Flocks give distressed prints depth and added texture and are mainly used in typograpy. The flock gives letters and numbers a soft velvety feel, helping to enhance a garments quality and appearance.
Decorating garments with flock is a technique that has been practiced for decades and could be considered the first real “special effect” for garment decoration. Flock gained popularity in the 1950’s as a way to personalise bowling shirts with a team name emblazoned on the back and an individual bowler’s name located over the pocket.
The process of flocking is fairly simple and easy. First, a suitable adhesive is applied to the garment’s surface to be flocked. The flock is then applied, penetrating the surface of the adhesive to create the desired effect.
Electrostatic flock applicators charge the flock particles which are then attracted to the grounded surface that is to be flocked. This application ensures that the fibres all end up standing at right angles to the surface resulting in a soft velvet finish.
