Focus on the wrinkle-free, no-iron shirt!

Do you dream of never ironing your shirts again? You should know that there are "wrinkle-free" shirts that require less ironing, and therefore less maintenance! This saves time and simplifies the maintenance of your shirts.

Let's take a look back at non-iron shirts!

More than 70 years ago, non-iron shirts arrived on the textile market. Specifically, in 1953, the American Brooks Brothers launched its first "non-iron" shirt. New techniques are developed over the years to find the right fabric, without ironing, pleasant and simple to wear. Moreover, research on cotton showed that it was possible to fuse the cellulose molecules to make the fabric wrinkle-free. That's how Brooks Brothers became the first clothing retailer to launch 100% non-iron cotton shirts in 1998.

Town Center / Brooks Brothers

The success of no-iron shirts has grown: it's great not to have to do that pesky task anymore! Shirts require less maintenance and the fabric wrinkles less easily.

What is a non-iron shirt?

In fact, the manufacturing process of a "non-iron" shirt has not evolved since their creation. Indeed, the fabric is immersed in a chemical solution linking the threads together. This makes the fabric more rigid and wrinkle-free.

Different textile treatments exist to make the fabric wrinkle-free. 

Formaldehyde: an effective treatment

Since the 1920s, formaldehyde resins have been used to treat fabrics and textiles. This treatment mainly fights against wrinkles, but also improves stain resistance and prevents mildew. Thus, it makes shirts easier to care for and transport.

In simple terms, formaldehyde is a chemical substance that appears at room temperature as a colorless, flammable gas. You probably know it as a liquid called formaldehyde.

Ammonia to make natural fibers wrinkle-free.

In order to make fabrics wrinkle-free, a technology exists to treat fabrics with liquid ammonia at -33°. This is a perfect technique for 100% vegetable-based materials.

This technology will protect your fabric for a minimum of 50 to 100 washes to improve the ease of ironing and its resistance. To be sure that the textile is well treated, it is tested in a laboratory: resistance to stretching, to abrasion and to creasing.

Elastane and polyester: magical materials! 

Some materials and fibers have wrinkle-free properties that make ironing unnecessary!

Elastane is a very elastic material. In fact, it can stretch up to seven times its size. Whatever your activity, thanks to elastane, your garment will return to its original shape. Its stretchy fibers allow for less frequent wrinkling of the fabric.

Polyester, on the other hand, is a strong fiber, as it is robust and absorbent. In fact, this fiber requires little maintenance, since it does not wrinkle, is resistant to the sun, does not fade or shrink. 

Therefore, polyester/elastane blends allow for flexible and durable garments. They are then less wrinkled and require less maintenance. 

Combining elastane or polyester with other fibers will make your garments wrinkle-free.