Grosgrain ( , also sometimes ) is a type of fabric or ribbon defined by the fact that its

weft Warp and weft are the two basic components used in weaving to turn thread or yarn into fabric. The lengthwise or longitudinal warp yarns are held stationary in tension on a frame or loom while the transverse weft (sometimes woof) is dra ...

is heavier than its

warp Warp, warped or warping may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books and comics * WaRP Graphics, an alternative comics publisher * ''Warp'' (First Comics), comic book series published by First Comics based on the play ''Warp!'' * Warp (comics), a ...

, creating prominent transverse ribs. Grosgrain is a

plain weave Plain weave (also called tabby weave, linen weave or taffeta weave) is the most basic of three fundamental types of textile weaves (along with satin weave and twill). It is strong and hard-wearing, and is used for fashion and furnishing fabric ...

corded fabric, with heavier cords than

poplin Poplin, also called tabinet (or tabbinet), is a fine (but thick) wool, cotton or silk fabric that has a vertical warp and a horizontal weft. Nowadays, the name refers to a strong material in a plain weave of any fiber or blend, with crosswis ...

but lighter than

faille Faille was a type of cloth with flat ribs that was in use in the 19th century. It had a softer texture than grosgrain, with heavier and wider cords or ribs. Weft yarns were heavier than warp, manufactured in plain weaving. Material Faille was pr ...

, and is known for being a firm, close-woven, fine-corded fabric. Grosgrain has a dull appearance, with little luster in comparison to many fabric weaves, such as

satin A satin weave is a type of fabric weave that produces a characteristically glossy, smooth or lustrous material, typically with a glossy top surface and a dull back. It is one of three fundamental types of textile weaves alongside plain weave ...

, often used for ribbons; however, it is comparatively very strong. Grosgrain fabric is most commonly available in black, but grosgrain ribbon comes in a large variety of colors and patterns. The ribbon is very similar to

Petersham ribbon Petersham ribbon, also called Petersham facing or simply Petersham, is a thick, stiff, flexible corded ribbon usually made out of either cotton, rayon, viscose, or a cotton/ rayon or viscose blend of fibres and used as facing by milliners and ta ...

in its appearance, but it does not have the ability to follow the curves of a surface or edge the way that the latter does. "Grosgrain" is commonly used to refer to a heavy, stiff ribbon of

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...

woven via taffeta weave using a heavy weft, which results in distinct transverse ribs. Historically, grosgrain was made from

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

, or a combination of fibers such as silk and wool or silk and

mohair Mohair (pronounced ) is a fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. (This should not be confused with Angora wool, which is made from the fur of the Angora rabbit.) Both durable and resilient, mohair is notable for its high luster ...

. When a combination of fibers was used, the end result was sometimes given the name ''grogram'', ''silk mohair'', ''gros de Tours'' or ''gros de Napels''.

Etymology

Grosgrain is both a direct French

loan word A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because the ...

and a folk corruption of the French word . Grogram, originally (appeared in literature in 1562), is defined as a coarse, loosely woven fabric of

, silk and

, or silk and

. The adjective means thick or coarse, originally from the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intellig ...

, itself derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

.Ernest Weekley, ''An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English'', Courier Dover Publications: 1967, : pp 668 '' Grain'' is derived from Old French , itself derived from the Latin (plural of ) – seed or in some contexts

texture Texture may refer to: Science and technology * Surface texture, the texture means smoothness, roughness, or bumpiness of the surface of an object * Texture (roads), road surface characteristics with waves shorter than road roughness * Texture ...

."Grosgrain". ''The Oxford English Dictionary''. 2nd ed. 1989. Thus ''gros gram'', ''grogram'' and ''grosgrain'' are all one and the same: a large grain - hence coarse - texture fabric. The term ''grog'', meaning alcohol, is related to the term ''grogram''. In the 1740s, Admiral Edward Vernon, who was known as "Old Grog" because of the grogram cloak he wore, introduced the

rum ration The rum ration (also called the tot) was a daily amount of rum given to sailors on Royal Navy ships. It was abolished in 1970 after concerns that the intake of strong alcohol would lead to unsteady hands when working machinery. Tradition The ...

in the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. It is from his attire that the naval term ''

grog Grog is a term used for a variety of alcoholic beverages. The word originally referred to rum diluted with water (and later on long sea voyages, also added the juice of limes or lemons), which British Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon introduced ...

'' is derived.

Moire

Moire is a waved or watered effect produced especially on grosgrain silk and woolen moreen via engraved rollers and high pressure on carded material. The end result is a peculiar luster which works best when made from a corded fabric like grosgrain. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, moire was held in high esteem and was, as currently, used for women's dresses, for capes, and for facings, trimmings, etc.

Use in clothing

History

Throughout the 17th century, grosgrain

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not th ...

was used as the fabric

body Body may refer to: In science * Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space * Body (biology), the physical material of an organism * Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anima ...

(corpus) for many garments, including waistcoats, jackets, petticoats, beeches, sleeves, jerkins and many other items of clothing, as a cheaper alternative for the lower socio-economic demographic than fine-woven silk or wool. Factories in America started to produce grosgrain silk in the late 19th century. Throughout the 1920s, the term ''grosgrain'' seems to have remained true to original definition as a garment fabric. However, during the 1920s, it fell out of favor as a garment fabric, and was defined identically to contemporary terminology as a grosgrain ribbon.

Structural uses

Lustrous grosgrain is used extensively to join female semi-detached clothing articles such as bodices to skirts and similar, where this necessary joint may be visible. Ribbed grosgrain may be used similarly to

twill tape Twill tape or twilled tape is a flat herringbone twill-woven fabric tape or ribbon of cotton, linen, polyester, or wool. It may be used in sewing and tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. ...

for internal

gusset In sewing, a gusset is a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into a seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Gussets were used at the shoulders, underarms, and hems of traditional shirts and chemises made ...

s and reinforcements. Grosgrain ribbon is often used for facings and for waistbands. McCall's ''Sewing Book'' states: "grosgrain ribbon is used with any heavy fabric to reduce bulk", though it may be the word "bulk" is used in the sense of outward appearance, rather than actual

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

. McCall elaborates: "grosgrain is used to finish the back of novelty braid or to face the back of any fabric belt."

Evening wear

As a more subtle option to

lustrous Lustre (British English) or luster (American English; see spelling differences) is the way light interacts with the surface of a crystal, rock, or mineral. The word traces its origins back to the Latin ''lux'', meaning "light", and generally ...

, grosgrain is very popular with evening wear, used on the

facings A facing colour is a common tailoring technique for European military uniforms where the visible inside lining of a standard military jacket, coat or tunic is of a different colour to that of the garment itself.René Chartrand, William Younghusb ...

of lapels of most

dress coat A tailcoat is a knee-length coat characterised by a rear section of the skirt, known as the ''tails'', with the front of the skirt cut away. The tailcoat shares its historical origins in clothes cut for convenient horse riding in the Early Mod ...

s and high-end

dinner jacket Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element ...

s and

tuxedos Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element fo ...

. Grosgrain is traditionally used to

hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the g ...

and highlight the

cut Cut may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** Cut (ea ...

lapel Lapels ( ) are the folded flaps of cloth on the front of a jacket or coat (clothing), coat below the collar and are most commonly found on formal clothing and suit (clothes), suit jackets. Usually they are formed by folding over the front edges o ...

collar Collar may refer to: Human neckwear *Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations *Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck ...

s and visible outermost edges of the formal

frock coat A frock coat is a formal men's coat characterised by a knee-length skirt cut all around the base just above the knee, popular during the Victorian and Edwardian periods (1830s–1910s). It is a fitted, long-sleeved coat with a centre vent at th ...

and the later morning coat. Grosgrain is preferred over satin for practicality—it is more durable than silk or satin, as the fabric does not snag as easily. Grosgrain is also used for matching accessories such as

bow tie The bow tie is a type of necktie. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also called the bow knot for that reason. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar of a shirt in a symmetrical manner so that t ...

s and

cummerbund A cummerbund is a broad waist sash, usually pleated, which is often worn with single-breasted dinner jackets (or ''tuxedos''). The cummerbund was adopted by British military officers in colonial India, where they saw it worn by sepoys (Indi ...

s, though these are often in

barathea Barathea, sometimes spelled barrathea, is a soft fabric, with a broken twill weft rib, giving a surface that is lightly pebbled or ribbed, with the effect of a twill running both left and right. Original developed as a cloth for mourning clothes ...

to complement the main suiting.

Millinery

Grosgrain is also used in

millinery Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...

. Grosgrain ribbons are popular for use in ribbon decorations for

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

s, however, grosgrain is most notably used in

top hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditional ...

s, fedora hats, and

opera hat An opera hat also called a chapeau claque or gibus is a top hat variant that is collapsible through a spring system, originally intended for less spacious venues, such as the theatre and opera house. Typically made of black satin, it folds verti ...

s, or as the trimming band on the Homburg.

Other uses

Book-binding

Grosgrain fabric and ribbon are common structural fabrics for the joining or reinforcement of spines or sheaves in fine commercial and hobby bookbinding and book restoration.

Cargo and packing use

A particular characteristic of grosgrain ribbon is that the thicker weft resists longitudinal curling, and so it exerts an even pressure when tied around crushable materials.

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...

grosgrain is often used as heavy-duty

webbing red, blue and black auto_racing.html"_;"title="nylon_webbing_as_used_in_auto_racing">nylon_webbing_as_used_in_auto_racing_harnesses Webbing_is_a_strong_nylon_webbing_as_used_in_auto_racing_harnesses">auto_racing.html"_;"title="nylon_webbing_as ...

or binding around luggage, packs,

messenger bag A messenger bag (also called a courier bag) is a type of sack, usually made of cloth (natural or synthetic). It is worn over one shoulder with a strap that goes across the chest resting the bag on the lower back. While messenger bags are som ...

s and other heavy-use "soft" goods. It is also used for securing

cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...

. It can be dyed and is available in a variety of colours, though it is typically dyed black. Early seat belts and military webbing during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

was typically made of hemp, jute or linen grosgrain.

Craft

Grosgrain made out of cotton or low-cost synthetic fibres such as polyester are very common for gift-wrap ribbons, or for decorating and ornamenting scrapbooks and greeting cards. Grosgrain ribbon is used for a variety of different crafts as well, from bead making, to book-binding, trimming or embellishing, as well as a multitude of other uses. Grosgrain ribbon is the primary ribbon material used in the hair bow industry.

Lanyards

Grosgrain woven from cotton or low-cost synthetic fibres such as polyester are very popular for use as

lanyard A lanyard is a cord, length of webbing, or strap that may serve any of various functions, which include a means of attachment, restraint, retrieval, and activation and deactivation. A lanyard is also a piece of rigging used to secure or lowe ...

, straps, and are often sold printed for use by large corporate companies as a marketing or branding tool.

Percussion

Polyester grosgrain in a width can be used as the tensioning material attaching the snares of a snare drum to the throw-off mechanism, with the ribbing providing good insurance against slippage. Some musicians use it in an attempt to lessen sympathetic snare buzz from external sources, as it will hold the tab ends of the snares closer to the head than string, providing more dampening than mylar straps.

Notes

References

{{fabric Woven fabrics