The Textile Industry

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The Textile Industry
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Objectives

• To understand the textile industry as the primary
  material source for the apparel, interior
  furnishings, and industrial products industries
• To know the various segments of the textile
  industry
• To be able to follow the channels of distribution
  of textile products
• To be aware of the careers requiring a
  professional knowledge of textiles

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General Fields of Textile Products

• Three Large Groupings
• Apparel
• Textiles used in clothing
• Interior Furnishings
• Textiles used in furniture, bath, kitchen and bed
• Industrial
• Textiles used in luggage, flags, boat sails,
  gauze, bandages, dust filters, and so on

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Major Textile Production Segments

• Fibers
• Yarns
• Fabrics
• Dyeing and Printing
• Finishing
• Textile Put-Up

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Fibers

• The smallest part of the fabric
• Fine, hair-like substances, categorized as either
  natural or manufactured
• Cotton and wool are natural fibers
• Acrylic, nylon and polyester are manufactured
  fibers

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Yarns

• Continuous thread-like strands composed of fibers
  that have been twisted together
• There are various types of yarn, from flat and
  dull to slubby and lustrous

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Fabrics

• Made from yarns and are either woven or knitted
• Springs Industries and Milliken Company are two
  of the largest U.S. mills
• The range of fabric types and weights is
  tremendous, fulfilling a variety of consumer
  demands

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Dyeing and Printing

• Color is usually applied to the woven or knitted
  fabric by either dyeing or printing
• Dyeing is the process for imparting a solid color
  to textiles
• Printing is the process of imparting designs to
  textiles
• The purpose is to make the fabric more appealing

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Finishing

• Most fabrics need additional treatments called
  finishes before they can be used
• For example, special chemicals are used to make a
  fabric water-repellent and suitable for a raincoat

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Textile Put-Up

• Put-up is the term used to indicate the way
  fabric is packaged when it is sold
• Most fabrics sold to garment and other
  manufacturers are in a rolled put-up, where the
  fabric is wound around a cardboard tube

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Primary Sources of Fabric

• Mills
• A company that owns textile machinery and makes
  fabric
• Converters
• An individual or organization that buys greige
  goods (that is, unfinished fabric)
• Importers
• Direct Importer buys fabric or manufactured
  textile products
• Import Mill is a foreign company that owns
  machinery and makes the fabric and then exports
  it to the US

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Secondary Sources of Fabric

• Jobbers
• Buys from mills, converters, and garment
  manufacturers
• Retail Stores
• Home sewers purchase fabrics sold in retail
  stores
• Overseas Agents
• A person or company that represents an exporter
  or importer in the countries overseas where it
  conducts business

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Buying and Selling Fabric

• Fabrics are purchased either according to written
  specifications or from a sample
• If it is according to specifications it must be
  exact.
• Specifications yarns per inch, width, weight,
  thickness, breaking strength and degree of
  colorfastness
• If fabric is purchased from a sample, the seller
  is required to deliver a fabric almost identical
  to the sample

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Buying and Selling Fabric

• Fabric is sold either as greige or as finished
  fabric
• Frequently fashion designers or other end-product
  designers work closely with textile mill
  designers to create specific fabrics to meet
  their needs

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Private Label

• Very large quantities of textiles are sold
  directly to department stores, mail order houses,
  or discount chains for manufacture by the
  retailer or a contractor into private label
  clothing
• A private label is a retail brand in which
  apparel or other sewn products are manufactured
  specifically for a retailer and sold exclusively
  by that retailer

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Market and Production Planning

• Each segment of the textile industry must plan
  well ahead of the next selling season
• Unless schedules are maintained and deadlines met
  by the fiber producers, fabric mills, and other
  textile companies, it may not be possible to ship
  products when the buyers are ready to buy

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Seasons

• The two main selling seasons for apparel are fall
  and spring
• Fall season starts around August 1
• Spring season starts February 1
• The other seasons are summer and holiday

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Environmental Problems

• Air and water pollution
• Disposal of waste products
• Health of workers in mills
• Possible water pollution from home laundering

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Recycling

• Recycling must be an integrated effort between
  consumers, retailers, manufacturers, recyclers
  and the government
• Recycled products include fibers, yarns, fabric,
  garments, and used chemicals

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International Trade Shows

• Interstoff - (Fabric Exposition)
• SEHM - The Salon International de lHabillement
  Masculin - (Mens and Boys Fashions)
• Techtextil - (Technical Textiles)
• Heimtextil - (Home Textiles)
• ITMA - International Exposition of Textile
  Machinery

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Domestic Trade Shows

• ATME - American Textile Machinery Exhibition
• IFFE - International Fashion-Fabric Exposition
• Magic Internations (Mens Apparel)

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Textile Careers

• Nearly every country in the world is involved
  with textiles
• Requires areas such as design, creative talents,
  technology, merchandising and management
• Combines art, structured engineering, technical
  styling, marketing, and business

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Textile Careers

• Administrative Assistant
• Consultant
• Converter
• Coordinator
• Education
• Environmental Protection

• Forecasting
• Museum Curator
• Production
• Public Relations
• Quality Assurance
• Reporter
• Sales
• Sourcing