Standout in Chinos: Helping Brands and Mills Differentiate Through Eco-advanced Solutions

Chinos, initially employed by the military, derived their name from their origins in China, where the cotton twill fabric used to craft them was sourced. They are a slim fitting pant, with a straight leg and no pleats or large pockets – allowing manufacturers to save fabric and construction time as compared to the more elaborate trouser styles, like suit trousers or cargo pants.

Chino pants are also highly versatile, ideal for the smart-casual dress code of the modern business environment or classy after-work scene. Dressier than jeans, but more casual than suit pants, chinos offer an effortlessly tailored look. They come in a variety of colors: darker colors suit a more formal setting, while stone, taupe, and khaki exude a more casual and relaxed vibe.

This represents an outstanding opportunity for textile mills to capture market share with chino lines that stand out with wash-down effects. Mills can use or easily adapt their existing production equipment to produce chino fabrics with an elegant washed-down look or more aggressive ‘distressed’ street appeal. In either case, we need good overall fastness.

Sustainability remains a key consideration. Consumers and brands increasingly demand eco-friendly solutions that save resources, but this has traditionally been a challenge on chino fabric. Achieving good color intensity and a washed-down contrast usually requires two dyeing processes and significant water and energy, with a risk that the chino fabric will fade too easily.

Archroma’s DIRESUL® RDT dyes were designed to overcome these challenges.

DIRESUL® RDT liq dyes are pre-reduced liquid sulfur dyestuffs, with minimal sulfide content. They comply with the strictest official eco-standards and the requirements of leading fashion brands and retailers, offering good overall fastness. What’s more, they are suitable for sustainable application using eco-friendly reducing and oxidant agents, contributing to lower overall processing and operating costs.

• To achieve trendy wash-down looks with an exhaust dyeing process, the CASUAL X SMART system combines DIRESUL® RDT dyestuffs with the CYCLANON® MSA p reducing agent, which is highly effective under alkaline conditions and low temperatures, and the non-foaming LEONIL® EHC LIQ C wetting agent. CASUAL X SMART is a short and robust process that improves resource optimization and increases production capacity with less pollution.

• For overdyeing chino fabric with a continuous dyeing process, the DEEP SOUL system combines DIRESUL® RDT dyestuffs with a new room-temperature Reducing Agent HP liq and the OPTIFIX® E-50 LIQ bi-cationic fixing agent. This enhances productivity while dramatically cutting water, energy and CO₂ consumption and generating a reduced volume of cleaner wastewater.
• To achieve unique wash down effects for black/grey chinos, DIRESUL® EVOLUTION BLACK - the cleanest sulfur black coloration.
  

The Diresul® RDT range also includes the EarthColors® dyes, which use non-edible waste from the agricultural and herbal industries to produce warm nature-inspired shades.

As a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, and the innovator at the forefront of sulfur dyeing since 1980, Archroma is the trusted partner of brands and mills in the denim and non-denim segments. We make it possible to produce versatile, long-lasting chinos with fashionable wash-down effects via an eco-friendly dyeing system and smart production processes that are gentler for the planet.