Textile

Textiles are materials made from fibers. We use them every day for things like clothes and blankets. At first, textiles were only made by weaving threads together. Now, there are many ways to make them, including knitting.

Textiles can be for everyday use, like shirts and curtains. They can also be for special purposes, like jackets that can stop bullets or suits worn by astronauts. The way a textile is made affects how it looks and works.

Fibres can come from nature, like cotton, or be made by machines. They are spun into yarn and then turned into fabric using different methods. After the fabric is made, it often goes through extra steps to make it look nice or work better, such as adding color or patterns. Making textiles is one of the oldest crafts people have practiced for a very long time.

Etymology

The word "textile" comes from a Latin word meaning "woven." It used to only mean woven materials. Now, "textiles" include many kinds of materials like fibres, yarns, and fabrics.

A "fabric" is any thin, flexible material made from yarn, fibres, or other materials. The word "fabric" also comes from Latin and means something made or built.

"Cloth" is a special type of fabric made by weaving, felting, or knitting. Not all fabrics are cloth—things like wallpaper or carpets are fabrics but not cloth. The word "cloth" is very old and used to mean a material to wrap around the body.

History

Main article: History of clothing and textiles

Textiles are delicate and rarely last for many years, but tools used for making them help us learn about early textile work. The first tool for spinning thread was the spindle, which later had a whorl added to help make the thread thicker. Even later, the spinning wheel was invented, though we are not sure where.

Before modern textiles, people used leaves, barks, fur, and felted cloths. The oldest known woven cloth, called the Banton Burial Cloth, is kept at the National Museum of the Philippines and was likely made by people from Romblon. The first clothes, worn perhaps as long as 70,000 years ago, were probably made from animal skins to keep warm. Over time, people learned to weave plant fibres into fabrics.

We discovered dyed flax fibres in a cave in the Republic of Georgia that are dated to 34,000 BCE, showing that people made textile-like materials very early on. Today, making textiles is very fast because of machines, but the basic ways of weaving, like plain weave, twill, and satin weave, are still similar to old methods.

Textile industry

The textile industry began as an art and craft, kept alive by craft guilds. During the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, it changed a lot with machines. In 1765, a machine called the spinning jenny was invented in the United Kingdom, making textile making the first industry to use machines on a large scale. In the 20th century, science and technology played big roles in changing the industry.

Naming

Most textiles were named after the fibres they used, where they came from, or how they were made. Some names like "Bearskin" might have come from how the cloth looked. Names like "Nylon", "olefin", and "acrylic" are used for common synthetic fibres.

Related terms

The words "fabric", "cloth", and "material" are sometimes used to mean the same as textile. But they have slight differences. Material is a very general word meaning anything made of matter. A textile is any material made of woven fibres, like carpeting and geotextiles. A fabric is made by weaving, knitting, or other methods and can be used to make things like clothes. Cloth often means a piece of fabric that has been cut or processed.

• Greige goods: These are unfinished textiles before they are processed.
• Piece goods: These are textiles sold in pieces cut to the buyer’s size, either from a roll or made to a certain length.

Types

Textiles are materials made from fibers and yarns. The word "textile" used to only mean woven fabrics, but now it includes many kinds of materials. Textiles can be grouped by the type of fiber (natural or synthetic) or by how they are made (woven, knitted, etc.). There are mainly two types of textiles.

Consumer textiles

Textiles have many uses. The most common uses are for clothing and for making bags and baskets. In homes, textiles are used for carpets, furniture covers, window shades, towels, and covers for tables and beds. They are also used in traditional crafts like sewing, quilting, and embroidery.

Technical textiles

Textiles made for special purposes in industries are called technical textiles. These include materials used in cars, medical devices like implants, and fabrics that help protect structures. They are also used in farming to protect crops and in clothing that can resist heat, radiation, or even sharp objects.

Textiles are also important in workplaces for tasks like filtering. They are used to make things like flags, backpacks, tents, nets, and even for transportation such as balloons, kites, sails, and parachutes. They also strengthen materials like fibreglass and industrial geotextiles.

Because these textiles must meet very strict rules, they are tested carefully. Some new types of textiles are made to see how they might help in the future. For example, special threads can create energy from everyday movements like wind or walking.

Significance

Textiles are materials made from fibers. They are very important in our daily lives. We use textiles for many things, like clothes that keep us warm in winter and cool in summer. They are also used for medical tools and car parts. Textiles help us stay comfortable and safe.

The quality of a textile depends on how well it meets people's needs. This includes how long it lasts, how comfortable it feels, and how well it keeps its shape and color. When making textiles, designers choose fibers and other parts based on what the textile will be used for, so it works best for that purpose.

Use and applications

Textiles have been very important for humans, not just for making clothes but for many other things too. People needed them for daily life and for special events. Old pieces of cloth found by scientists help us learn about life long ago. For example, dyed flax fibers found in Georgia show that people made textile-like materials over 36,000 years ago.

Textiles have also been used in art, decoration, and even as money. In Africa, pieces of cloth were used as currency. They were used to make beautiful things like wall hangings and umbrellas, and even as offerings in ancient religions. Some special textiles were used in buildings, like large tents made for important leaders.

Fibre

Main article: Fiber

The tiniest part of fabric is called a fibre. Fibres are very thin, like hair, and are usually spun into yarn to make fabrics. Fibres can come from plants, animals, minerals, or be made by humans.

Over the years, more fibres have been used around the world. In 1975, each person used about 8.4 kilograms of fibres, but by 2021, this grew to 14.3 kilograms. Even though there was a small drop because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, fibre production went back up.

Fibres can be natural, like cotton and wool, or made by humans using chemicals. Some fibres are a mix of both natural and human-made. For example, rayon is made from natural materials but processed to create a new fibre. Different fibres give fabrics special qualities like softness, strength, or stretch. Mixing different fibres, called blending, can make fabrics that are stronger, softer, or more affordable.

Uses of different fibres

Natural fibres

Plant

Grass, rush, hemp, and sisal are used to make rope. Coir, a fibre from coconut, is used to make twine, floormats, doormats, brushes, mattresses, floor tiles, and sacking. Straw and bamboo are used to make hats. Fibres from pulpwood trees, cotton, rice, hemp, and nettle are used to make paper. Cotton, flax, jute, hemp, modal, banana, bamboo, lotus, eucalyptus, mulberry, and sugarcane are used in clothing. Piña (pineapple fibre) and ramie are also used in clothing, often mixed with other fibres like cotton.

The inner bark of the lacebark tree is used to make clothing, accessories, and useful items like rope. Acetate is used to make certain fabrics shinier, such as silks, velvets, and taffetas. Seaweed is used in textile production to make a water-soluble fibre called alginate, which is dissolved after the cloth is finished. Rayon, a fibre made from plant pulp, can feel like silk, cotton, wool, or linen.

Animal

Animal textiles are made from hair, fur, skin, or silk. Wool comes from sheep or goats and is used to make warm clothes and blankets. Other animal fibres include alpaca wool, vicuña wool, llama wool, chiengora, shatoosh, yak fibre, and camel hair. Cashmere and mohair are known for their softness and are used in sweaters and scarves. Angora comes from angora rabbits, and qiviut is the fine inner wool of the muskox. Silk is made from the cocoon of the silkworm and is used in many soft fabrics like pillow covers and dresses.

Microbes

Bacterial cellulose can be made from industrial and agricultural waste and used in textiles and clothing.

Mineral

Asbestos and basalt fibre are used in vinyl tiles, sheeting, and fire blankets. Glass fibre is used in many products like ironing board covers, ropes, and protective fabrics. Metal fibre, foil, and wire are used in jewellery and construction materials.

Synthetic

In the 20th century, new fibres made from petroleum were developed. These synthetic fibres come in many strengths and are used to make clothing and other products. Polyester is used in many types of clothing. Aramid fibre is used for flame-resistant clothing and armour. Acrylic imitates wool and is often used instead of it. Nylon imitates silk and is used in clothing and rope. Spandex, also known as Lycra, is used in activewear, bras, and swimsuits. Olefin fibre is used in activewear and warm clothing. Ingeo is a fibre blended with cotton for clothing. Lurex is a metallic fibre used to decorate clothing. Milk proteins have been used to create a special fabric that is biodegradable and renewable. Carbon fibre is used in strong composite materials.

Production methods

Making textiles has changed a lot. We used to make them by hand, but now we use fast machines. There are always new ideas to make fabrics look and feel better.

When you pick a fabric, think about what you will use it for. Different jobs need different fabrics. Even similar fabrics might not work for everything.

Fabric weight is very important. For example, a carpet needs a heavy fabric, about 1300 GSM. A robe might use a much lighter fabric, around 160 GSM. Clothes and carpets need fabrics of very different weights.

Fabrics that can stretch are often more comfortable. They move easily compared to fabrics that don’t stretch much.

Textile exports

See also: List of countries by textile exports

In 2013, the world wide market for selling textiles and clothes was worth about $772 billion.

Changing dynamics of the market

China makes and sells the most textile goods in the world. They sell many types of clothes, accessories, yarns, and other textile products. China can make things cheaply because they have lots of workers and plenty of materials.

China’s share of the clothing market has gotten smaller in recent years. They are now making more fancy, high-quality products. China, the United States, and India are big makers of cotton.

In 2016, the top countries selling clothes were China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Hong Kong, Turkey, and Indonesia.

Production methods

Production method	Description	Inventors, inventions and milestones in progression
Barkcloth	Barkcloth is made by pounding bark until it is soft and flat.	Bark is an older known fabric; ancient people around the world wore bark cloth daily until woven fabrics replaced it. In Indonesia, the bark cloth is associated with the Torajan people, who made it from the fermentation of inner bark of certain local trees, mulberry and pandanus. The Torajans used stones and wooden beaters to produce bark cloth.
Felt and other nonwoven fabrics	Felting is a method of manufacturing fabric directly from fibres by entangling, interlocking the fibres by mechanical action (like rubbing and pressing) and often aided by heat and moisture.	Felting is another old method of fabric manufacturing. While civilizations in the western Mediterranean improved their weaving skills, nomads in Central Asia learned how to make felt, a non-woven material, from wool. Felting involves applying pressure and friction to a mat of fibres, working and rubbing them together until the fibres become interlocked and tangled, forming a nonwoven textile. A liquid, such as soapy water, is usually added to lubricate the fibres, and to open up the microscopic scales on strands of wool. More recently, additional methods have been developed to bond fibres into nonwoven fabrics, including needle punching, adhesives, and chemical binding.
Weaving	Weaving is a textile production method which involves interlacing a set of longer threads (called the warp) with a set of crossing threads (called the weft). This is done on a frame or machine known as a loom, of which there are a number of types. Some weaving is still done by hand, but the vast majority is mechanized.	Handlooms: Early looms date to 5000 BC. From antiquity until the mediaeval times, the loom improved in both Asia and Europe, despite the fact that the loom's fundamental operation remained unchanged. In 200 BC, the Chinese invented vertical looms and pedal looms, transforming the craft into an industry. By decreasing the worker's workload, innovative solutions improved productivity. There were harnesses and heddles to govern the movement of the warp yarn, a shuttle to transport the weft yarns, a reed to compact the cloth, and a take up roller to roll down the cloth. By the 1st century AD, all necessary components for a loom were assembled. Power looms: John Kay invented the flying shuttle in 1734 in Bury, Lancashire. It was one of the first innovations in the cotton woven fabric industry. Samuel Crompton invented a spinning machine in 1779 that produced yarn faster than ever before. Then Edmund Cartwright invented the first power loom in 1785. Jacquard loom: The Jacquard machine was a modified version of programmable loom developed in 1804. It was developed by Joseph Marie Jacquard based on earlier inventions by Basile Bouchon (1725), Jean Baptiste Falcon (1728), and Jacques Vaucanson (1740). The industrial revolution in the 18th century led to mass production of yarn and cloth, which led to the growth of the woven fabric part of the textile industry.
Knitting	Knitting involves interlacing loops of yarn, which are formed either on a knitting needle, needle, or on a crochet hook, together in a line. The processes are different in that knitting has several active loops at one time, on the knitting needle waiting to interlock with another loop.	Hand knitting: Though knitting was developed by Danes around 900 BC it did not reach to other civilizations until 900 AD. Europe learned to knit by hand around 1400. Three to four stockings could be knit in a week by 1450. William Lee invented a stocking frame in 1589 that could knit one stocking per day. Acceptance of Lee's invention and subsequent modifications resulted in a wide range of fabrics in Europe. The machine knitting is separated into two main groups of production processes: warp knitting and weft knitting.
Nålebinding	Nålebinding involves the use of a needle to form loops of yarn, by passing the full length of yarn through each loop (unlike knitting and crocheting).	Nålebinding is a precursor of crocheting and knitting.
Crocheting	Crocheting never involves more than one active stitch on the needle. Knitting can be performed by machine, but crochet can only be performed by hand.	Crocheting was originally practised by Scottish peasants with a small, hooked needle known as a shepherd's hook.
Spread tow	Spread tow is a production method where the tow fibres are spread into thin tapes, and then the tapes are woven as warp and weft. This method is mostly used for composite materials; spread tow fabrics can be made in carbon, aramid and other fibres.
Braiding or plaiting	Braiding or plaiting involves intertwining threads together into cloth.
Knotting	Knotting involves tying threads together and is used in making tatting and macrame.
Lace	Lace is made by interlocking threads together to create a fine fabric with open holes in the work. Lace can be made by either hand (e.g. needle lace or bobbin lace) or machine.
3D Textiles	Complex interlacement of yarns where the final product has not plain form as flat fabrics, but 3D form.	All technologies - weft knitting, warp knitting, weaving and braiding allow production of complex products with 3D form if suitable machine configuration and pattern are used. This technologies are used for woven heart valves, composite profiles and other.
Additive manufactured textile like structures	Fabric manufacturing by 3D printer employs additive manufacturing, also known as additive layer manufacturing (ALM), a CAD-aided manufacturing technique that builds the object layer by layer. The method is used in manufacturing of Auxetic textiles and in composite materials.

Finishing

When fabric comes out of a loom or knitting machine, it isn’t ready to use yet. It might feel rough or look uneven. That’s why fabric goes through a process called finishing. Finishing helps make the fabric smoother, stronger, and more attractive.

Textiles can be treated in many ways to add color and patterns. They can be dyed in nearly any colour. Some methods include weaving together threads of different colors like tartan, adding stitches with color like embroidery, or using special techniques such as tie-dyeing and batik. Old methods like woodblock printing have been used for centuries. Fabrics can also be bleached to make them pale or white.

Textile finishing turns raw fabric into something useful. This can be done by machines or special chemicals. It helps improve how the fabric feels and looks. New technologies, such as using tiny particles called nanoparticles, help make fabrics resist water, stains, and wrinkles.

Environmental and health impacts

The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters on Earth, just after the oil industry. Making clothes uses a lot of water and can harm the environment. Textile factories sometimes dump dirty water into rivers and lakes. This pollutes the water and can hurt animals and plants.

Making clothes also creates a lot of waste that ends up in landfills. Some clothes contain tiny pieces of plastic that can break apart and pollute the environment. These tiny pieces can end up in water. There are ways to test clothes to make sure they are safe, like the Oeko-tex standard.

Laws and regulations

Different countries have rules to help keep people safe when they buy things made from fabrics. In the United States, there is a law called the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act. This law makes sure people know what they are buying by requiring clear labels on fabric products. It stops businesses from lying about what the fabrics are made of or using tricky advertising. There are also special rules for products made from wool.

Testing of textiles

Testing happens when making textiles. It checks that the textiles are safe, good quality, and work well. Many tools and labs are used for testing. Groups like ASTM International, International Organization for Standardization, and American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists help make the rules for these tests.

Some tests are done on fibres, yarn, and fabric. For fibres, tests might check what they are made of and their size. For yarn, tests can check its thickness and strength. For fabric, tests might see how well it keeps its shape, how its colour stays, or how strong it is.

Picture gallery

Here are some pictures showing different kinds of textiles from around the world. You can see textiles sold in markets, close-up views of woven fabrics, and traditional clothes and decorations. There are also images of fabrics made from special materials like alpaca wool and banana leaf fibre. Some pictures show modern textile factories and different types of fabrics like velvet, silk, and felt. Each picture shows how people create and use textiles in many cultures and times.

Textile market on the sidewalks of [Karachi](/wiki/Karachi), Pakistan

Magnified view of a plain or tabby weave textile

Fabric shop in canal town [Mukalla](/wiki/Mukalla), Yemen

Late antique textile, Egyptian, now in the [Dumbarton Oaks](/wiki/Dumbarton_Oaks) collection

Mrs. [Condé Nast](/wiki/Condé_Montrose_Nast) wearing a silk [Fortuny tea gown](/wiki/Delphos_gown)

Traditional [tablecloth](/wiki/Tablecloth), [Maramureș](/wiki/Maramureș), Romania

Textiles made from [Alpaca](/wiki/Alpaca) wool at the [Otavalo](/wiki/Otavalo_\(city\)) Artisan Market in the Andes Mountains, Ecuador

The Banton Burial Cloth, the oldest existing example of warp [ikat](/wiki/Ikat) in Southeast Asia, displayed at the [National Museum of the Philippines](/wiki/National_Museum_of_the_Philippines). The cloth was most likely made by the native Asia people of northwest [Romblon](/wiki/Romblon).

A double [ikat](/wiki/Ikat) weaving made by the [Tausug people](/wiki/Tausug_people) from [Sulu](/wiki/Sulu), made of banana leaf stalk fibre ([Abacá](/wiki/Abacá))

Advertisement for Zepel, the trade name used to market [Teflon](/wiki/Teflon) as a fabric treatment

A [weaving shed](/wiki/Weaving_shed) of the [Finlayson & Co](/wiki/Finlayson_\(company\)) factory in [Tampere](/wiki/Tampere), Finland, in 1932

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  Textile machinery at the Cambrian Factory, Llanwrtyd, Wales, in the 1940s

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  Cotton fibre

Nylon

A variety of contemporary fabrics. From the left: evenweave [cotton](/wiki/Cotton), [velvet](/wiki/Velvet), [printed cotton](/wiki/Textile_printing), [calico](/wiki/Calico_\(textile\)), [felt](/wiki/Felt), [satin](/wiki/Satin), [silk](/wiki/Silk), [hessian](/wiki/Hessian_\(Cloth\)), polycotton.

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  A textile factory in Israel, 1969

Woven tartan of [Clan Campbell](/wiki/Clan_Campbell), Scotland

[Embroidered](/wiki/Embroidery) skirts by the Alfaro-Nùñez family of Cochas, [Peru](/wiki/Peru), using traditional Peruvian embroidery methods

A modern umbrella fabric has specific requirements for [colour fastness](/wiki/Colour_fastness) to light, water and wet rubbing, and permeability.

Appliqué cross. The edges are covered and stitches are hidden. It is overlaid with decorative gold thread.

Clothing made of textiles, [Thailand](/wiki/Thailand)

Close-up view of a [barong tagalog](/wiki/Barong_tagalog) made with [piña](/wiki/Piña) fibre in the [Philippines](/wiki/Philippines)

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  A fabric tunnel in Moulvibazar District, Bangladesh

A modern [Manila hemp](/wiki/Manila_hemp) made on industrial weaving machines

Textile doll (11th century), [Chancay culture](/wiki/Chancay_culture), found near [Lima](/wiki/Lima), [Walters Art Museum](/wiki/Walters_Art_Museum). Of their small size, dolls are frequently found in ancient Peruvian tombs.