THE PRIMARY LEVEL: THE MATERIALS OF FASHION

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unit two

• THE PRIMARY LEVELTHE MATERIALS OF FASHION

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chapter six
Everything you always wanted to know about fibers
and fabrics.

• Key Concepts
• The difference between natural fibers and
  manufactured fibers
• The major steps in the production of most fabrics
• The effects of new technology on textiles
• Going green with fibers and fabrics

• Textiles Fibers and Fabrics

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Textiles Fibers and Fabrics

• The Fiber Industry
• History and Development
• Organization and Operation
• Merchandising and Marketing
• Trends in the Fiber Industry
• The Textile Fabric Industry
• History and Development
• Organization and Operation
• Merchandising and Marketing
• Trends in the Textile Fabric Industry

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The Fiber Industry

• Fibers are the extremely fine, hair like strands
  almost invisible to the human eye, the smallest
  element of a fabric.
• The market breaks down into two groups
• Natural fibers
• Manufactured fibers

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Natural Fibers

• Cotton, which absorbs and dries quickly, is the
  most widely used of all natural fibers, and good
  for warm weather clothing

• Wool absorbs and dries more slowly than cotton,
  but the natural crimping lends itself to
  insulating against the cold

• Silk, with its luxurious feel and breathable
  quality, can be worn year round

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Natural Fibers

• Linen absorbs and dries quickly like cotton, but
  wrinkles and is harder to iron than cotton

• Ramie, a linen like fabric is inexpensive and
  well suited to warm weather apparel

• Hemp, formerly used for agricultural uses (rope,
  canvas and lamp oil) is now being used for
  garments and bed linens

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Generic Names for Manufactured Fibers

• Federal trade commission assigns generic names,
  or non-trademarked names to manufactured fibers

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Manufactured Fibers

• Cellulose Fibrous substance found in the natural
  fibers of plants
• Minimal chemical steps are employed to create
  cellulose-based fibers such as
• Rayon (1910)
• Acetate (1924)

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Manufactured Fibers

• Non-Cellulose fibers use petroleum, coal, gas,
  water, and air to create the fiber
• These fibers are combined by chemists into
  polymers such as
• Nylon (1938)
• Acrylic (1950)

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Microfibers

• One of the most important technological
  breakthroughs in recent years occurred in 1989

• Du Pont produced a fiber two to three times
  smaller than a human hair, the thinnest and
  finest of all manufactured fibers

• With the texture of silk or cashmere, wrinkle
  resistance, and machine washable qualities
  microfiber quickly became available in nylon,
  acrylic, and polyester

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Microfibers
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Fiber Distribution
Three ways fiber producers sell their goods

• Unbranded
• No restrictions on end use, nor implied
  performance

• Branded or trademarked
• Fiber quality guaranteed, end use of fiber
  (fabric) not

• Licensing Agreement
• Can only be used if the manufacturers fabrics or
  end products pass tests set up by the fiber
  producer

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Organization and Operation

• Natural fibers produced domestically are cotton
  and wool
• Cotton is sold in local markets (Southeast,
  Mississippi Delta, Texas panhandle and the
  Southwest) while wool is sold in a central market
  in Boston
• Manufactured fibers are made all over the country
  and sold by the producing plant

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Advertising Fibers

• Important for both natural and manufactured
  fibers for persuading manufacturers to choose a
  fabric
• Manufactured fiber producers campaign more
  heavily than natural fiber producers

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Advertising Fibers

• DuPont uses advertising to promote their swimwear
  products that have Lycra

This eye-catching campaign from Cotton
Incorporated focuses on its products and its
importance in the economy
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Advertising Fibers

• Advertising in cooperation with manufacturers
  benefits both primary and secondary industries

• Greater customer awareness allows faster
  integration of new fibers into the public
  consciousness
• Retailers promote the goods that fiber producers
  subsidize advertising costs for

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History and Developmentof Textile Fabric Industry

• First mechanized spinning process developed in
  England in the 18th century. Fibers could now be
  twisted into yarn at a rapid pace.
• First U.S. yarn mill was built in Pawtucket,
  Rhode Island, 1790.
• Because of higher demand, yarn mills needed
  faster weaving, hence the first power loom in
  America in 1814.
• The industry grew rapidly, with demand for goods
  far exceeding supply.

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Production of Fabrics

• Begins with the creation of yarn from fiber
• Fibers are first twisted or spun into the yarn
• Yarns are then knitted or woven into greige
  goods, or unfinished fabrics

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Textile Converters

• Buy greige goods from mills and finish the fabric
• Sell to manufacturer who uses it for the
  secondary market
• Must be on top of trends and work quickly

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Fiber Producers

• Works 18 months to 2 years out, while the fabric
  makers work 1 year out
• Color is the most important variable, but texture
  and fabrication play large roles
• Fabric producers also supply garment hang tags
  and care labels

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Environmental Issues
Recycling

• Rhovyl, a French company, creates RhovylEco
  apparel fibers from recycled plastic water
  bottles
• Wellman Inc., recycles 2.5 billion plastic
  bottles annually to create their fibers
• The U.S. floor covering industry responded by
  collecting used carpets and researching ways to
  recycle them
• The American Textile Manufacturers Institute
  (ATMI) launched an environmental protection
  program called E3 (Encouraging Environmental
  Excellence) in 1992

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Environmental Issues
The Green Scene

• Being eco-friendly in the production of fibers
  and fabric is at the forefront of consumer
  concern
• Today, there is a new crop of fibers and textiles
  with exceptional properties working hand-in-hand
  with mother nature. Mills are developing
  comfortable eco-friendly material

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Environmental Issues
The Green Scene

• Hemp is known for moisture absorbing
  anti-bacterial properties and reutilization

• Soy has excellent moisture absorption and
  transmission, making it more sanitary than cotton
  but is versatile enough to make everything from
  cashmere-like sweaters to faux fur

• Bamboo is known for fabrics that are soft and
  inhibit the growth of bacteria and are perfect
  for yoga, aerobics, and active wear

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Trends in the Textile Fabric Industry

• High-tech fabrics are constructed, finished, or
  processed to create innovative, unusual, or hard
  to achieve qualities not normally available
• Bright futures lie ahead for these fabrics in
  activewear, rainwear, all weather wear, swimwear,
  protective clothing, heat and fire protection,
  and chemical protection
• Even designers Alexander McQueen, Helmut Lang,
  and Miuccia Prada use innovative fibers and
  closures on their runway clothing

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Greater Diversification of Products

• A bright spot for the domestic textile market are
  GEOTEXTILES, manufactured permeable textiles used
  for reinforcing or stabilizing civil engineering
  projects

• Kevlar and Tyvek are industrial fabrics used for
  diverse applications from book covers to wrapping
  houses to prevent moisture penetration

• Teflon, the non-stick cooking surface, is an
  industrial protective coating now used in
  garments to protect delicate fabrics

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Government Regulations

• Creates a few large producers
• Encourages higher efficiency and recycling
• Will promote new processes to recover and recycle
  chemicals, fibers and dyes
• Results in production of fibers with more
  ecological sensitivity
• Encourages transfer printing to reduce dye house
  stream pollution
• Increasingly protects and advises consumers

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New Technology in Equipment

• Quick response uses electronic data to shorten
  the time between placement of order and delivery
  of goods
• Bar codes help reduce inventory costs, warehouse
  time, forced markdowns and stock outs
• Automated data transmittal has become the
  industry standard
• The day of the fully automated textile plant is
  not far away

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New Technology in Equipment

• The production of textiles

An early textile mill
A modern day textile mill