Where does Modal come from?

Modal comes from Japan, first documented in the 1950s.

Plate No. 151fabric

A second-generation rayon: silky, soft, and stable when wet.

First documented: 1950s
Origin: Japan, Japan
Fiber: modal
Weave: high-wet-modulus regenerated cellulose
Family: manufactured

Plate No. 151 · fabric

Modal

Modal is a second-generation rayon, a high-wet-modulus regenerated cellulose usually made from beech pulp, engineered to stay strong and keep its shape when wet, unlike the first viscose rayons that weakened and shrank. The result is an exceptionally soft, smooth, supple fiber that resists shrinking and pilling and holds dye and color well through washing. Developed in the mid-twentieth century and refined by Lenzing, it is prized for underwear, loungewear, t-shirts, and bedding, very often blended with cotton to lend its silky softness.

Illustration: a beech forest at the edge of a textile works in central Europe, pale logs stacked by a mill building, skeins of silky fiber drying on racks, a worker as a small distant figure, soft overcast light — A beech forest at the edge of a textile works in central Europe, pale logs stacked by a mill building, skeins of silky fiber drying on racks, a worker as a small distant figure, soft overcast light.

Named for

Named for its high modulus, the engineering term for stiffness, which the fiber retains even when wet.

Common questions

What is Modal made of?: Modal is a second-generation rayon, a high-wet-modulus regenerated cellulose usually made from beech pulp, engineered to stay strong and keep its shape when wet, unlike the first viscose rayons that weakened and shrank.
Where does Modal come from?: Modal comes from Japan, first documented in the 1950s.
What is Modal named after?: Named for its high modulus, the engineering term for stiffness, which the fiber retains even when wet.