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Chapter 5
Textile Fiber and Fabric
Production
Textile Fiber and Fabric Production
• Textiles is a broad term referring to any
material that can be made into fabric by any
method.
• Fibers are hair-like materials, either natural or
manufactured, that form the basic element of
fabric and other textiles.
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Natural Fiber Production
• Natural fibers are derived from either plants or animals.
• Cotton is the worlds’ leading textile fiber, comprising about 41
percent of world fiber production.
• Flax is the base component of linen, which makes up less than
1 percent of the world fiber production.
• Ramie is a vegetable fiber stronger than flax, often combined
with cotton to soften it.
• Wool fiber is a renewable source from animals, representing 2
percent of world fiber production.
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Natural Fiber Production
• Silk, associated with the finest garments
accounts for .2 percent of world fiber
production.
• All natural fibers except silk are short staple
lengths.
• Silk is a long filament.
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Man-made Fibers
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Rayon, or viscose, was patented in 1884.
Synthetics denotes all chemically produced fibers.
All man-made fibers start as long filaments
Production takes place in large chemical companies
who leverage mass production techniques.
• Over 50% of world fiber production is man made
now, as compared to 22% in 1960.
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Man-made Fibers
• Regenerated cellulose fibers are derived
principally from wood pulp.
– Rayon, the first man-made fiber is composed of
regenerated cellulose.
– Lycoell is a new solvent spun cellulosic fiber
produced, like rayon, from wood pulp.
– Acetate and triacetate are alternatives to rayon.
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Man-made Fibers
• Synthetic fibers are made from derivatives of
petroleum, coal, and natural gas.
– Nylon, polyester and acrylic are long chain
polymers.
– Spandex, can stretch 300 to 400 percent without
breaking and return to its original length.
– Polypropylene is an olefin made from polymers
and can be used for moisture transport in high tech
active wear garments.
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Textile Yarn and Fiber Producers
• Approximately 4,600 apparel related textile
plants employ 432,000 people domestically.
• Textile mills produce yarns and fabrics.
• Converters do only the finishing stages of
production.
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Yarn Production
• Yarn production is the next step after fiber
production.
• Filament yarns are continuous, smoother,
shinier and more uniform than spun yarns.
• Spun yarns are either natural fibers other than
silk or cut man-made fibers.
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Fabric Production
• Fabric is the material or cloth made from natural or man-made yarns using
one of the following methods:
– Weaving, layering warp and fill yarns, with three basic types of weaves:
• Plain
• Twill
• Satin
– Knitting, with one continuous yarn broken into two kinds of knits:
• Weft
• Warp
– Nonwoven fabrics where yarns are bonded or interlocked using
mechanical, chemical, thermal, hydro or solvent.
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Dyeing
• Some of the most important dyeing methods are:
– Producer, used for man-made fibers still in the solution.
– Stock, loose fibers before yarn processing.
– Yarn, used to dye certain woven patterns before weaving or
knitting.
– Piece, dyeing a piece of fabric after weaving or knitting.
– Cross, an inexpensive way to achieve two color patterns.
– Garment, after the entire garment has been made.
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Printing
• Applies design to fabrics via either wet or dry
techniques.
• Wet, where dyestuffs are applied wet for optimum
color penetration.
– Engraved roller printing
– Screen printing
• Flatbed
• Rotary screen
• Dry, where either heat transfer or paper printing
techniques are used.
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Finishing
• The process used to enhance a fabric usually after
dyeing or printing
• They can be physical:
– Calendaring, the passing of fabric between heavy rollers for
various effects
– Heat setting, to stabilize man-made fabrics
– Napping, to raise surfaces
– Shearing, to create uniform surface
– Sanding or sueding, to create a soft surface
– Shrink control, or preshrinking
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Finishing
• Or Chemical:
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Caustic reduction to give polyester a silk like feel
Decatizing to stabilize wool fabrics
Durable press, or permanent press
Mercerizing to give cotton a lustrous silk like finish
Water repellency
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Environmental Concerns
• Encouraging Environmental Excellence, or E3, is a program
urging producers to protect the environment.
• Decreased water use and chemical waste is the goal
• American and European textile companies have difficulty
competing against Asian mills where producers do not pay to
clean up the environment.
• Domestic manufacturers want to require imported textile
products to be made under the same environmental standards to
ensure fair competition and ensure a clean environment
worldwide.
Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e
Gini Frings
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458