Textile Properties

A large and often overlooked part of fashion retail, though a large part of the production process, is appropriate textile selection. Each textile used in a garment has specific properties, utilised for a specific purpose; viscose for lining, wool for outerwear, or cotton for underwear etc., each has been selected, constructed, treated, and finished to meet the needs of the garment and its wearer, this is why it is so important for designers and salespeople to understand various textiles' properties, and capabilities.

Here is a concise selection of textiles and their properties that I have studied, worked with and sold (in menswear) and how they can relate to customer's needs.

Woven Vs Knitted Fabrics

Woven fabrics are strong and generally have no stretch, as they are made of straight threads running vertically (warp) and horizontally (weft) (unless the fabric has a percentage of synthetic stretch thread), they do however have stretch along the 'bias' - diagonal of the fabric, which gives some freedom of movement.

The yarns in woven fabrics are generally very fine, tightly twisted and woven together to make a solid durable fabric. The surface of a woven fabric often goes through a 'finishing' process, to give the fabric desirable qualities including - smooth shine, fluff finish, water resistance, stain resistant, stability, which relates to the form and function of its intended use.

Knit fabrics are made by looping yarns together, giving vertical, diagonal, and mostly horizontal stretch, this means knit garments can be worn more form fitting, giving better ease of movement.

The yarns in knitted fabrics are generally larger and not as tightly spun, which means knitwear has better air flow and movement, looser fibers means the fabric is not as durable, and less finishes can be applied to knitted fabrics.

Wool

Wool has highly desirable qualities for clothing including:

• Hard wearing, particularly in woven fabric with fibers greater than 18.5 microns (super 100s)
• Resistant to dirt and does not take on odor
  
• Wicks moisture away from the body while keeping a stable temperature - retains warmth when wet
  
• 'Breath-ability' - warm in winter, cool in summer
• When exposed to flame wool turns to ash
• Lightweight and versatile
• Wool does not wrinkle easily

NB: Wool shrinks when washed in warm or hot water, therefor it must only be washed in cold water, preferably by hand using hand soap or castille soap, baby shampoo or light detergent. Do not rub the wool against itself or it will felt. Remove excess water by laying the item on a towel and rolling the item up, leave the item flat in desired size/shape to dry. Fine woven wool should be professionally dry cleaned only.

Wool Grading

Wool is separated into grades based on the measurement of the wool's individual fiber diameter in microns and also its style (crimp, yield, color, and staple strength); fiber diameter is the single most important wool characteristic determining quality and price.

Any wool finer than 25 microns can be used for suiting 'cloth', while coarser grades are used for outerwear, knitwear or rugs. The finer the wool fiber, the softer it is, while coarser grades are more durable and less prone to pilling.

Wool fiber and fabric grading classifications

23m< Strong Merino,

20.1–23m Medium Merino,

18.6–20m Fine Merino,

15.6–18.5m Superfine Merino

<15.5m Ultrafine Merino

Production of high quality suiting fabrics are found in Italy and England; the companies Scabal and Dormeuil in Yorkshire produce some of the best 'fine' to 'super fine' cloths made from Australian and New Zealand Merino sheep's wool.

Tweed

Harris Tweed is a heavy cloth made from the Cheviot sheep's wool, 28-35 microns, which has been grown and handwoven by the islanders on the Isles of Lewis and Harris, Uist and Barra in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, using local wool.

Traditional Harris Tweed was characterized by subtle flecks of colour achieved through the use of vegetable dyes, including the lichen dyes called "crottle" which give deep red or purple-brown and rusty orange. These lichens are the origin of the distinctive scent of older Harris Tweed.

Donegal tweed is a handwoven tweed manufactured in County Donegal, Ireland.

 

Popular traditional fabric styles made by Harris and Donegal Tweed mills are: Prince of Whales check, Herringbone, and Houndstooth.

Cashmere

Cashmere wool, is a fiber obtained from Kashmir goats, commonly found in the Middle East, Mongolia and China. It takes approximately a year’s worth of wool from three to four goats in order to make a single ply cashmere sweater. The finer, highest quality fiber comes from the neck and belly (undercoat) of the goat and has a diameter of approximately 16 microns, while fiber from the goat's back (outer coating) is more coarse and not desirable for luxury garments. Cashmere is eight times warmer than sheep’s wool and 33% lighter. Cashmere's scarcity and wearable qualities make it one of the most expensive wool fibers.

In the United States, labeling laws states that a wool or textile product may not be labeled as containing cashmere unless:

• Such wool product is the fine (dehaired) undercoat fibers produced by a cashmere goat
• The average diameter of the fiber of such wool product does not exceed 19 microns; and
  
• Such wool product does not contain more than 3 percent (by weight) of cashmere fibers with average diameters that exceed 30 microns.

Mohair

Mohair usually refers to a silk-like fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat.

Mohair fiber is approximately 25–45 microns in diameter. It is notable for its high luster and sheen with a texture which resembles fine human hair, which has helped give it the nickname the "Diamond Fiber". It is often used in fiber blends to add fur-like qualities to a textile. Mohair like all wool, has great insulating properties, and moisture wicking properties. It is the most durable wool fiber, naturally elastic, flame resistant, and crease resistant. Mohair does not irritate or itch because it has almost no scales like sheep's wool, this also makes it resistant to felting and shrinking. It is considered to be a luxury fiber like cashmere, angora and silk, and is more expensive than wool that comes from sheep.

NB: Mohair should not be confused with Angora wool or Angora fiber, which refers to the downy coat produced by the Angora rabbit. Angora (rabbit) wool is known for its silky texture, softness, and thin fibers. It is much warmer and lighter than wool due to the hollow core of the angora fiber. It also gives them their characteristic floating feel known as 'halo' (fluffiness). Angora (rabbit) fiber is generally used in woman’s wear, as an accent like edging.

Leather

Leather or animal skin is a versatile and valuable material for clothing because of it's high durability coupled with wear-ability, making it ideal for lasting, usable products e.g., shoes, jackets, gloves. 

Valuable qualities include:

• High tensile strength, gives it resistance to tear, flexing, puncture and wet and dry abrasion
• Leather contains a great deal of air, which is a poor conductor of heat therefor leather is warm in winter and cool in summer - this is an important comfort consideration.
• Leather fibers will hold large quantities of water vapour, this enables leather to absorb perspiration, which is later dissipated, a significant factor in comfort.
  
• Leather can be moulded and will retain its new shape. It has both elastic and plastic properties in wear.
• These properties, concerned with wear and maintenance, are controlled by the tannage and surface finish. These have now reached high levels of excellence.

Cotton

Cotton materials are valuable for their comfort and softness, strength, durability, wash-ability, breath-ability and absorption of moisture. These factors make it ideal as the first layer of an outfit as cotton absorbs sweat, breaths and is comfortable. Cotton however does not retain heat like wool or leather. Cotton fabric is ideal for frequently used, frequently washed products, worn in mild to warm environments e.g., shirts, underwear, light outerwear, light suiting.

Cotton styles used in clothing

• Chambray is visually similar to denim in that it has white weft (horizontal) threads across colored warp (vertical) threads, making it dark on the outside light on the inside. Chambray is lighter in weight to denim because it is a plain 1:1 weave cotton, often used for shirting.
• Denim is a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two (twi- "double") or more warp threads. This twill weaving produces the familiar diagonal ribbing of the fabric, which distinguishes denim from cotton duck. It is characteristic of any indigo denim that only the warp threads are dyed, whereas the weft threads remain plain white. As a result of the warp-faced twill weaving, one side of the fabric shows the blue warp threads, the other side shows the white weft threads. This is why jeans are white from the inside and what makes their fading characteristics so unique compared to every other fabric. When washed, denim will shrink, and loosens when worn.
• Drill is a strong twilled cotton fabric, used in men’s and women’s slacks. NB: Unlike denim, drill does not loosen when worn.
• Duck (canvas) is a heavy, durable tightly woven fabric. Heavy weight canvas is used in awnings, tents, etc. Lighter duck is used in summer clothing.
• Flannel cotton is plain or twill weave with a slight nap on one or both sides.
• Flannelette is a soft cotton fabric with a nap on one side.
• Gingham is a lightweight, washable, stout fabric that is woven in checks, plaids or stripes.
• Lawn is a plain weave, soft, very light, combed cotton fabric with a crisp finish.
• Oxford is shirting fabric with a lustrous, soft finish. It is characterized with narrow stripes and can be woven in plain or basket weave. Also a term used for wool fabric that has black and white fibers.
  
• Percale is a light weight, closely woven, sturdy fabric that can be found printed or in dark or light colors.
  
• Poplin is a plain weave fabric with a cross-wise rib.
• Seersucker is a lightweight cotton fabric crinkled into lengthwise stripes.
  
• Swiss is a sheer, very fine cotton that can be plain or decorated with dots or other designs.

N.B: Cotton wrinkles easily, thus it needs ironing and correct hanging. When first subject to heat, cotton shrinks, this is more common in (less processed) knit fabrics.

Viscose ('Rayon' USA)

Viscose looks and feels like synthetic as it can have a bright sheen, though it is made from cellulose (wood pulp). It is most commonly used as a lining in suits, as it has excellent 'wearable' properties.

• Viscose has a high moisture retention and breathes actively, similar to cotton
• Regulates temperature well, making it especially pleasant to the skin
• Does not shrink when heated
• Renewable and Biodegradable
• Unlike synthetic as a lining it reduces static electricity

Viscose Production

Viscose fibers are made of cellulose, from wood pulp. The cellulose is ground up and reacted with caustic soda. After an ageing / waiting period, the ripening process during which depolymerisation occurs, carbon disulphide is added. This forms a yellow crumb known as cellulose xanthate, which is easily dissolved in more caustic soda to give a viscous yellow solution. This solution is pumped through a spinneret, which may contain thousands of holes, into a dilute sulphuric acid bath where the cellulose is regenerated as fine filaments as the xanthate decomposes, these filaments make up the yarn of the fabric.

Synthetic

Synthetic materials were developed to 'improve' on naturally occurring fibers (animal and plant), using petroleum or petrochemicals to create the thread for the fabric. Synthetic materials are constantly being developed to have features similar to, and better than natural fibers.

Some advantages of synthetic are:

• Durable
• Readily available
• Easy to maintain
• Resistant to insects, fungi and rot
• Low / no moisture absorbency
• Generally cheaper than natural fiber
• Drys quickly
• Light weight
• Toughness of tensile strength
• Basic insulation properties

Some disadvantages of synthetic are:

• Heat-sensitive, synthetic melts with heat
• Electrostatic - when worn synthetic can create static electricity
• Pilling in suiting, similar to low twist cotton or wool
• Does not breath or wick moisture from the body

In clothing, synthetic material is typically used for its cheapness, light weight, strength and high durability. The main issue is when synthetic is worn it does not breath, absorb or wick moisture away from the body, like cotton, viscose, leather and wool.