Fabrics
The need to protect the body from heat and cold using fabrics has existed as long as humans have. Over time, this fabric has evolved from animal skin, to cloth made from plant fibres and most recently, to synthetic fibres.
Clothing is among humankind's most basic needs. In the late Stone Age, that is roughly around 1,00,000 years ago, humans wore clothes made from animal skin and used bones and antlers as pins to hold garments together. They also used vegetation to cover themselves such that their bodies were protected from cold, heat and rain.
The first evidence of woven textiles dates back to around 6,000 BC, when this kind of fabric was used to wrap dead bodies in Anatolia, Turkey. Historians have found traces of linen in Ancient Egypt around 5,000 BC. Two millenia later in 3,000 BC, domesticated animals like sheep were used as a source of cloth fibre. Throughout the Indus Valley Civilisation, fabrics made of cotton were used in India. In 2,600 BC, a Chinese princess discovered silk, which then came to India via the Silk Route.
During the Middle Ages, simple clothing was favoured by the majority of people, while finer materials such as silks and linens were available only to royalty and the rich.
The ancient methods of manufacturing textile didn't change significantly until the Industrial Revolution, when the speed and capacity of production increased phenomenally. It was during this time that the production of synthetic fabrics began. The first synthetic material was invented by Sir Joseph Swan in the early 1880s. He presented his research in 1885 during the International Inventions Exhibition and noted that synthetic materials could overcome many of the limitations of natural fibres. Rayon, also known as artificial silk, was the first manufactured fibre and was produced in 1910. Nylon came into the market by 1939 as one of the first synthetic materials created from petrochemicals. Polyester was discovered in 1953 and quickly became the most commonly used man-made fibre in the USA. Synthetic fibres are more durable than most natural fibres. They are stretchable, waterproof and stain resistant.
Microfibre or ultrasuede was invented only 20 years ago in Japan and it is the thinnest man-made fibre ever made. It is 100 times thinner than a strand of human hair.
Fibres are of two kinds - natural fibres, which include animal fibres, and man-made fibres, which are synthetic fibres.
Natural fibres are derived from various sources - animals, plants and minerals. Plant fibres are sourced from the seeds, leaves, fruits, stalks and even the trunks of trees and plants. For many years, there have been four main natural fibres ruling the industry - flax, cotton, wool and silk. Natural fibres are also used to make paper and felt.
Flax is considered to be the oldest natural textile fibre used. In ancient times, people used flax fibres by separating them into strands and then plaiting or weaving them into simple fabrics. These fabrics were then coloured with dyes extracted from plants. Flax linen was also used as burial shrouds for Egyptian pharaohs.
Cotton and wool came into existence around 3,000 BC. Cotton fibre is sourced from the Gossypium plant, also known as the cotton plant.
Bamboo was also a major source of fibre and was used to make clothes, shoes and hats.
Silk, wool, fur, cashmere and catgut are examples of animal fibres that are drawn from animal hair, feathers, silk or even the produce of animals. Animal fibres are obtained from animals like goats, sheep, rabbits, camels and even dogs. Animal fibres are obtained by methods that include combing, plucking, shearing etc.
