Textile and Apparel Science

Shedding Light on Shedding: Understanding Fiber Fragmentation from Secondhand Clothing 

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Abstract

Demand for clothing is estimated to increase by 4.5% a year globally. Secondhand clothing is one possibility to meet this demand. Denim garments, often in the form of jeans, are an important component of secondhand clothing. This study focuses on the characteristics of the fiber fragment material released during laundering by secondhand, 100% cotton, denim (SHS) in comparison to new denim (CN), and the implications of secondhand clothing’s contribution of fiber fragments to the environment. The fragment size and frequency was found to have a statistically significant difference between SHS (length 370.5µm, diameter 16.9 µm, 3093 fiber fragments per filter) and CN (320.7 µm, 13.8 µm and 5962 fragments per filter, respectively). Possible explanations for the data are that the SHS would have previously shed small fragments through use and laundering. The SHS were primed for longer fiber fragments to be available for shedding to wear and degradation over time. 

Keywords: microfibers, fiber fragmentation, denim, secondhand clothing, cotton

How to Cite:

Thompson, A. J. & Oblites, E., (2025) “Shedding Light on Shedding: Understanding Fiber Fragmentation from Secondhand Clothing ”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 82(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.21589