TEXTILE IS A TERM USED TO DESCRIBE ANY PRODUCT PRODUCED FROM FIBRES, FILAMENTS AND YARNS. A YARN IS A THREAD, A LONG THIN MATERIAL, MADE OF FIBRES AND FILAMENTS TWISTED TOGETHER AND A TEXTURED YARN IS A SYNTHETIC CONTINOUS FILAMENT. TEXTURED YARNS ARE USED IN ARTICLES THAT CLOSELY CONFORM TO THE SHAPE OF THE BODY, EG. TIGHTS AND STOCKINGS.

THE FOLLOWING FIBRES ARE THE MOST COMMONLY USED IN THE MANUFACTURING OF CLOTHING:

COTTON
COTTON IS THE MOST POPULAR FIBRE IN THE WORL/ IT IS USED IN ALMOST 50% OF ALL TEXTILES MADE. IT IS MADE FROM THE HAIRS ON THE SEEDS OF THE COTTON PLANT. THERE ARE MANY VARIETIES OF COTTON PLANT. ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR IS THE 'GOSSYPIUM' VARIETY. FIBRES VARY IN LENGTH ACCORDING TO THE VARIETY AND THE COUNTRY OF GROWTH. ON AVERAGE THEY ARE ABOUT 2-3 CM LONG. HOWEVER, SOME COTTON FIBRES CAN BE LONGER AS WITH THE EGYPTIAN COTTONS. MORE AND MORE BUYERS ARE INSISTING ON NATURALLY GROWN ORGANIC COTTON. THIS IS COTTON GROWN WITHOUT THE USE OF PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES, INSECTICIDES NOR DEFOLIANTS. THIS COTTON IS ACTUALLY A STRONGER COTTON. BY THE YEAR 2010 IT IS EXPECTED THAT 10% OF COTTON TEXTILES SOLD IN THE UNITED KINGDON WILL BE ORGANICALLY GROWN. COMMON FABRICS MADE FROM COTTON INCLUDE DENIM, MOLESKIN, TOWELLING AND VEVETEEN. GARMENTS INCLUDE UNDERWEAR,  DRESSES, SKIRTS, TROUSERS AND JACKETS.

WOOL
THIS IS ANOTHER POPULAR FIBRE. THE FIBRES ARE OBTAINED FROM ANIMALS, MOST COMMONLY SHEEP, BUT ALSO GOAT AND CAMEL.FABRICS MADE FROM WOOL INCLUDE TWEED, CASHMERE, MERINO AND PAISLEY. GARMENTS INCLUDE SWEATERS, SUITS AND COATS.

JUTE
THESE STRONG BROWN FIBRES COME FROM PLANTS GROWN IN ASIA, NOTEBLY THE PLANT 'CORCHORUS ALITORIUS' AND 'CORCHORUS CAPSULARUS'. FIBRES MADE FROM JUTE INCLUDE CORAGE, CANVAS AND HESSIAN.

HEMP
THESE FIBRES COME FROM THE HEMP PLANT, 'CANNABIC SATIVA' FABRICS THAT CAN BE MADE ARE VERY SIMILAR THE JUTE.

SILK
THIS FIBRE IS A FINE STRAND TAKEN FROM THE COCOON OF SILKWORMS, NOTABLY THE MOTH 'BOMBYX MORI' THE FIBRE IS MADE OF THE PROTEIN 'FIBRION'.  FIBRION IS SURROUNDED BY THE PROTEIN 'SERIEIN' WHICH IS A GUM TAKEN OFF DURING PROCESS WETTING.FABRICS MADE FROM SILK INCLUDE CHIFFON, TAFFETA AND TULLE. GARMENTS INCLUDE SHIRTS,  TIES, DRESSES AND SCARVES.

LEATHER
LEATHER IS MADE FROM THE PROCESS OF TANNING HIDES OR SKINS OF ANIMALS. THE ANIMALS ARE DOMESTICATED BUT IN SOME CASES THEY CAN BE WILD, EG. WHALE. THE MOST COMMON LEATHER IS MADE FROM THE HIDES OF COWS, WITH GOAT AND SHEEP HIDES BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR. CHAMOIS LEATHER IS MADE FROM THE FLESH SIDE OF SHEEPSKIN. CHEVRETTE LEATHER FROM THE GOAT.
TANNING IS A PROCESS THAT ALTERS THE PROTEIN STRUCTURE OF THE SKIN OR HIDE SO THAT IT CAN NEVER RETURN TO ITS RAWHIDE STATE (A RAWHIDE IS A TERM WE USE WHEN A HIDE IS UNTANNED). THE WORD TANNING COMES FROM THE AGENT 'TANNIN', AN ACIDIC COMPOUND THAT PREVENTS  DECOMPOSITION AND OFTEN COLOURS THE SKIN OR HIDE.
PATENT LEATHER IS A TERM WE USE WHEN THE LEATHER IS LACQUERED TO GIVE A HARD GLOSSY FINISH. LEATHERCLOTH IS A CLOTH OF WOVEN FABRIC COATED ON ONE SIDE WITH A POLYMER (RUBBER, CELLULOSE DERIVATIVE, POLYVINYL CHLORIDE) WHICH IS EMBOSSED TO SIMULATE LEATHER. THE SOFA'S AND CHAIRS FROM THE MANY FURNITURE STORES AROUND THE WORLD ARE UPHOLSTERED USING THIS LEATHERCLOTH.

THE FOLLOWING ARE ALL MAN MADE FIBRES. THEY ARE THE MOST POPULAR MAN MADE FIBRES USED TODAY. MAN MADE FIBRES ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR. THEY ARE GENERALLY MUCH LIGHTER THAN COTTONS AND THEY DO NOT GET WET LIKE NATURAL FIBRES DO. THIS IS THE REASON THEY ARE THE FIRST CHOICE OF FABRIC FOR SPORTS WEAR CLOTHING. THE AIR SPACES BETWEEN THE WEAVE OF THESE TEXTILES CAN ASSIST IN DRAWING THE SWEAT AWAY FROM AN ATHLETES SKIN KEEPING THEM COOLER AND DRIER. OF COURSE, THIS WAS NOT REALISED WHEN MAN MADE FIBRES WERE FIRST USED AND WEAVED INTO TEXTILES. WHAT WAS ONCE AN ECONOMICAL CHOICE OF FABRIC HAS NOW BECOME A TECHNICAL PIECE OF APPAREL.  BRINGING ALONG WITH IT THE HEFTY AND GREEDY PRICE TAG MOST COMPANIES DEMAND. ALTHOUGH MADE ON A GRAND SCALE BY LEADING INDUSTRIES ALL OF THE MAD MADE FIBRES CAN BE MADE AT HOME USING A SIMPLE CHEMISTRY SET.

ACRYLIC
THESE ARE FIBRES MADE FROM LINEAR POLYMERS(A SUBSTANCE BUILT UP FROM MANY SINGLE UNIT)  SYNTHESIZED FROM SEVERAL MONOMERS(A SUBSTANCE CONSIDERED AS A SINGLE UNIT) CONTAINING A MINIMUM OF 85% ACRYLONITRIDE, WHICH IS VINYL CYANIDE(1-CYANO-ETHENE). THE FIBRES HAVE A SOFT LIKE FEEL SIMILAR TO WOOL AND IS IDEAL FOR KNITWEAR.

NYLON
THESE ARE FIBRES MADE FROM LINEAR POLYMERS WITH AMIDE GROUPS. ALMOST ALL THE NYLON USED IN TEXTILES ARE NYLON 6 AND NYLON 6:6, REPEATING UNITS [-NH-(CH2)5-CO-] AND [-NY-(CH2)6-NH-CO(CH2)4-CO-] THE WORD NYLON IS MADE FROM THE ABBREVIATIONS OF NEW YORK(ny) AND LONDON(lon)  WHERE NYLON WAS FIRST DISCOVERED. IT HAS A HIGH STRENGTH AND ELASTICITY WHICH MAKES IT IDEAL FOR TIGHTS, STOCKINGS ANS SPORTSWEAR.

POLYESTER
POLYESTER FIBRES ARE MADE FROM LINEAR POLYMERS WITH ESTER GROUPS [-C(=0)-O-] THE MOST COMMON POLYESTER FIBRE USED FOR TEXTILES IS MADE BY THE POLYMERIZATION (COMBINING SEVERAL MOELCULE TYPES TO FORM ANOTHER) OF ETHYLENE DIOL AND TEREPHTHALIC ACID.  IT IS A DERIVATIVE OF THE PETROLIUM INDUSTRY AND HAS THE LOOK AND FEEL OF COTTON OR SILK. IT CAN BE USED TO MAKE ALMOST ANY GARMENT BAR HOISERY.

RAYON
THESE ARE FIBRES MADE FOM THE REGENERATED CELLULOSE FIBRES MADE FROM WOOD PULP OR COTTON LINTERS (SHORT STAPLE COTTON FIBRES). THE CELLULOSE IS DISSOLVED IN SODIUM HYDROXIDE CONTAINING CARBON DISULPHIDE. THE CELLULOSE IS REGENERATED TO FIBRES BY PASSING IT THROUGH MINERAL ACIDS.