Textiles refer to materials that are made from fibers, thin threads or filaments which are natural or manufactured or a combination. Textiles are created by interlocking these yarns in specific patterns resulting in a length of cloth.
Natural fibers
Vegetable origin
People began using plant fibers to make clothing thousands of years ago. A few years ago, researchers in Georgia discovered fiber remains made from wild flax, which have been dated to an age of 34,000 years. Apparently, early humans had processed the flax into cords and ropes to sew animal hides together or to tie their belongings into bundles when traveling.
Even today, we use natural plant fibers for clothing production: in addition to hemp, jute or sisal, also linen (which is made from the stems of the flax plant) and the extremely popular cotton.
Animal origin
An important chapter in the history of human clothing began in the Neolithic Age with the processing of sheep’s wool. Shepherds probably discovered wool in the fourth millennium BC as an ideal raw material for the production of yarns and fabrics that could be processed into clothing.
Fibers of animal origin, in addition to sheep’s wool, are for example cashmere (from the hair of the cashmere goat), angora (from the hair of the angora rabbit) or silk (from the threads of the silkworm).
From wool, for example from sheep or cashmere goats, people have been making clothes since the Stone Age.
Chemical fibers (man-made fibers)
An Englishman first experimented with the production of chemical or synthetic fibers in the 17th century. However, man-made fibers only became really significant in the course of the twentieth century. According to Oerlikon, chemical fibers now account for around 65% of global fiber production.
Synthetic fibers are divided into two types: cellulosic and synthetic.
Cellulosic manmade fibers
The basic material of these fibers is vegetable. As their name suggests, they are obtained from cellulose, i.e. wood. They include, for example, viscose, modal or acetate.
Synthetic manmade fibers
Synthetic textiles are manufactured from coal, crude oil and natural gas, which are converted into fibers in chemical processes. These include polyester, polyamide, spandex or polyacrylic.
Types of natural fibers
Cotton
Pictures of cotton plants many of us have seen before: The heavily hairy seeds, which look like thick white cotton balls, sprout from the capsules of the cotton plant. The cultivation and processing of cotton has long been notorious for its high water consumption: In reality, however, only about 1,200 liters of water are used to produce one kilogram of cotton fabric!
Garments, such as T-shirts, can be made of 100% cotton. However, cotton products can also be mixed with other types of fiber such as viscose, linen or spandex. Clothing made of pure cotton is particularly recommended for allergy sufferers.
A subspecies of cotton is the so-called mercerized cotton, also called “pearl cotton”. A special chemical treatment ensures that the fabric is strengthened and gets more shine. It also makes the cotton fabric easier to dye and more resistant to mildew.
Wool
This clothing fabric has millennia on the hump, but has still not worn out. Because wool is not only resistant to dirt and hardly wrinkles, but also keeps you cozy and warm. Wool supplier number one is the sheep. But the fine hairs of angora rabbits, alpacas, cashmere goats and other animals may also be called wool according to the Textile Labeling Act.
Pure new wool is a special case: Only wool obtained from living animals (sheared) and containing only a minimal amount of foreign fibers may be designated as such.
Silk
The noblest of fabrics. The mulberry moth, a bred silkworm, is the manufacturer of real silk. For this is obtained from the cocoons of the caterpillar – the thread is no less than about 1000 meters long!
Silk is very popular because of various properties: On the one hand, it is comfortable to wear in summer and winter, because it cools in the heat and warms in the cold. On the other hand, it is very tear-resistant, releases skin moisture to the outside and has a beautiful shiny surface.
Its biggest disadvantage: silk is still one of the most expensive textiles! In addition, this textile is a real sensitive and anything but easy to care for. In combination with sweat, perfume or deodorant, the fabric can even become brittle or yellow.
Linen
Even in the Neolithic Age, people wore clothes made of linen. The linen fiber is obtained from the flax plant. However, the production of linen is complex and the fabric is therefore expensive.
Linen is characterized by its very smooth surface, which gives it a matte sheen. It hardly soils and fluffs, is hard-wearing and releases moisture well. Because it creases strongly and is a rather stiff fabric, garments made of linen often contain portions of cotton or man-made fibers.
Types of manmade fibers
Viscose
Viscose is the most natural of all synthetic fibers, because its basic material is cellulose from wood species such as beech, bamboo or eucalyptus. A very complex chemical process turns the cellulose into viscose fibers.
Special properties of viscose are the fineness of its fibers (10 to 15 µm in diameter) and its good moisture absorption, which makes it a very hygienic fabric. Because viscose has such a silky sheen and also falls softly and flowingly, it is also called “artificial silk”. However, it is also very susceptible to wrinkling and does not retain its shape.
Modal fabric
Like viscose, modal is also a so-called regenerated fiber, which means that this synthetic fiber is also made from cellulose. Modal is characterized by its high elasticity and strength as well as its good absorbency. In addition, the fabric is skin-friendly and breathable and is therefore used “close to the skin”: for example, in underwear, bed linen and sleepwear.
Polyester
The man-made fiber polyester, which is formed from acids and alcohol, is very versatile – it is used in fleece and microfiber products as well as linings or outerwear. It has been manufactured industrially since 1947 and is the most widely produced synthetic fiber.
Advantages of polyester fibers are, for example, that they are light and elastic, yet tear-resistant and hard-wearing. If polyester is blended with other natural fibers such as cotton or wool, these blends retain their shape better even when damp and hardly wrinkle. Because polyester dries quickly and absorbs hardly any moisture, it is also the ideal material for sportswear.
Imitation leather
Imitation leather is the inexpensive alternative to real leather and also finds favor with animal rights activists. Imitation leather comes in all variations, from nappa leather to imitation suede. Their basis can be either natural fibers, such as cotton, or synthetic fibers. In addition, imitation leather is covered with a plastic layer of soft PVC or polyurethane.
