Fibes (An Overview of Fibers, Yarns, and Textiles)

FIBERS
An Overview of Fibers, Yarns, and Textiles
Parul Bhatnagar, PhD

Textiles have such an important bearing on our daily lives that everyone needs to know something about them. From earliest times, people have used textiles of various types. Today, textiles are still used for various purposes and everyone is an ultimate consumer. You use textiles in some form even if you are not the direct purchaser. Included among consumers are merchandisers, from the wholesale textile manufacturer and merchant to the sales force in any retail store. Many industries, such as the automobile industry, are important consumers of textiles in various forms. Some other consumers are homemakers, dressmakers, interior decorators, and retail-store customers, as well as students who are studying for these and various other occupations and professions in which knowledge of textiles is of major importance.
The merchant, particularly, and all those engaged in the purchase and/or sale of goods must be thoroughly familiar with the merchandise they are handling if they wish to be successful. Only thorough knowledge will prevent the mistakes that are too often made in buying and selling.
Reasons for Studying about Fibers
A study of fibers will show, for example, why certain fabrics are more durable and therefore more serviceable for specific purposes. It will explain why certain fabrics make cool wearing apparel as well as give an impression of coolness when used as decoration. The matter of cleanliness and maintenance must also be estimated before purchasing, when that is an important factor.
Complete knowledge of fibers will make it easy to develop the ability to distinguish quality in fabrics and, in turn, to appreciate the proper uses for the different qualities. As a result, both the consumer merchant and consumer customer will know how to buy and what to buy and sales people will know how to render good service to those consumers who have not had the advantage of a formal course in textiles.
Great strides have been made in the textile industry, and have markedly influenced our general economic growth. The prosperity and growth of related industries, retail apparel stores, have produced broader employment opportunities. Competition has fostered the creation of new textile fibers with specific qualities to compete with well-established fibers. New fiber blends have been created to combine many of these qualities into new types of yarns with new trademarks. There are also new names for the fabrics made of these new fibers and yarns. New finishes have been developed to add new and interesting characteristics to fibers, yarns, and fabric.
There is a challenge to the consumer, who is sometimes knowledgeable but frequently confused, he is not technical, this knowledge being imparted in this book can be easily understood and consequently very useful to the students who will be in business and also help in personal life. All of this information can be of useful benefit for economy, durability, serviceability, and comfort, as well as for such aesthetic values as hand or feel, texture, design, and color.
In the study of fibers, the students’ initial interest will be when they discover the natural fascination of fabrics and their cultural associations, particularly when factual study is supplemented by actual handling of the textile materials. The subject will seem worthwhile as they become familiar with illustrative specimens and fabrics and begin to handle and learn to compare the raw materials of which fabrics are made as well as the finished consumers’ goods.
The fibers are very complex. At this point, an introduction is being given compared to this vast subject, so as to provide a brief overview for some insight