The Fashion Industry and Global Textiles Trade

Vocabulary flashcards covering the economic, historical, and technological aspects of the global fashion and textile industry.

Quotas

Protectionist measures imposed by purchasing countries to regulate the trade of textiles and garments, particularly following World War II.

Tariffs

Fees or taxes imposed by purchasing countries on imported textiles and clothing to protect domestic production.

Free-trade approach

The regulatory approach under global organizations that replaced protectionist measures since the 1980s.

Fashion industry

A multibillion-dollar global enterprise devoted to the business of making and selling clothes, ranging from designer fashions to everyday clothing.

Sewing machine

A key technological development of the 20th century that, along with the factory system and retail growth, led to the mass production of clothing.

Sustainable fashion

Also known as eco-fashion, this movement involves the use of environmentally friendly fibres such as hemp.

Synthetic fibres

Man-made materials such as nylon, acrylic, and polyester produced through highly automated processes.

Fashion forecasters

Professionals who work with fabric manufacturers to anticipate consumer demand by selecting colours and textures well in advance of production.

Computer-assisted design techniques

Modern methods used to create and modify clothing designs rapidly and share them instantaneously across the globe.

Templates

Instructional patterns in a range of sizes used to determine how fabric is cut into pieces to be joined into a garment.

High-intensity lasers

Tools used to cut through many layers of fabric at once, primarily used for all but the most expensive clothing.

Contractors

Separately owned manufacturing firms that majority companies rely on to produce garments according to their specific specifications.

Finishing

The collective term for the final production processes including adding fasteners, labels, and pressing the items for shipment.

Industrial Revolution

The 18th-century period marked by the first partial automation of spinning and weaving natural fibres.

Natural fibres

Textile materials derived from organic sources such as wool, cotton, silk, and hemp.