Fashion Glossary: K

Clothing and textile definitions, letter K.

Detailed Guides

The following terms have in-depth guides:

kaffiyeh  an Arab headdress consisting of a square of cloth folded to form a triangle and held on by a cord

kaftan not sure the exact definition, but you can read a fine article regarding kaftans

kameez  a long tunic about knee-length or beyond. The tunic is worn over pants or skirt and can be designed in a number of styles.  Traditional garment from India.

kapa  the native cloth of Hawaii; traditionally created only by women by beating strips of bark together was a dying art that was revived after much research.  Bark from different types of trees were used, but the mulberry tree was the most common.  Dyes were created from many different types of plants, many of which are still available.  

kaross  a simple garment of skins used especially by native tribesmen of southern Africa

kelly green  a variable color averaging a strong yellowish green.

kelvin  thermal temperature measuring unit (zero point approximately-273.16
degrees Celsius) Often abbreviated as K in technical literature.

kemp a coarse fiber especially of wool that is usually short, wavy, and white, has little affinity for dye, and is used in mixed wools.

kenaf  a bast fiber.  The possibility of extracting fibers from kenaf was investigated using established retting methods.  The kenaf stalk, when decorticated, offers the opportunity to extract fibers that may be used in various textile end
products.  The fiber extraction process affects fiber properties which are important for the making of textiles, both woven and nonwoven structures.  fibers can be extracted by either bacterial or chemical retting process.

kendal green  a green woolen cloth resembling homespun or tweed.

kepi  a military cap with a round flat top sloping toward the front and a visor

kerchief  a square of cloth used as a head covering or worn as a scarf around the neck

kersey a coarse ribbed woolen cloth for hose and work clothes; a heavy wool or wool and cotton fabric used especially for uniforms and coats.  A garment made of kersey fabric, namely a heavy wool or wool and cotton fabric.  Wool - poor quality, can also be made of re-used or remanufactured wool.   Originated in Kersey, England in 11th century. Very similar to beaver but it is fulled more, has a shorter nap and a much higher luster.detailed kersey definition →

kerseymere a fine woolen fabric with a close nap made in fancy twill weaves.

khaddar  homespun cotton cloth of India.

khaki a khaki-colored cloth made usually of cotton or wool and used especially for military uniforms.  Light yellowish brown.  A garment made of khaki-colored (namely a light yellowish brown) cloth especially a military uniform [Usually used in plural]detailed khaki definition →

kid glove  a dress glove made of kid leather

kilt  a knee-length pleated skirt usually of tartan, namely a twilled woolen fabric with a plaid textile design consisting of stripes of varying width and color usually patterned to designate a distinctive clan and worn by men in Scotland and by Scottish regiments in the British armies; a garment that resembles a Scottish kilt

kiltie a shoe with a long slashed tongue that folds over the instep

Kimono a long robe with wide sleeves traditionally worn with a broad sash as an outer garment by the Japanese; a loose dressing gown or jacket

kimono sleeve it is constructed as a wide rectangle from a dropped shoulder. 

kirtle  a tunic or coat worn by men especially in the Middle Ages; a long gown or dress worn by women

knee breeches  breeches

kneesock  a knee-high sock

knickerbockers   knickers

knickers loose-fitting short pants gathered at the knee

knitwear knitted clothing

KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator.  Clothing retail businesses often set KPI's to track performance.  A retail KPI or metric is a performance measurement to track important retail processes in an efficient way. These KPIs are used by retailers to increase profits by identifying consumer patterns as well as bottle-necks within the ordering or shipping process, etc.

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