Indicator 1.02: Understand the basics of textile fabrics and finishes. Essential Standard: 1.00 Understand the fundamentals of the fashion industry. Indicator 1.02: Understand the basics of textile fabrics and finishes.

Textile Fibers and Yarns Fibers play a vital role in the design and care requirements of finished textile products. Fashion merchandisers should be familiar with fibers and understand their characteristics, to provide the right products for their target markets. Different fibers have specific properties that influence the appearance, strength, absorbency, warmth, shrinkage, and price of fabrics.

Natural Fibers Natural fibers come from natural sources, such as plants, animals and insects. Cellulosic Fibers: fibers from plants. Protein Fibers: fibers from animals or insects. Processing includes various steps of cleaning, straightening, grading, sorting and combing of the fibers after they are grown.

Cotton Cotton is a cellulosic fiber that comes from “bolls” (seed pods) of cotton plants. Grown in many of the southern states as well as other warm regions of the world. Most popular fiber in the global market, comprising almost half of total worldwide fiber consumption.

Cotton Characteristics: Comfortable to wear. Soft and durable. Absorbs moisture quickly and dries fast, giving it a cooling effect. Used in blouses, shirts, dresses, jeans, underwear, and socks.

Wool Wool is a protein fiber from the hair (fleece) of sheep or lambs. Usually obtained by shearing the fleece. Comes mainly from Australia and New Zealand, but is also produced in the U.S. Fiber quality depends on the breed and health of the sheep, the climate where the sheep are raised, and where on the bodies of the sheep the fibers originate.

Wool Characteristics: Natural insulator, the warmest fiber, yet lightweight. Slower than cotton to absorb moisture and to dry. Soft and resilient, or springy to return to its original shape when stretched or wrinkled. Most often used in sweaters, coats, suits, and accessories such as gloves, scarves, hats, etc.

Silk Protein fiber from cocoons spun by silkworms. Workers soak the cocoons in warm water and unwind the long, natural filament fibers from them by hand or by machine. Known for its exceptional beauty, luster, and drapability. Used almost exclusively in luxurious apparel, such as wedding and evening gowns, blouses, dresses and lingerie.

Silk Characteristics: Very strong. “Breathable” and can be worn year round. Expensive to produce. Limited durability and needs special care.

Flax (Linen) World’s oldest textile fiber. A stiff, absorbent cellulosic fiber made from the stem of a flax plant. Not commercially produced in the U.S., and mainly comes from Europe. The labor-intensive production of flax results in its fairly high price. Fabric made from the flax fiber is called linen.

Flax (Linen) Characteristics: Known for its beauty and strength. Durable, lustrous, and smooth. Cool to wear and used for a wide variety of apparel, such as blazers, slacks and skirts. Its absorbency allows it to hold a great deal of moisture without feeling wet. Drawback is its tendency to crease and wrinkle.

Leather Tough, flexible material made by preserving animal hides through a process called tanning. Tanning converts the hides into finished, usable leather. The most dominant leather in apparel is cattle hide. The largest fashion market for leather is footwear.

Fur The soft, hairy coat of an animal. Processed fur pelts are used for “prestige” apparel and accessories. The warmth, protection, and luxurious beauty of fur has been recognized since prehistoric times. Higher status has been sought by many people in history by wearing furs.

Manufactured Fibers Created from various substances and chemicals through technology in laboratories. Cellulosic manufactured fibers are made from cellulose from plants, such as soft wood pulp, and are transformed into usable fibers by applying chemicals that “regenerate” the cellulose. Noncellulosic manufactured fibers, or “synthetic” fibers, made of various petrochemical mixtures of crude oil, natural gas, air and water.

Popular Manufactured Fibers Acetate Acrylic Aramid Lyocell Modacrylic Nylon Oelfin (Polypropylene) PBI (Polybenzimidazole) Polyester Rayon Spandex Tricetate

Fabric Design and Construction The appearance and performance of fabrics depend on their fiber content, type of yarn, fabric construction, and finishing. Structural design is achieved by “building in” texture or interest to fabrics when they are manufactured. Applied design is accomplished by adding color, pattern, or other design features to the structural design after the basic fabric has been made.

Weaving Weaving is the procedure of interlacing two sets of yarns at right angles to each other, usually done on a loom. The lengthwise yarns are called warp yarns. The crosswise yarns are called weft yarns. Bias grain is diagonal on the fabric. Grain is the direction the yarns run in the fabric.

Types of Weaves Three basic weave types are: Plain Twill Satin They differ by passing the weft yarns over and under different numbers of warp yarns. Have different appearance and durability characteristics.

Plain Weave Simplest and most common weave. The lengthwise and crosswise yarns pass alternatively over and under each other. Creates a fabric that is strong, reversible, and durable.

Twill Weave A yarn in one direction “floats” (passes) over two or more yarns in the other direction at regular intervals. Each float usually begins one yard over from the last one. Very firm and tightly woven, which produces strong, durable fabrics. Resist wrinkles and hide soil.

Satin Weave Has long yarn floats on the surface in one direction. They go over four or more yarns and under one. Produces a very shiny fabric surface of yarns running almost entirely one way. Smooth, slippery, and drapable but the least durable.

Knitting Knitting is a fabric construction method of looping yarns together. The loops or stitches can be varied to create numerous patterns or textures. The number of stitches, or loops, per inch is the gauge. Have natural flexibility and stretch, are versatile and wrinkle-resistant.

Other Construction Methods Nonwoven Fabrics: Made from a compact web of fibers, not yarns, held together with a combination of moisture, heat, chemicals, friction, and/or pressure. Relatively inexpensive, many are used for industrial and medical purposes where they are disposable. Laces and Nets: Openwork fabrics made by crossing, twisting, or looping yarns into designs. Can be fine or coarse.

Other Construction Methods Braided Fabrics: Made by braiding three or more yarns interlaced to form a regular diagonal pattern down the length of the resulting cord. Used for decorative trims and shoelaces. Bonded Fabrics: Method of permanently laminating together two layers of fabric that are already constructed. Provides stability, strength, body or opacity (inability to see through).

Other Construction Methods Quilted Fabrics: Consist of a layer of padding (or batting) sandwiched between two layers of yard goods. The 3 layers are usually held in place by machine stitching.

Fabric Finishing Fabric Finishing is done by applying colors, designs, or surface treatments that change the look, feel, or performance of fabrics. Bleaching is a chemical process that removes any natural color from fibers or fabrics. Removes impurities that may have accumulated during the manufacturing process. Dyeing is a method of giving color to textiles using coloring agents called dyes. Textile fabrics are dyed at the fiber, yarn, fabric or garment stage of production.

Fabric Finishing Printing is a process for adding color, pattern or design to the surface of fabrics. It is done on the “right” side, with the “wrong” side being unprinted or much lighter than the right side. Most successful on fabrics made of absorbent fibers.

Fabric Finishing The appearance, feel and performance of fabrics can be improved by applying finishes. These coatings specifically impart wearing advantages, ease of care, or other desired characteristics. Most textile finishes are permanent, lasting the life of the garment, or durable, lasting through several launderings before losing their effectiveness.