THE HISTORY OF FABRIC AND TEXTILES

THE HISTORY OF FABRIC AND
TEXTILES
Textiles are defined as the yarns that are woven
or knitted to make fabrics. The use of textiles
links the myriad cultures of the world and defines
the way they clothe themselves, adorn their
surroundings and go about their lives. Textiles
have been an integral part of human daily life for
thousands of years, with the first use of textiles,
most likely felt, dates back to the late Stone Age,
roughly 100,000 years ago. However, the earliest
instances of cotton, silk and linen being to appear
around 5,000 BC in India, Egypt and China. The
ancient methods of manufacturing textiles, namely
plain weave, satin weave and twill, have changed
very little over the centuries. Modern
manufacturing speed and capacity, however, have
increased the rate of production to levels
unthinkable even 200 years ago.
Trade of textiles in the ancient world occurred
predominantly on the Silk Road, a winding route
across lower Asia that connected the
Mediterranean lands with the Far East. Spanning
over 5,000 miles and established during the Han
Dynasty in China around 114 BC, the Silk Road
was an integral part of the sharing of
manufactured goods, cultures and philosophies,
and helped develop the great civilizations of the
world. During the Middle Ages, simple clothing
was favored by the majority of people, while finer
materials such as silks and linens were the
trappings of royalty and the rich. During the 14th
century, however, advances in dyeing and
tailoring accelerated the spread of fashion
throughout Western Europe, and drastically
altered the mindset of both wealthy man and
commoner alike. Clothing and draperies became
increasingly elaborate over the next several
centuries, although production methods remained
largely unchanged until the invention of steam-
powered mechanized facilities during the
Industrial Revolution. From that point on, quality
textiles became available to the masses at
affordable prices.
Textiles can be derived from several sources:
animals, plants and minerals are the traditional
sources of materials, while petroleum-derived
synthetic fibers were introduced in the mid-20th
century. By far, animal textiles are the most
prevalent in human society, and are commonly
made from furs and hair. Silk, wool, and
pashmina are all extremely popular animal
textiles. Plant textiles, the most common being
cotton, can also be made from straw, grass and
bamboo. Mineral textiles include glass fiber, metal
fiber and asbestos. The recent introduction of
synthetic textiles has greatly expanded the array
of options available for fabric manufacturers, both
in terms of garment versatility and usability.
Polyester, spandex, nylon and acrylic are all
widely used synthetic textiles.
In addition to the multitude of textiles available
for use, there are many different methods for
creating fabrics from textiles. Weaving is
performed using a loom, typically a rectangular
frame on which strands of fibers are hung and
interlaced with other fibers. Knitting involves
interlacing strands of yarn with the use of a
needle, and is typically done by hand, while
weaving is largely mechanized. Lacing is
performed using a backing piece to create finer
fabrics with open holes throughout the piece.
Interlacing a yarn through an existing piece of
woven cloth results in a layer known as a pile,
which is prominent in the manufacture of carpets
and velvet. Finally, and by far the oldest
technique, is felting, which involves squeezing a
mat of fibers together in a liquid to create a
tangled, flat material.
Textiles can also be colored using a variety of
techniques, including weaving together fibers of
differing colors, bleaching to create a pure white
look, stitching colored yarn through existing
fabric, the use of resist dyeing, and many other
ways of printing directly onto finished fabric.
Modern dyeing methods can create fabrics of
almost any color or pattern imaginable.