Velvet is a fabric that is very soft and has a great sheen. It is a fabric that has been traditionally used as an alternative to silk though, in ancient times, it was made from silk even. It is a fabric that is thicker than other fabrics and a very versatile one as it is used to make different kinds of apparels. Earlier it was considered a very rich fabric, one that was to be worn by the nobility alone. Today there is another fabric called velveteen in the market that looks and feels like velvet but is not quite the same. People are always confused between velvet and velveteen when they are out there in the market to buy a fabric. This article attempts to remove this confusion by highlighting the differences between velvet and velveteen.
Velvet
Velvet is a soft fabric like silk and rayon though it is much thicker than other varieties of soft fabrics. This is because it is made combining two pieces together on a loom. These pieces are later cut away in such a manner that a person feels the pile effect when he holds the fabric in his hands. Velvet is an ancient fabric that was made by hand using silk thousands of years ago. This is why it was very expensive and considered fit only to be worn by Kings and the nobility. Washing velvet at home is difficult because of the pile effect, but it can be dry-cleaned with modern methods. Today velvet is made from a variety of fabrics, and one can even find cotton velvet in the market. Velvet made form silk is the costliest variety. Synthetic velvets have also appeared in the market that is made from polyesters and rayon fabrics. It can also be made using wool and linen.
Velvet was manufactured initially in Kashmir and exported to West Asia and through these Asian countries into western countries.
Velveteen
Velveteen is a fabric that is manufactured using the pile effect of velvet. This gives one a feeling of softness and smoothness, but it does not compare with velvet in terms of sheen and softness. It is also not that dense fabric as velvet. Velveteen is usually made with a cotton fabric which is the reason why it does not have the shine of true velvet. However, it is a very useful fabric sold in craft shops and used in various crafts. One cannot use the fabric to drape himself, but it is used for making a variety of apparels that are available at a fraction of the price of velvet garments.
Velvet vs Velveteen
• Velvet is a very ancient fabric, whereas velveteen is a rather recent innovation.
• Velvet was earlier made from silk though it later got produced from many different fabrics such as wool, linen, polyester, rayon, and even cotton.
• Velvet was so expensive that it was used only by kings and nobility.
• Velveteen is a fabric made using the same weave that is used for making velvet though the pile effect is small.
• Velveteen is mostly made using cotton.
• Velveteen is much cheaper than velvet.