Glossary of frequently-used textile, manufacturing, development, production, and commercial shipping terms in the apparel industry.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Dart	A wedge or diamond shape removed from the body of a garment section by stitching or by cutting and stitching to aid in the shaping of the garment. A dart can be functional or used in various forms as a design element.
DC	A retailer’s Distribution Center for its stores. The DC is usually the “Ship To” point on their Purchase Order.
Delivery (Dates)	Completion dates provided by the vendor or contractor for the latest date acceptable by the customer and indicated in the contract.
Department Number	The retailer’s Department Number contains the type of merchandise belonging to a group of departments in their merchandise division.
Dimensional Change	A generic term for variation in length or width of a garment or fabric specimen subjected to specified conditions. The change is usually expressed as a percentage of the initial dimension of the specimen.
Discharge Printing	The process of pre-dyeing the background color in a printed textile to insure evenness and depth of color and then printing a chemical to “discharge” or bleach out the background. At the same time a new color is printed (dyestuff), in its place, all in one operation. This assures perfect registration of the print motifs on the ground color.
Distribution Center	See: DC
Dobby Weave	A fancy woven fabric with a small repeating pattern woven on a special dobby loom. The pattern and repeat are usually smaller than a jacquard pattern.
Dog Ears	The (undesirable) frayed seams present at the inside corners of the pockets caused when the pocket corners are turned back and stitched down improperly.

Double Knit	A group of knitted textiles that can be done on a variety of knitting equipment, but consists of two knitted structures knitting together simultaneously. Double knit fabrics can be plain like interlock and full Milano or multicolored and patterned as in double knit jacquards. Double knit fabrics are often more stable and less stretchy.
Double-Bed (Vee) Knitting	Knitting machines that have two opposing beds of knitting needles, each one controlling a stitch during the knitting process. Double bed machines make a higher quality rib construction and can often be used in full-fashioned knitting and elaborate stitch combinations. True “cable stitches” can only be done on double bed machinery.
Drape	The visual (perceived) structural or aesthetic effect a fabric has when made into a garment, such as: graceful, soft, fluid, stiff, crisp, heavy, bouffant, etc.
Dry-cleaning	The cleaning of fabrics with organic solvents such as petroleum solvents, perchloroethylene, or fluorocarbons. Note: The process also includes adding detergent and moisture to the solvent, up to 75% relative humidity, and hot tumble-drying to 71C (160F).
Duty	A government tax imposed on imported goods or manufacture, based on product categories, materials or fiber content and other consumer-based categories as outlined in the U.S. Harmonized Code. Originally applied to discourage outside or foreign competition.
Dyer / Dye House	A converter who specializes in preparing and dyeing a fabric to customer specifications. Dyes are chemical substances that produce a wide range of colors that penetrate and bond with the fibers of the cloth. The permanence of the dyeing process is dependent on the fibers, the dyestuffs, the “setting” process, environmental circumstances, etc. Dyes do not usually change the weight or hand of the fabric.