silver+black+and+white

How Do Your New Jeans get that "Lived In" look?
Today seduction begins with ENZYMES. Yes, Enzymes. Those weird little things that you "only use in biology". Since instant gratification takes too long now, todays teen demand instant comfort in the jeans they buy.

Initially jeans used to be washed with stones, to make them softer and more comfortable. Unfortunantly this damaged the equipment, and the jeans. Acid was also used, but it was expensive, dangerous and bad for the environment.

Enzymes were first introduced in 1989. This technique became very popular in the '90's, with sales of enzymes used in the textiles industry expanding from $164.2 million in 1998 to $182.7 million by 2002 (Dr. Kathleen A. Marrs, 2003).

Enzymes like rocks or acid, break down the stiff dyes in the material, making jeans soft without damaging cotton fibers.

Cellulase enzymes are made out of the //Trichoderma reesei// fungus. This is gathered and cellulose enzymes are extracted and cloned to make many of them.
 * How do they do that?**

Cellulase enzymes bond to the cellulose, a main element of cotton, breaking down some of the molecular bonds, which makes the jeans less stiff. This process is watched carefully to make sure that only the dye particles are loosened and that the integrity of the cotton fibers is left uncompromised.

=Next time that you slip on a pair of comfortable, stylishly faded jeans, remember that brilliant insights into Bio-Chemical interactions did that for you.=