A textile is any of various fibre-based materials, including fibres, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. Originally, textiles were woven; however, weaving is not the only manufacturing method, and many other methods were later developed to form textile structures based on their intended use. Knitting and non-woven are other popular types of fabric manufacturing. In the contemporary world, textiles satisfy the material needs for versatile applications, from simple daily clothing to bulletproof jackets, spacesuits, doctor's gowns and technical applications like geotextiles.
Textiles are divided into two groups: consumer textiles for domestic purposes and technical textiles. In consumer textiles, aesthetics and comfort are the most important factors, while in technical textiles, functional properties are the priority. The durability of textiles is an important property, with common cotton or blend garments (such as t-shirts) able to last twenty years or more with regular use and care.
Geotextiles, industrial textiles, medical textiles, and many other areas are examples of technical textiles, whereas clothing and furnishings are examples of consumer textiles. Each component of a textile product, including fibre, yarn, fabric, processing, and finishing, affects the final product. Components may vary among various textile products as they are selected based on their fitness for purpose.
Fibre is the smallest fabric component; fibres are typically spun into yarn, and yarns are used to manufacture fabrics. Fibre has a hair-like appearance and a higher length-to-width ratio. The sources of fibres may be natural, synthetic, or both. The techniques of felting and bonding directly transform fibres into fabric. In other cases, yarns are manipulated with different fabric manufacturing systems to produce various fabric constructions. The fibres are twisted or laid out to make a long, continuous strand of yarn. Yarns are then used to make different kinds of fabric by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, tatting, or braiding. After manufacturing, textile materials are processed and finished to add value, such as aesthetics, physical characteristics, and utility in certain use cases. The manufacturing of textiles is the oldest industrial art. Dyeing, printing, and embroidery are all different decorative arts applied to textile materials.
Etymology
Textile The word 'textile' comes from the Latin adjective , meaning 'woven', which itself stems from , the past participle of the verb , 'to weave'. Originally applied to woven fabrics, the term "textiles" is now used to encompass a diverse range of materials, including fibres, yarns, and fabrics, as well as other related items.
Fabric
A "fabric" is defined as any thin, flexible material made from yarn, directly from fibres, polymeric film, foam, or any combination of these techniques. Fabric has a broader application than cloth. Fabric is synonymous with cloth, material, goods, or piece goods. The word "fabric" also derives from Latin, with roots in the Proto-Indo-European language. Stemming most recently from the Middle French 'building', and earlier from the Latin 'workshop; an art, trade; a skillful production, structure, fabric', the noun stems from the Latin 'artisan who works in hard materials', which itself is derived from the Proto-Indo-European dhabh-, meaning "to fit together".
Cloth
Materials that are woven, knitted, tufted, or knotted from yarns are referred to as cloth, while wallpaper, plastic upholstery products, carpets, and nonwoven materials are examples of fabrics.
Cloth is a flexible substance typically created through the processes of weaving, felting, or knitting using natural or synthetic materials. The word 'cloth' derives from the Old English , meaning "a cloth, woven, or felted material to wrap around one's body', from the Proto-Germanic , similar to the Old Frisian , the Middle Dutch , the Middle High German and the German , all meaning 'garment'.
History
Textiles themselves are too fragile to survive across millennia; the tools used for spinning and weaving make up most of the prehistoric evidence for textile work. The earliest tool for spinning was the spindle, to which a whorl was eventually added. The weight of the whorl improved the thickness and twist of the spun thread. Later, the spinning wheel was invented. Historians are unsure where; some say China, others India.
The precursors of today's textiles include leaves, bark, fur pelts, and felted cloths.
The Banton Burial Cloth, the oldest existing example of warp ikat in Southeast Asia, is displayed at the National Museum of the Philippines. The cloth was most likely made by the native Asian people of northwest Romblon. The first clothes, worn at least 70,000 years ago and perhaps much earlier, were probably made of animal skins and helped protect early humans from the elements. At some point, people learned to weave plant fibres into textiles.
The discovery of dyed flax fibres in a cave in the Republic of Georgia dated to 34,000 BCE suggests that textile-like materials were made as early as the Paleolithic era. Supporting Online Material
The speed and scale of textile production have been altered almost beyond recognition by industrialization and the introduction of modern manufacturing techniques. However, for the main types of textiles, plain weave, twill, or satin weave, there is little difference between the ancient and modern methods.
Textile industry
The textile industry grew out of art and craft and was kept going by craft guilds. In the 18th and 19th centuries, during the Industrial Revolution, it became increasingly mechanized. In 1765, when a machine for spinning wool or cotton called the spinning jenny was invented in the United Kingdom, textile production became the first economic activity to be industrialized. In the 20th century, science and technology were driving forces. The textile industry exhibits inherent dynamism, influenced by a multitude of transformative changes and innovations within the domain. Textile operations can experience ramifications arising from shifts in international trade policies, evolving fashion trends, evolving customer preferences, variations in production costs and methodologies, adherence to safety and environmental regulations, as well as advancements in research and development.
The textile and garment industries exert a significant impact on the economic systems of numerous countries engaged in textile production.
Naming
Most textiles were called by their base-fibre generic names, their place of origin, or were put into groups based loosely on manufacturing techniques, characteristics, and designs.
(bearskin cloth) may have received its name from its "shaggy nap".
"Nylon", "olefin", and "acrylic" are generic names for some of the more commonly used synthetic fibres.
+NameProductTextiles named byDescriptionCashmereWool fibre obtained from cashmere goatsOriginKashmirCashmere is synonymous with the Kashmir shawl, with the term "cashmere" derived from an anglicization of Kashmir.CalicoPlain weave textile materialOriginCalicutThe fabric originated in the southwestern Indian city of Calicut.JaconetLightweight cotton fabric in plain weaveOriginJagannath PuriJaconet is an anglicization of Jagannath, where it was originally produced.JerseyA type of knitted fabricOriginJersey, Channel IslandsJersey fabric was produced first on Jersey in the Channel Islands.KerseyA coarse woollen clothOriginKersey, SuffolkThe fabric is named after the town in the east of England.Paisley (design)A type of motifDesignPaisley, RenfrewshireA town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The motif originates from Iran/Persia, later moving to India with Mughals and transported by British through silk route to Scotland.DosutiA handspun cotton clothCharacteristicsA coarse and thick cotton clothIn and around the 19th century Punjab and Gujarat were famous for production of various handspun cloths. Dosuti was distinguished by the number of yarns (Do+Suti translates to 'two yarns') used to produce it. Eksuti was another variety using a single thread.Mulmul types such as āb-i-ravān (running water), Baft Hawa (woven air)Fine muslin fabric variations from Dacca in BengalCharacteristicsDelicate muslin typesDacca, in the eastern Indian subcontinent, produced a wide range of handwoven and spun muslins. Baft Hawa, which means "woven air", Shabnam, which means "evening dew", and ab-i-ravan, which means "flowing water" are some poetic names for soft muslins.NainsookA plain weave fabric with soft handCharacteristicsPleasing to the eyesNain + Sook translates to "eye-pleasing".SwanskinA woven flannel clothCharacteristicsAppears and feels like swan skinAn 18th-century fabric developed at Shaftesbury.TansukhAnother type of Muslin with soft and delicate textureCharacteristicsPleasing to the bodyTan + Sukh translates to "body pleasing". Tansukh was a fine, soft, and delicate textured cloth. The cloth type is mentioned in the 16th-century Mughal-time records, Ain-i-Akbari.
Related terms The related words "fabric" and "cloth" and "material" are often used in textile assembly trades (such as tailoring and dressmaking) as synonyms for textile. However, there are subtle differences in these terms in specialized usage. Material is an extremely broad term basically meaning consisting of matter, and requires context to be useful. A fabric is a material made through weaving, knitting, spreading, felting, stitching, crocheting or bonding that may be used in the production of further products, such as clothing and upholstery, thus requiring a further step of the production. Cloth may also be used synonymously with fabric, but often specifically refers to a piece of fabric that has been processed or cut. Greige goods: Textiles that are raw and unfinished are referred to as greige goods. After manufacturing, the materials are processed and finished. Piece goods: Piece goods were textile materials sold in cut pieces as specified by the buyer. Piece goods were either cut from a fabric roll or made to a specific length, also known as yard goods.
Types
Textiles are various materials made from fibres and yarns. The term "textile" was originally only used to refer to woven fabrics, but today it covers a broad range of subjects. Textiles are classified at various levels, such as according to fibre origin (natural or synthetic), structure (woven, knitted, nonwoven), finish, etc. However, there are primarily two types of textiles:
Consumer textiles Textiles have an assortment of uses, the most common of which are for clothing and for containers such as bags and baskets. In the household, textiles are used in carpeting, upholstered furnishings, window shades, towels, coverings for tables, beds, and other flat surfaces, and in art. Textiles are used in many traditional hand crafts such as sewing, quilting, and embroidery.
Technical textiles
Textiles produced for industrial purposes, and designed and chosen for technical characteristics beyond their appearance, are commonly referred to as technical textiles. Technical textiles include textile structures for automotive applications, medical textiles (such as implants), geotextile (used for reinforcement of embankments), agrotextiles (textiles for crop protection), and protective clothing (such as clothing resistant to heat, radiation, or molten metals, and clothing resistant to puncture (for example, stab-resistant or bulletproof clothing)).
In the workplace, textiles can be used in industrial and scientific processes such as filtering. Miscellaneous uses include flags, backpacks, tents, nets, cleaning rags, and transportation devices such as balloons, kites, sails, and parachutes; textiles are also used to provide strengthening in composite materials such as fibreglass and industrial geotextiles.