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JACQUARD: HISTORY AND FEATURES
13/07/2016
Fabrics created with a Jacquard weaving machine are characterized by complex and well-structured motifs. That’s the reason why we call them wrought or tooled fabrics.
Up to 19th century, all fabrics requiring different yarn and characterized by complex design structures were very difficult to be manufactured: in order to create a single window treatment curtain two people worked hard on a single weaving machine, labour costs were too high so, the so-called jacquard fabrics were only created for rich people.
19th century Industrial Revolution introduced a need for renovation and transformation in textile field, too.
Driven by the zeal of the century, French Joseph Marie Jacquard studied all the mechanical development of the previous years in textile field and tried to invent a new sewing equipment.
Jacquard invention was based on Giovanni il Calabrese idea, an Italian man who lived in France during the second half of the 15th century. He was the first to invent a faster weaving machine so that it was now possible to create wrought fabrics.
Giovanni il Calabrese idea wasn’t successful at that time and there were a lot of people who tried to boycott its invention because textile field workers were afraid of an increase in unemployement and they were suspiscious about tecnology, too.
One of the old prototypes of this loom is still exposed in the Trade Show in Paris.
Jacquard improved Giovanni il Calabrese weaving machine by implementing some neddles, a pierced cardboard to limit the design structure of the fabric and also a mechanical cylinder on the upper part of the weaving machine aimed at the automatization of drawn cardboard substitution.
This new weaving machine was able at last to create very complex fabrics with a minimal effort and the supervision of a single worker.
Jacquard weaving machine was at first boycotted, like Giovanni il Calabrese experiment but he worked hard to patent his new weaving machine who was named after him.
In order to create jacquard fabrics such as cotton or linen or polyester Bellavista from Colette Collection we use some electronic weaving machines that are the modern evolution of the efficient invention Joseph Marie Jacquard introduced in the 19th century.