Chapter Three

1
Chapter Three

• The Structure of the US Textile Industry

2
Textile Terms

• Textile
• Any product made from fibers
• Fiber producing
• Yarn spinning
• Fabric production
• Fabric finishing

3
Terms (cont)

• Fibers
• Natural
• Manufactured
• Yarns
• Spun
• Filament

4
Terms (cont)

• Fabric construction
• Solutions
• Fibers (non-woven)
• Yarns
• Finishes
• Appearance
• Hand
• Performance
• Types
• Greige goods
• Converted/finished goods

5
Industry Structure

• Companies perform one or more of these basic
  functions
• Fiber processing
• Yarn spinning
• Fabric production
• Textile Mills
• Fabric Finishers
• Converters

6
Structure (cont)

• Specialists
• Throwsters
• Modify filament
• Vertical Integration

7
Fiber and Yarn

• Natural fiber processing
• Cotton, wool
• Leather
• Fur
• Manufactured fibers

8
Fiber Marketing and Distribution

• Natural Fibers
• Commodities
• Price based on demand
• Trade associations to combat manufactured fibers
• Manufactured Fibers
• Cost based on development and production
• Commodity or name-brand
• Licensed/controlled brand name programs set
  minimum standards

9
Color Forecasting

• Key consumer choice issue
• Usually applied at textile production stage
• Color stories translated into fabrics
• Also performed by apparel manufactures
• Associations
• Determine general color palettes

10
Fabric Production

• Textile Mills
• Weaving
• Knitting
• Usually specialized, unless vertically integrated
• Griege goods
• Converters
• Staple vs. Specialty fabrics

11
Fabric (cont)

• Textile design
• Designer
• Printing method
• Fabric structure
• Color
• Finishes
• Stylist
• Understands the market

12
Fabric (cont)

• Converters
• Buy greige goods
• Add dyes, prints, and finishes
• Focus on aesthetics and performance
• Experts in color forecasting
• Not all fabrics handled by a converter

13
Fabric (cont)

• Textile testing
• Inspecting, measuring, evaluating properties
• Standards set by ASTM and AATCC
• Quality control
• Inspection of finished goods to standards
• Quality assurance
• Performance and consumer satisfaction

14
Environmental Issues

• Organic or recycled products
• Environmentally friendly products
• Recycling to keep textiles out of land fills
• Foxfibre Cotton
• Younger consumers
• Increased social responsibility