) spots will be larger and clearer on the bottom of the fabric.

 

Slub Denim

Momotaro Jeans

10th Anniversary 15.7oz. Original Slub Denim

Reference price: $230.00

This is Momotaro’s 10th anniversary Original Slub Denim launched in 2016, with a slim straight fit and special gold and pink Selvedge. Other details include a jacquard lining with Momotaro logo embossed screen printing. Each pair of jeans will come with a jacquard canvas bag and an indigo-dyed handkerchief.

Heavy slub selvedge denim fabric from WingFly Premium Selvedge denim Fabric:

 

Neppy Denim

Warehouse

8.5oz Nep Denim Workshirt

Reference price: $230.00

Warehouse, one of the popular Osaka Five, has been launching 8.5oz denim shirts for more than 20 years. White button fastening, lapels, chain-stitched, and white selvedge mid-weight denim. Like Raw Denim, denim with uneven indigo dyeing will fade over time.

9.5 Oz Selvedge Neppy Denim fabric from WingFly Premium Selvedge denim Fabric:

Rogue Territory

TYPE III JACKET // NEPPY DENIM

Reference price: $320.00

This is a Type III denim jacket that is very popular on Instagram. From the beginning of the business, the manager of Rogue Territory hopes that every product has brand characteristics, and this time is no exception. This is an innovative style based on Levi’s Type III denim jacket. The classic design of the original style is retained and the brand’s characteristic design is added. Made from 14oz selvedge indigo denim with beautiful neps. The collar and chest pocket use a curved design to make the lines softer. There is a small pocket hidden in the left breast pocket. There are also two large inner pockets inside the jacket, and the white selvedge trim is also hidden in it. These are left-hand twill jeans, so they will fade faster than regular denim and are softer.

15oz Selvedge Neppy Denim Material Affordable Selvage Jeans Cloth Manufacturers WF373

From WingFly Premium Selvedge denim Fabric: