Clothing material

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Many clothing materials have been used to make garments throughout history. Grasses, furs and much more complex and exotic materials have been used. Cultures near the Arctic Circle, make their wardrobes out of processed furs and skins. [1] Different cultures have added cloth to leather and skins as a way to replace real leather. A wide range of fibers, including natural, cellulose, and synthetic fibers, can be used to weave or knit cloth. From natural fibers like cotton and silk to synthetic ones like polyester and nylon, most certainly reflects culture.

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Humans have shown extreme inventiveness in devising clothing solutions to environmental hazards and the distinction between clothing and other protective equipment is not always clear-cut; examples include space suit, air conditioned clothing, armor, diving suit, swimsuit, bee-keeper's protective clothing, motorcycle leathers, high-visibility clothing, and protective clothing in general. [2] [3]

History of clothing materials

It can be assumed that the animal skins were used for clothing throughout the human history, although in the ways that are primitive when compared to the modern processing, the earliest known samples come from Ötzi the Iceman (late 4th millennium BC) with his goatskin clothes made from leather strips put together using sinews, bearskin hat, and shoes using the deerskin for the uppers and goatskin for the soles. Grass was used for the woven cloak and socks-like stuffing inside the shoes. [1]

The weaving is also very old: an impression in hardened clay found in the Czech Republic suggests availability of woven material in Paleolithic 25 000 years before present. [1] It is generally believed that woven wool production began in the 11th millennium BC; it certainly had been used in the clothing of ancient Persians, Greeks, and Romans. [4] The other natural fibers used for the yarn were flax (linen), silk, and cotton. [1] Earliest indications of linen use come from Ancient Egypt, silk production originated in China (according to a legend, 5000 years ago). Deuteronomy contains a prohibition on mixing wool and linen in clothing material. [4] Earliest known use of cotton fabrics (late 4th millennium BC) is found in India, it spread to Rome by 350 BC. [5]

Insulation

The insulation qualities of clothing materials are determined by the amount of "dead air" they can hold. The air is held in the voids inside the material itself as well as in the gaps between the clothing layers. Of the natural clothing materials, fur and leather provide the best insulation. Wool, with its lanolin oil, is not very absorbent and keeps its insulation properties well when wet, unlike cotton. [6]

Examples of clothing materials

Natural materials

Common natural clothing materials include: [7]

Synthetic materials

Other materials are made from synthetic fibers, primarily from petrochemicals, which are not generally biodegradable. Common synthetic materials include: [8]

Less common materials

Some less common clothing materials are:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wool</span> Textile fiber from the hair of sheep or other mammals

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal wool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textile</span> Various fiber-based materials

Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the only manufacturing method, and many other methods were later developed to form textile structures based on their intended use. Knitting and non-woven are other popular types of fabric manufacturing. In the contemporary world, textiles satisfy the material needs for versatile applications, from simple daily clothing to bulletproof jackets, spacesuits, and doctor's gowns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarn</span> Long continuous length of interlocked fibres

Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or other lubricants to withstand the stresses involved in sewing. Embroidery threads are yarns specifically designed for needlework. Yarn can be made of a number of natural or synthetic materials, and comes in a variety of colors and thicknesses. Although yarn may be dyed different colours, most yarns are solid coloured with a uniform hue.

This timeline of clothing and textiles technology covers events relating to fiber and flexible woven material worn on the body. This includes the making, modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, and manufacturing systems (technology).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textile arts</span> Form of arts and crafts using fibers

Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiber</span> Natural or synthetic substance that is significantly longer than it is wide

Fiber is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate fibers, for example carbon fiber and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Velvet</span> Type of pile fabric

Velvet is a type of woven fabric with a dense, even pile that gives it a distinctive soft feel. Historically, velvet was typically made from silk. Modern velvet can be made from silk, linen, cotton, wool, synthetic fibers, silk-cotton blends, or synthetic-natural fiber blends.

Synthetic fibers or synthetic fibres are fibers made by humans through chemical synthesis, as opposed to natural fibers that are directly derived from living organisms, such as plants or fur from animals. They are the result of extensive research by scientists to replicate naturally occurring animal and plant fibers. In general, synthetic fibers are created by extruding fiber-forming materials through spinnerets, forming a fiber. These are called synthetic or artificial fibers. The word polymer comes from a Greek prefix "poly" which means "many" and suffix "mer" which means "single units"..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extreme cold weather clothing</span> Clothing for arctic or high altitude conditions

Extreme cold weather clothing is clothing for arctic or mountainous areas. Its primary function is to trap air as an insulator to prevent heat loss from the wearer's body. Secondary and necessary is to conduct water vapor away from the body to keep the insulating layers dry. A shell keeps the wind from disturbing the still air in the insulating layers. In warmer conditions, the shell protects from water intrusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microfiber</span> Synthetic fiber

Microfibre is synthetic fibre finer than one denier or decitex/thread, having a diameter of less than ten micrometers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedding</span> Bed covering fabrics

Bedding, also called bedclothes or bed linen, is the materials laid above the mattress of a bed for hygiene, warmth, protection of the mattress, and decorative effect. Bedding is the removable and washable portion of a human sleeping environment. Multiple sets of bedding for each bed are often washed in rotation and/or changed seasonally to improve sleep comfort at varying room temperatures. Most standardized measurements for bedding are rectangular, but there are also some square-shaped sizes, which allows the user to put on bedding without having to consider its lengthwise orientation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bathrobe</span> Loose, informal garment worn after bathing or at home

A bathrobe, also known as a housecoat or a dressing gown, is a loose-fitting outer garment worn by people, often after washing the body or around a pool. A bathrobe is considered to be very informal clothing, and is not worn with everyday clothes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaiters</span> Garment worn over the shoe and lower pants leg

Gaiters are garments worn over the shoe and bottom of the pant or trouser leg and used primarily as personal protective equipment, in particular against snakebite. They are also commonly used to keep the bottom of the pant-leg dry when hiking in snow. Similar garments used primarily for display are spats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural fiber</span> Fibers obtained from natural sources such as plants, animals or minerals without synthesis

Natural fibers or natural fibres are fibers that are produced by geological processes, or from the bodies of plants or animals. They can be used as a component of composite materials, where the orientation of fibers impacts the properties. Natural fibers can also be matted into sheets to make paper or felt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun protective clothing</span> Clothing which blocks light

Sun protective clothing is clothing specifically designed for sun protection and is produced from a fabric rated for its level of ultraviolet (UV) protection. A novel weave structure and denier may produce sun protective properties. In addition, some textiles and fabrics employed in the use of sun protective clothing may be pre-treated with UV-inhibiting ingredients during manufacture to enhance their effectiveness.

The manufacture of textiles is one of the oldest of human technologies. To make textiles, the first requirement is a source of fiber from which a yarn can be made, primarily by spinning. The yarn is processed by knitting or weaving, which turns it into cloth. The machine used for weaving is the loom. For decoration, the process of coloring yarn or the finished material is dyeing. For more information of the various steps, see textile manufacturing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technical textile</span> Textile product valued for its functional characteristics

"Technical textile" refers to a category of textiles specifically engineered and manufactured to serve functional purposes beyond traditional apparel and home furnishing applications. These textiles are designed with specific performance characteristics and properties, making them suitable for various industrial, medical, automotive, aerospace, and other technical applications. Unlike conventional textiles used for clothing or decoration, technical textiles are optimized to offer qualities such as strength, durability, flame resistance, chemical resistance, moisture management, and other specialized functionalities to meet the specific needs of diverse industries and sectors.

The study of the history of clothing and textiles traces the development, use, and availability of clothing and textiles over human history. Clothing and textiles reflect the materials and technologies available in different civilizations at different times. The variety and distribution of clothing and textiles within a society reveal social customs and culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jersey (fabric)</span> Plain knit fabric

Jersey is a knit fabric used predominantly for clothing manufacture. It was originally made of wool, but is now made of wool, cotton and synthetic fibers.

A blend is a mixture of two or more fibers. In yarn spinning, different compositions, lengths, diameters, or colors may be combined to create a blend. Blended textiles are fabrics or yarns produced with a combination of two or more types of different fibers, or yarns to obtain desired traits and aesthetics. Blending is possible at various stages of textile manufacturing. The term, blend, refers to spun fibers or a fabric composed of such fibers. There are several synonymous terms: a combination yarn is made up of two strands of different fibers twisted together to form a ply; a mixture or mixed cloth refers to blended cloths in which different types of yarns are used in warp and weft sides.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Woolfson 2010, p. 231.
  2. ↑ Wells, Robert (2021-02-10). "NASA Selects UCF Honeybee-inspired Spacesuit Material Design for Further Development". University of Central Florida News | UCF Today. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  3. ↑ Research, Office of Naval. "Deep impact: New diving suit could increase undersea range of Navy divers". techxplore.com. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  4. 1 2 Woolfson 2010, p. 233.
  5. ↑ Woolfson 2010, p. 235.
  6. ↑ United States Air Force 2008, p. 143.
  7. ↑ Materials Terminology Guide. Textile Exchange. December 2020. pp. 5–6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  8. ↑ "8 Different Types of Synthetic Fabrics". Sahni Fabs. 2023-08-16. Retrieved 2024-11-23.

Sources

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