The textile and Fabric Industry Chapter 8 and 9 The textile and Fabric Industry

Textile Industry Produce fibers, yarns and fabrics for fashion and other products Extremely vital part of overall apparel industries Very large and vital to the economies of the US

Fabric Production 4 main steps in the production of finished fabrics: 1. Fiber production 2. Yarn production 3. Fabric (cloth) production 4. Fabric Finishing: Processes involve highly specialized machinery and great skill Firms strive for peak production and maximum quality at lowest cost Also concerned about not damaging environment

Step 1: Fiber Production Fibers: thin, hair like strands that are the basic units in textiles Agricultural industries supply natural fibers: cotton, wool, flax, and silk Chemical companies produce manufactured fibers: rayon, nylon, spandex, acetate and polyester Most are liquid chemical mixtures that form into thin threads and solidify Manufactured fiber began in early 1900s grown in popularity

Step 2: Yarn production Yarns are continuous strands, usually of multiple fibers, ready for knitting, weaving, or other processing into cloth Mills spin fibers into yarns Sometime several fibers twisted together to make yarns A lot of yarn production is done the Southeast or in other countries

Step 3: Fabric Manufacturing Fabric is cloth made from textile fibers and yarns Huge mechanized looms and knitting machines produce great amounts of goods very fast Cloth is still unfinished: called greige goods

Step 4: Fabric Finishing Done by bleaching, dyeing, printing, or applying special coatings to the greige goods. This makes the color, texture, patterns, ease of care and other characteristics Textile Converters: firms who buy greige goods for finishing Keep tabs on what’s in fashion to anticipate demand from buyers

Distribution Sales offices market the finished fabric to: Apparel and accessory designers Fabric retailers Specialist for home and industrial uses Many firms have showrooms in NYC near the Garment District

Other uses for textiles Textiles are used for home furnishings too Upholstery, carpets, curtains, drapes Tablecloths, napkins, sheets, towels, blankets, bedspreads, lampshades These goods are expected to last longer than apparel items so have to have performance characteristics such as stain resistance, colorfastness, and durability. Home furnishing trends are much slower to change trends than apparel industries

Textile Marketing Marketing: process of finding or creating a profitable market for specific goods or services Identifies customers, determines customers’ wants and needs, and provides satisfying products at acceptable prices to those customers Prices must also give profit to the company To create and sell fabrics successfully, marketing strategies of the textile firms must ensure that the right fabrics are available at the right time and at the right place

Fashion Considerations Before developing fabrics, companies must: Come up with early projections of color, textures, designs Must meet public acceptance at the time they reach the market Textile Designers make these decisions year and a half before public sees the fabrics

Color Color is the most important factor in drawing a consumer to an item How do designer pick the colors a year and half ahead? Logic, research and gut feeling Best and worst colors from previous season are analyzed Same color family might be kept in popular (ex- burgundy to purple to pink) Colors not used in a while brought back

Forecasting Services Business consultants that look about 2 years ahead to predict coming trends Foresee colors, textures, silhouettes, and accessories for the future Sell this information to companies that subscribe Present ideas in trend books, color cards, fabric swatches, videos, slides, sketches and on their websites

Fashion Fabric Sales Fabric collections are produced with intended uses: for example children’s wear or men’s sport shirts, or bed sheets. Collections given distinct names to help market them Maintain Fabric Libraries in their showrooms for use by the companies who buy from them

Technology Important to satisfy the market Research and Development departments provide new knowledge, new products and improve old products New machinery New manufactured fibers New chemical finishes Innovation: creative, forward thinking, introduction to new ideas

Textiles Worldwide Textile industry is worldwide scope US manufactures some textiles increasingly brings in fibers, yarns and fabrics from other counties (importing) Imported because: 1. they have high quality production 2. prices are low Lower wages for labor and lower factory operation costs Example: Lace from France, Silk from China, Wool from United Kingdom

Exports Firms also export: commercial products are sent out of country US imports far more than exports creating trade deficit Negative economic condition because the amounts of imports is greater than the amount of exports Growing competition mostly from lower prices have cut into the textile industry of the US: large amounts of money and jobs lost, firms and factories closed

Future of Textiles Due to global competition, US textile industry is more innovative and progressive Adapt rapid changes, higher degree of computer technology Establishing American owned plants in other countries Demands for textiles is always in the rise Experts predict Polyester to be predominant fiber Cotton will always be popular Environmentally friendly processing will increase

Home Sewing Patterns Pattern making companies design and make patterns for the home sewing market Make people have “sewing” skills but very few have “pattern making” skills Pattern catalogs are in fabric stores ahead of the season for the type of garment Some companies even offer free sewing patterns online that you can print off from home computer Guide sheets are printed with the patterns as a step by step illustrated direction for all steps Notions are listed Fabric types are suggested too

Pattern Companies Designer Patterns: offered to give home sewers access to some couture designs Signature lines: have endorsement of celebrities through licensing Easy to Sew: designs that are simple to cut and make

Designing the patterns Designed the same way ready to wear is done Designers are inspired by American and foreign fashions Follow advice from trade publications and fashion magazines Consider requests from customers Rough First sketch: Croquis Shows front and back and any special details Presented to management for Ok Then final drawing with suitable fabric drawn for display on cover of pattern envelope

Innovations for Future: Pattern markings and instructions will become bilingual European Patterns will become more available in Us More multi-sized patterns (several sizes printed together on one pattern) More patterns for knit fabrics because the fabric is becoming more popular Continue to see more computer software to design your own patterns

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