BY – TASRIFA SULTANA HAZARIKA

 buttons are small, usually round fasteners sewn onto

garments and used to attach two pieces of fabric
together. there are three main styles of buttons: shank,
sew-through, and stud. in modern clothing fashion ,
a button is most commonly made of plastic, but also
frequently made of metal, wood or seashell.

 Buttons can be used as both fuctioning and decorative

element.
 the most common buttons are fairly flat, with 2 or 4
holes in the centre. they’re easy to attach to hand
knits by sewing a fine yarn or sewing thread though
the holes. there is an enormous amount of choice
available, from plain plastic through wood, metal and
glass buttons to hand-crafted ceramic ones.
shank buttons have a hollow loop on the back through
which thread is sewn to attach the button to the
fabric, while sew-through, or flat, buttons have either
two or four holes through which the thread is sewn.
the third type, stud or tack buttons, are the types
found on jeans. they are made of metal and are
comprised of two parts: the grooved tack section that
pushes up through the denim and the top button that
is then hammered on to the tack. the majority of jeans
have a zipper fly with a stud button at the top to
secure the pants.
 these are much like shank buttons but instead of a
hole they have a pin which is attached through the
fabric to secure the button in place. these are a
nightmare on handknits as the knitted fabric is made
up almost entirely of holes, so there’s nowhere to
secure the button. the metal used in the buttons are
brass, nickel, copper etc.
 long, skinny and often rounded, toggles can be used
as buttons in buttonholes or with a loop fastening.
their length lets them slip through smaller holes than
a similar round or square button so they’re a secure
choice. they tend to be statement pieces and are often
made of wood and attached as a flat button would be,
through two holes in the centre of the button.
 these metal or plastic fasteners snap together with a pop
(hence the name). they’re a fairly modern invention,
and are ideal for hidden fastenings (such as on a
cushion cover or bag) and ones that need to be fairly
secure. they’re designed to be sewn onto fabric, and
can be tricky to attach to knitting. plastic ones usually
need to sit flat to shut firmly.
 another alternative to buttons, hook and eye
fastenings are made of a loop and a catch. you’ll
often see versions on skirts, bras, dresses and jeans.
because the hook can easily slide in and out of the
loop, these only work where there’s a bit of tension to
hold the fabric taught (as in a bra) or if they are a
secondary fastening (complementing the zip on a
skirt).
 ligne is a french word, which means, "line" and it is shortened
with the letter of l. button sizes are recognized worldwide with
“l”ligne is a linear unit (1/40 inch) used to measure diameter of
buttons
 HOW TO MEASURE THE BUTTON
 before calculating button line we should know following
measurement:
 1 inches = 40 ligne = 2.54 cm,
 1 ligne = 0.635 mm
 so if the button length (die) is 15 mm
 1 ligne = 0.635 mm
 button die (in mm) / 0.635 = button ligne
 15 mm / 0.635 = 23.62 = 24 l (l = ligne)
 so if required you could calculate button diameter from button
ligne also.
 button diameter = button ligne x 0.635
 in apparel industry buttons are normally classify
according to the size, materials, and holes. by
this ways buttons are as follows-
 according to ligne number
 according to material used
 according to no. of hole

 according to ligne number:
 ligne no. is the measuring unit of button and
indicates the diameter of button.
 we know that,
 ligne = 0.025 inch or 0.635mm.
NO BUTTON SIZE USED
USED IN BUTTON DOWN
01 12 L SHIRTS.

USED IN
SPREAD COLLAR SHIRT AND
02 16 L FOR SHIRTS MOSTLY.

03 18 L USED IN SHIRTS MOSTLY.

MOST
04 24 L COMMON FOR PANT.

05 24 L SOMETIMES USED BUTTON.

DECORATIVE
06 26 L AND OTHERS USES
DECORATIVE AND OTHERS
07 28 L USES
DECORATIVE
08 32 L AND OTHERS USES
DECORATIVE AND OTHERS
09 36 L USES
 i) plastic button: made of polyester, polyamide,
polyacrylonitrile etc, cheap, not glossy and widely used in
shirts.
 ii) metal button: used in normally denim pants, trousers etc.
 iii) wooden button: used in decorative purposes.
 iv) horn button: made up of horns of animals. used in shirts,
pants.
artificial horns are also used which is made of nylon and
plastic and additives.
 v) chalk button: used to make plastic glossy. used in shirts.
 vi) printed button: used in decorative purposes
 c. according to no. of holes:
 1. 2 hole button. 2. 4 hole button.
 polyester buttons can imitate almost any material –
even completely natural ones, such as horn. and this
could be done with such quality that it will be difficult
for a non-professional to recognize the imitation. this
versatile material, with its endless colour combinations,
allows our customer to create all kinds of customised
buttons with personal shapes and sizes to meet their
brand requirement or needs. in addition to shirt buttons,
our outerwear buttons are also very popular.
 mother of pearl buttons are a classic detail favorited
by high-quality shirt makers. made from the inner
layer of pearl oysters (also called nacre), they have a
little more depth of color than plastic resin buttons
do. these buttons can have a tendency to crack, but
usually only do this with particularly brutal dry
cleaners. they do not dissolve after repeated washes
like resin
 horn buttons are made from real horn in compliance
with animal protection laws. real horn buttons have
unusual colours and special grain patterns that make
them a very versatile product. they lend character to
high-range elegant jackets and sportswear.
 the corozo nut used for carving figurines, turning
buttons and crafting other fashion accessories is the
seed of a tropical palm, a species scientifically known
as phytelephas macrocarpas. the name of this species
derives from the greek rootsand meaning plant and
elephant respectively, in reference to the very large size
of both, the fruit and its seeds, and also in reference to
the great similarity elephant ivory keeps with the
whitish endosperm of these surprisingly versatile nuts.
 horn buttons and bone buttons add a striking natural
element to any outfit. our traditional, narrow-rimmed
four-hole buttons are the definitive classic fastener for
many casual jackets and shirts. many of our horn
buttons are designed with an organically shaped
irregular edge, which lends to their dash and their
charm.
 garment dyeing is a technique used for colouring fully
fashioned garments in linen and cotton. Dyeing buttons
are white and porous for better colour absorption. ever
shorter lead times in fashion production make buttons
for garment dyeing a practical product for the clothing
industry.
 snap fasteners in nickel-free brass are produced with
a polyester insert and available in a whole range of
colours to match shirting. snap fasteners with insert
in coloured resin are versatile, practical and cheerful
 covered buttons (or coated buttons) consist of two main
parts: the front (that is covered by the fabric) and the
back that is sew to the cloths. you can find covered
buttons with plastic core and covered buttons with
metal core in different sizes and shapes: flat covered
buttons, domed covered buttons and half ball covered
buttons.
 There are customised buttons of all kinds, in many
different materials. they customise buttons to meet
clients’ requests, with names, logos, brands, designs,
geometric graphics or patterns, to guarantee a unique,
easily recognisable identity for the finished garment.
 starting with images one can customize buttons or
accessories to make it unique and unmistakable with
text, drawings, textures and geometries.
 this natural material was invented by being extracted
from casein, and has since revolutionised the button
industry, thanks to its amazing application capabilities.
in fact, it is possible to create structural effects and
colours with infinite intensity with galalith. it is used
for producing high-quality buttons by means of
polishing processes that provide unique products.
THANKS FOR WATCHING