“Dry wrinkling” occurs on garments during daily use when the wearer is sitting or bending. This type of wrinkling also occurs when garments are stored or packed in a suitcase. Dry wrinkling differs from the “wet wrinkling” that occurs during laundering. Finishes that alleviate the wrinkles that occur laundering may not be as effective for dry wrinkle release.

There is a testing challenge in attempting to simulate the release of dry wrinkles. AATCC Test Method 128 is a wrinkling test that was developed several years ago for outerwear; however, this method is very severe and does not appear to be useful for business wear because it is not discriminating. Cotton Incorporated has developed a modification of this test that is more effective because it is less severe, and the modified method differentiates wrinkles better than the original test method.

Comparative data for the original and the modified AATCC 128 methods for dry wrinkle release will be presented. Since both of these methods rely on a visual rating scale, there is some variability in the results. Instrumental assessment of wrinkling would be a more reliable method; preliminary test results will be shown using the SAS imaging system to access dry wrinkling.