Definition of textiles for the clothing and textile industry

A textile is any kind of woven, knitted, knotted (as in macrame) or tufted cloth, or a non-woven fabric (a cloth made of fibers that have been bonded into a fabric, e.g. felt).

Textile also refers to the yarns, threads and wools that can be spun, woven, tufted, tied and otherwise used to manufacture cloth. The production of textiles is an ancient art, whose speed and scale of production has been altered almost beyond recognition by mass-production and the introduction of modern manufacturing techniques. An ancient Roman weaver would have no problem recognizing a plain weave, twill, or satin.

Many textiles have been in use for millennia, while others use artificial fibers and are recent inventions. The range of fibers has increased in the last 100 years. The first synthetics were made in the 1920s and 1930s.

Textiles can be made from a variety of materials. The following is a partial list of the materials that can be used to make textiles.

Animal origin

Alpacca
Angora rabbit hair
Camel hair
Cashmere
Mohair
Silk
Vicuana hair
Wool : divided into woollen and worsted

Vegetable

Bark cloth has various uses, and is used in sheets.
Coir: the fibre from coconuts.
Cotton
Grass, rush and straw
Hemp (mostly used in rope making)
Jute
Kapok
Linen, made from flax
Nettle: processed in a similar manner to flax.
Ramie
Seaweed: a water soluble fibre (alginate) is produced. This is used as a holding fibre in the production of certain textiles: when the cloth is finished the alginate is dissolved, leaving an open area.
Sisal

Derived from plant products

Paper

Mineral

Asbestos: now has very limited uses.
Glass fibres can be used in the manufacture of textiles for insulation and other purposes.
Metal fibre, metal wire and metal foil have some uses in textiles, either on their own or with other materials (see, for example, goldwork embroidery).

A vast range of man-made fibers can be used in textile manufacture, including:

Acrylic fiber
Lurex
Spandex, tactel, lycra and other 'stretch' fabrics
Nylon fiber
Polyester fiber
Polypropylene (comes under various common trade names such as Olefin or Herculon)
Rayon fiber

Ways of making textiles

Braiding/Plaiting
Crochet
usually by hand.
Embroidery
threads which are added to the surface of a finished textile.
Felt
fibres are matted together to produce a cloth.
Knitting
by hand or on knitting machines.
Knotting, including macrame: used in making nets.
Lace
again both hand made and machine made.
Pile fabrics
carpets and some rugs
Velvet, velveteen, plush fabrics and similar have a secondary set of yarns which provide a pile.
Weaving
the cloth is prepared on a loom, of which there are a number of types. Some weaving is still done by hand, but the vast majority is machine made.

Processes

Bleaching
where the natural or original colour of the textile is removed with bleach.

Dyeing
adding colour to textiles: there is a vast range of dyes, natural and synthetic, some of which require mordants.

Waterproofing and other finishings.

Starching

Uses of textiles

Textiles have been used in almost every possible context where their properties are useful. In cleaning