Jojeti demystyfied.

I heard many old songs from Zimbabwe mention this word; Jojeti. I always wondered what it was and did some research of my own. Turns out the actual word is Georgette... I did some further reading about this material that had caused a craze in the late 70's and early eighties in southern Africa. The full name is crêpe Georgette or Georgette crêpe. The fabric has been around for a long time; named after georgette de la Plante, a French dressmaker and fashionista of the 20th century.

The fabric is traditionaly made from silk, and evolved to be of rayon, polyester and other synthetics and blends. The distinctive feature in georgette is the crinkly surface created by the way the yarns are twisted in both warp and weft. (the warp is the set of lengthwise yarns held in tension on aframe/loom, while the weft is the yarn that is inserted over and under the warp threads). The threads used in georgette are highly twisted, like most other crêpes. Georgette is surprisingly strong, and has a bouncy, flowing look about it. The threads are very thin and, although th weave tends o be tight, the overal appearance is a bit sheer. It is springier but less lustrious than its cousin cloth, chiffon.



Because georgette is highly absorbent, it can be easily dyed in many different colours, or printed with patterns. This versatility probably made it popular back then, and it has made a comeback of sorts of late (mainly in 80s themed parties though).