textiles for apparel: 8/19

Textile Industry: Key Concepts and Global Context

  • Textiles are part of a massive, interconnected global complex that spans from chemical suppliers to growing fiber, to yarns, to fabrics, to finished goods.
  • The course aims to make you a better consumer and a more informed professional in the textile supply chain.
  • To operate professionally in the textile global complex, you need broad knowledge of textiles across stages, materials, processes, and user impacts.

Textile Manufacturing Stages and Gray Goods

  • There are typically 5 or 6 stages in textile manufacturing: fiber → yarn → fabric → dyeing → printing → finishing. Sometimes the process starts with fabric instead of fiber, but the end-to-end path commonly includes these stages.
  • The output up to the finishing stage is often called grayish goods (gray or grayish fabrics):
    • Not fashion-ready yet
    • May be oily or dirty
    • Typically off-white or yellowish; sometimes white
  • Converting is the set of steps that turns grayish goods into fashion fabrics, including:
    • Dyeing (adding color)
    • Printing (adding patterns)
    • Finishing (functional or aesthetic changes)
    • Finishing can occur alone or in combination with dyeing/printing
  • The production path shown emphasizes that textile performance depends on decisions and actions at every stage; performance targets (e.g., strength, absorbency) are planned for the final fabric, and mills test at each stage to ensure alignment with those targets.
  • Some mills are vertical mills: they own the entire supply chain for what they make (from fiber to finished fabric). Other mills may specialize (e.g., mills that only produce grayish goods like 100% cotton twill for a specific product).
  • A single base fabric (e.g., a plain fabric) can be transformed into thousands of different fabrics through variations in yarns, construction, finishing, dyeing, etc.

What is a Textile? Definitions, Planar Concept, and Forms

  • Historically, the term textile referred to woven items; today it covers textile components (fiber, yarn, fabric) as well as the final products.
  • A textile is any flexible, planar material that can be used to cover, wrap, or form a three-dimensional object. It can be:
    • Made of thin polymer films, fibers, yarns, or fabrics, or combinations of these
    • Formed into products that are flexible and adaptable to form 3D shapes
  • Planar definition: a plane (2D) but the material can be used to wrap or cover 3D shapes.
  • The production pathways to textiles are diverse, but generally move from building blocks (fiber) to finished, fashion-ready fabrics (via yarn and fabric construction, then dye/print/finish).
  • Textile performance depends on choices made at each stage, and end-use goals guide those choices.

Fiber, Yarn, and Fabric: Building Blocks and Their Properties

  • Fibers are the building blocks of textiles:
    • They can be natural or manufactured
    • They are the smallest unit in a fabric (if you break down fabric, you reach the fibers)
    • Fibers are made of polymers
  • Polymers are large molecules formed by linking many small molecules; most fibers are polymer-based.
  • Fibers can be spun into yarns, which can be very fine or very coarse:
    • Yarns can be single or composed of multiple strands twisted together
    • They can be smooth, shiny, hairy, soft; can have stretch or be non-stretchy
    • Variations in yarns (twists, blends, finishes) create different effects and properties
  • Fabrics are produced from yarns via construction methods:
    • Weaving (interlacing yarns over/under each other)
    • Knitting (interlooping yarns to form loops)
    • Nonwoven approaches (laying down fibers and bonding/adhesively joining them)
  • Fabric characteristics can vary widely:
    • Lightweight to heavyweight
    • Sheer to opaque
    • Matte to shiny
    • Fuzzy to smooth
    • Very drapey to stiff (rigid)
    • Stretchy or not
  • If dyeing is used, color is added to the textile; printing adds patterns; finishing can be done in addition to these or on its own to alter performance or aesthetics.

Dyeing, Printing, and Finishing: Color, Pattern, and Function

  • Dyeing adds a solid color to textile materials or products.
  • Printing adds patterns, textures, or colors on top of or around the fabric using dyes, pigments, or chemicals.
  • Finishing is typically the last step to prepare fabric for use; it can alter function (e.g., water repellency) or aesthetics (e.g., hand feel, texture).
  • Finishing considerations include: intended use, required properties (aesthetics, comfort, durability), care requirements (machine wash vs. dry clean), cost considerations, and regulatory constraints.
  • Example discussed: a stain-repellent or water-repellent finish on cotton; cotton’s natural moisture absorption is great for apparel and towels but not ideal for rain gear like umbrellas unless a finish is applied (though durability varies).

Performance, Use, Care, and Practical Implications

  • When designing or selecting textiles, consider:
    • Intended use and the performance properties that matter (aesthetics, comfort, durability)
    • Care expectations (washability, dry cleaning requirements, ease of care)
    • Cost and value competitiveness with similar items
    • Target market preferences
    • Laws and regulations affecting textiles and finishes
  • A practical consumer insight shared: many customers dislike “dry clean only” requirements due to cost and convenience, influencing product design and retail decisions (e.g., at JCPenney, customers preferred washing at home).

End-Use Categories and the Global Textile Complex

  • Major end-use category discussed: primarily apparel, with some attention to interiors; the goal is to show that careers may cross boundaries (e.g., people moving from apparel to home textiles).
  • The global textile complex is interconnected; the US remains engaged in textiles with some domestic manufacturing (yarn, some fabric, and a few factories).
  • Domestic production in the US includes pockets on the West Coast (California) and on the East Coast; the overall industry is smaller but still present.
  • This context emphasizes ongoing relevance of textiles in the economy and the importance of understanding global supply chains, domestic capabilities, and regulatory environments.

In-Class Textiles Identification Exercise: Is it a Textile?

  • The instructor uses everyday items to illustrate what counts as a textile. Key ideas:
    • A textile is a material that is planar, flexible, and can be made from fabrics, yarns, fibers, or polymeric films, or combinations thereof.
    • Textiles can be identified by the processes they involve or by their material composition and usage.
  • Example items discussed (textile or not):
    • Fossil bag (textile, since bags like this are textile-based materials)
    • A doctor's office item (textile)
    • Clothing worn (textile)
    • A Swiffer duster head (not textile on the part shown in the example; the non-textile part is plastic; some components may be textile, but the specific part discussed is not a textile)
    • Carpet (textile)
    • Bandages (textile components; the discussion notes adhesive bandages are textiles)
    • Dental floss (textile component; often used in textile-related contexts)
    • A silicone cup (not textile)
    • Wipes for glasses (textile if the wipe is a fabric-based cloth; depends on the wipe, but the example suggests it may be textile)
    • A small storage bowl (not textile; plastic)
    • Stretch fabric in a wearable item (textile; uses stretch yarns like spandex)
    • A wooden fan (not textile)
    • A bungee cord (textile; typically woven cords)
    • Paper (not a textile; though flexible, it does not hold together like fabric; bridal dresses have been famously made from toilet paper in extreme demonstrations)
    • Toilet paper (not textile under typical use; flexible but cannot hold together like fabric; used as a cautionary example that can inspire unconventional textile concepts)
    • Back-support/underwear-like garment (textile; interior wear)
  • The overall takeaway: textiles are defined not only by appearance or feel but also by composition, construction, and intended use. The exercise shows that many everyday items are textiles or textile-derived components, while some are not.

Practical Takeaways and Take-Home Points

  • Textiles are a product of a global, interconnected supply chain spanning several stages, materials, and processes.
  • Performance and quality are built progressively through each stage; what happens early on affects the final fabric’s properties.
  • The distinction between gray goods and finished fashion fabrics is central to understanding textile processing and economics.
  • The concept of a “textile” includes a wide range of materials and components, not just traditional woven fabrics.
  • Understanding end-use requirements, care, and regulatory constraints is essential for designing, selecting, and marketing textiles.
  • The US textile industry remains present in certain regions, highlighting ongoing domestic capabilities amid a global supply chain.

Upcoming: Class Activity

  • On Thursday, a practical activity (ALA) is planned to engage with these concepts early in the session.