What is velvet? What are the types of velvet fabrics?

Velvet, also known as Zhang velvet, originated in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, China. It was mass-produced in the Ming Dynasty and is one of the traditional Chinese fabrics.

There are two types of floral velvet and plain velvet. Flower velvet is cut part of the loops into fluff according to the pattern, and the fluff and loops are alternated to form a pattern. The surface of the plain velvet is all loops. The fluff or loops of velvet stand tightly and have the characteristics of luster, wear resistance, and non-fading, and can be used for fabrics such as clothing and bedding.

The velvet fabric uses cocoon grade A raw silk and also uses silk as the warp, cotton yarn as the weft, and silk or rayon to raise the loop. Both warp and weft are degummed or semi-degummed, dyed, twisted, and then woven. According to different uses, different raw materials can be used for weaving.

In addition to the silk and rayon mentioned above, it can also be woven from different raw materials such as cotton, eye, viscose, polyester, and nylon. So the velvet fabric is not woven with velvet, but its hand and texture are as smooth and shiny as velvet.