What is SEERSUCKER?
Seersucker is a light thin fabric, generally cotton or rayon, with a crinkled or puckered surface and a usually striped pattern. Originally, in the eighteenth century, seersucker was striped Indian cotton, the stripes being the identifying feature. You can tell that from the original name, the Persian shir o shakar, literally milk and sugar, in reference to what we would now call its candy stripes.
Seersucker is a cotton fabric with a name deriving from the Persian term shir o shakar which means milk and sugar. The fabric was initially made in Iraq, yet it was popularized in America, especially for men’s clothing. Seersucker is made by what is called a slack-tension weave, where groups of yarn are bunched together in certain portions of the fabric created a puckered, almost wrinkled look to the fabric. In fact, it’s usually unnecessary to iron seersucker garments because they are supposed to look slightly wrinkly. The puckering effect of the weave creates a wonderful feature in seersucker garments. They tend to be much cooler to wear because airspace is created between the body and parts of the clothing. Initially, seersucker was the fabric of choice for working class men, especially when they had to work in hot weather. It later was adopted by the upper classes, and was especially associated with the Southern gentleman’s suit.
A fabric usually a narrow striped cotton with alternate stripes crinkled in the weaving that has a Crepe-stripe effect. Colored stripes are often used alternating with white. The fabric has a matte surface. Seersucker comes in light, and medium to heavy weights. The woven crinkle is produced by alternating slack and tight yarns in the warp. This effect is permanent. Some seersucker cloths may be produced by pressing/ironing or a chemical treatment, which is unlikely to be permanent. Seersucker is also called plisse. It is Durable, gives good service and wear and especially excellent for very hot summers. It can be laundered without having to iron. Essentially it is wrinkle resistant by nature. It can also be bleached, yarn dyed, or printed. Some seersuckers come in a check or plaid effect as well. Seersucker has many uses: Summer suits for men, women, and children, coats, uniforms, trims, nightwear, all kinds of sportswear, dresses, blouses, children´s wear of all kinds, curtains, beds
