AC The Industry

We at Academy Clairtex have a genuine love of textiles and our working environment. So for those just curious, students studying this subject and new members of our profession just embarking in this wonderful industry, here below is a short film taking you around a grey cloth weaving mill and then on to a print works so that you can have a brief idea on fabric manufacture.

Following this we have written a brief history of fabrics in the form of a guide from the beginning of mankind to present day. We hope that this helps put our industry into perspective.

Tens of thousands of years ago mans earliest thoughts upon the awakening day would have been dominated by the need to feed and clothe himself. One might say, that not a lot has changed.
Today millions of people awake in an environment that is surrounded by fabric. For many the touch of bed sheets or a duvet cover, the pulling back of curtains, signify the beginning of a new day at nightfall the process is reversed, we are constantly touching and clothed by fabric from the moment we awake.

The largest employer worldwide is, as one would imagine, the food industry. The second largest employer of people worldwide however is to some less obvious; it is the textile industry.
In prehistoric times it was the development of agriculture, the domestication of animals that led to the production of textiles and only then did early man begin to take control and adapt himself to his then hostile environment.

It is however in this century that the manufacture and use of textiles has been revolutionised by the chemist, computer and modern marketing techniques.

Before we even begin to think of fabrics and how they are made it is important to have some understanding of how they reach the shop shelves.

Fabrics are for the most part either woven at a mill or still in some parts of the world, most famously India, hand woven. Designs are created and become an integral part of manufacture, in weaving there are two processes of construction Dobby weaving plains and simple designs and the second Jacquard weaving using this method to create larger and more dramatic design effects.

Another method of creating fabrics is to print the designs onto the surface of a cloth, usually cotton. Prints today are mostly created in factories using machines either Rotary or Flat beds, both, of which we will discuss later, hand printing is still a method used in many countries around the world but counts today for only a small part of total volume.

When fabrics have been manufactured and rolled onto tubes they are warehoused, the fabrics are then either through distributors or wholesalers sold on to shops, stores and retailers, either still in roll form, or cut and displayed in pattern books and on hangers for a wider choice.

The manufacture of textiles is very probably the oldest continuous industry known to man. Every fabric created today bears the mark of accumulated knowledge gathered over centuries and from around the world, this history dates right back to before that of Stone Age Man.

There are four main fibres that this pre - twentieth century history covers, Flax, Wool, Cotton, and Silk. Then of course with the coming of this century and the appearance of the scientist the chemist and the engineer, we can admire the extraordinary and dramatic changes brought about by the arrival
of man made fibres and the different cloth finishes created by science.

For over six thousand years, in fact until man-made fibres were developed at the end of the eighteenth century, just those four natural fibres existed. Historians believe that these fibres appeared archaeological order, firstly flax, then wool and cotton and finally silk, each different fibre representing a stage of mans development in what was then a very hostile environment.

When the flax has been harvested it is combed and left to dry. Later the flax is soaked in warm water to rot away its core; this then leaves the basic flax fibre. Today this process is the one used in most countries and benefits from modern technology.

Flax was first found in the diggings of one of the earliest of the Swiss Lake dwellings. These Stone Age people had even at this time, methods to create and produce crude woven fabrics for clothing. Remains have been found buried yet preserved by the mud and waters of some of these Swiss lakes.

Five Thousand years before the birth of Christ fabrics looking very much like linen were being created and used by those inhabitants living along and in the region of the Egyptian Nile.

Wool came after flax and once again evidence of its early use was first discovered in and around the lakes and countryside of Switzerland.

These early peoples were known to have kept sheep and it has long been established that Neolithic Man had at the latter end of the Stone Age period, herds of domesticated animals and therefore sheep.

Herds of sheep were also at this time being raised in Mesopotamia and along the riverbanks of the Euphrates and the Iranian Gulf.

Victorian archaeological expeditions in the last century, unearthed in the Middle East, ancient mosaics showing herds of domesticated sheep some of these mosaics date back to three and a half thousand years before the birth of Jesus.

At this moment in our history cotton is still the most important and widely used fibre in textiles. It is the third fibre to have been discovered in historical terms and its history by far the most exciting.

Cottons earliest origins have been put at around three thousand years before Christ. Discoveries have also been made in the Far East in the Valley of Indus Sind in India that its usage may date back even further.

It is known that Arab traders were dealing in cotton from India to as far away as China again BC, the very word cotton is from the Arabic word quoton.

What is most fascinating however, is that while historians have known about the use of cotton during the Egyptian civilisation
and its further development, in central Asia, this fascinating fibre was being grown, spun and woven in the yet undiscovered land of Peru, and in daily use by the then unheard of civilisation the Inca's.

The Inca's wove beautiful and vibrantly coloured fabrics. They also had a mechanical method of manufacture and a form of shuttle by which they could weave. All this was happening at the same time that the Pharaohs were ruling Egypt and the Pyramids were being completed. The Inca people also had similar architecture to the Egyptians that existed in that as yet, undiscovered part of the world.

In the Americas, ancient historic architecture has now been unearthed that even questions original time concepts. Questions have been raised that might lead to the re writing of early history, this in turn could lead to suggestions that clothed civilised people inhabited cities over twelve thousand years before Christ was born. These discoveries are now in turn raising question marks over the dating of certain architectural sites around the Nile.

Finally the fourth and beautiful fibre Silk. This lustrous and luxurious fibre originated from China. With orchards of mulberry trees the cultivation of the silk worm and the production of silk was in full swing around one thousand years BC.

The beauty of silk was recognised early in history and was used by traders as a method of payment to those in power and by some as the settlement of a dowry and even for the payment of ransom.

So we have now covered the four most important fibres used by early civilisation for the spinning and weaving of textiles.

The principles of textile manufacture have changed little since those early times. Today those principles have been enhanced by
the addition of mechanisation and speed, but the results are not very different to those achieved so many thousands of years ago in the far off lands of Egypt and Peru.

Today many new and exciting fibres have been created. There are fibres that are used in medicine, fibres that are travelling to the far reaches of space and fibres that are on the cat walks of Paris and Rome awaiting to adorn the consumers of today's latest fashions.

What is cotton? It is a vegetable seed fibre. The fibre offers up a protective covering for the seeds inside the cotton plant. The plant itself grows to a height of about five feet.

The Greeks thought that the cotton plant had on its branch's baby lambs. The explorer Sir John Manderville, who upon his return from India in thirteen hundred and fifty further developed this story albeit terribly untrue, of how the cotton branches were so pliable that they bent down to allow the lambs to feed when hungry.

One is reminded of the famous Richard Dimbleby April fools joke with the spaghetti tree.

Originally in Europe wool was the cloth used for clothing and general drapery. Initially cotton became quite confused with wool; even today the German for cotton is Baumwolle literally translated means Tree - wool.

Columbus found cotton in the West Indies in the fourteen nineties, it was developed further in the New World in Virginia and prospered greatly with the introduction of slave labour.
In the seventeenth century England was starting to import cotton from America. By the early eighteen hundreds the expression cotton is king was in wide use and the industry had become enormous.

With mechanisation cotton became an industry of its own.
At the turn of the century and through the industrious work of chemist's man made fibres were being developed.

The world then within the space of twenty-one years experienced the terror of two world wars. War demanded mass production and during this period came the introduction of viscose rayon and this fibre became a favourite of the growing garment industry and in the fashion world cotton fell into decline. It remained however very much in use in the world of furnishing fabrics, both woven and printed.

Rayon is the oldest commercial man made fibre in use today and after cotton is the most widely used. Polyester is also becoming more widely produced for both fashion and it is used in household textiles.

Being Cellulose Rayon properties are not dissimilar to those of cotton, used in the fashion industry, for furnishing and even in the manufacture of car tyres it is adaptable and because of mass production it's cheap to produce.

Rayon is a regenerated man made textile fibre made chemically from treated cellulose. The Cellulose source used is wood pulp and mainly from pine trees.

The word rayon is also man made and was coined by Kenneth Lord in nineteen twenty four, during an industry led contest, to find a name for what at that time was known as artificial silk.
Manufacturing rayon is done with the help of chemicals, reducing the cellulose to something looking like honey; this liquid is then fed under pressure through something resembling a bathroom showerhead, called a spinneret.

As the hair like fibres stream out from the showerhead they solidify, they are then twisted together and form the yarn.
Polyamide, often known as nylon and polyester are made in a very similar way to rayon, their base however is not that of wood, but of coal oil and water, these ingredients and a few more are mixed together till they to are ready to pass through the spinneret.

There are four generations of yarn. The first generation were mans early fibres provided by nature, Flax Wool Cotton and Silk.
The second generation was the chemist's invention, Rayon, Nylon, Polyester and Acrylic. The second-generation fibres all have one thing in common they pass at the end of their development through the spinneret.

The third generation of fibres are those that are modified, refined and developed to actually suite particular products, we come back with these fibres to the enormous breadth they cover, the fashion house cat walk and in the manufacturing of housing.
The fourth generation. To day fibre optics are only just on the brink of potential yet to be realised. Fibre optics are an essential tool in the surgeons hand, communication systems have been revolutionised by their introduction and mans continuing search through space exploration, for new frontiers, continues with greater speed thanks to their further development.

Science has taken the level of sophistication to such heights that one day man will probably have in its power the ability to create a universal fibre to suite all mans needs.

It is recorded that the Egyptians as early as two thousand five hundred BC placed a weaving shuttle in the hands of their Goddess Isis, this was in order to celebrate her having devised
the art of weaving. To day the whole issue would be in the high court.

There would have been an un-godly dispute as to whom had been the first to create the shuttle, for we still do not know enough about the Inca civilisation and at what point in time they actually started to weave textiles.

There are three weaves that are basic to all woven fabrics. The plain weave, the twill weave and the satin weave.

The Plain weave. This is the most common of all weaves; it accounts for a significant percent of all woven fabrics. The plain weave is also the strongest of all woven goods because its threads are interlaced and the tightest.

There is only one plain weave, to make this weave the odd numbered ends are raised over the first pick and the even numbered ends over the second. The fabric made is often called a square cloth and used much in the world of printing. There are various names that are attributed to the square cloth Broadcloth, Flannel, Muslin, Poplin, Chintz, Sheeting, Dress Linen and more that the reader cannot remember.

The twill weave is next to the plain weave in strength but it is not as tightly woven but the twill offers more in the variation of construction and appearance and can even be made to create a herringbone effect. Names often given to the twill are Denim, Doeskin, Drill, Lining, Ticking, Gun Cloth, and more.

The Satin weave and all remaining types of satin are found in the major percentage of all woven fabrics. The construction is different and it consists of threads not raised consecutively as they are in a plain or twill but with the threads running or
floating across the warp of the cloth, the warp goes down the fabric the weft runs across.

That would be a weft satin but if the warp threads were floating in majority on the weft yarns then that would be a warp satin - actually its quite simple!

This construction is used widely in the production of furnishing fabrics both printed and plain dyed cloth.
Satins are often referred to as Damask, Brocade, Jacquards, Tapestry and again many more.

The first weavers were probably the biblical basket weavers of the Nile this craft was turned into pure art by the Egyptians some five thousand years ago. The loom underwent some changes in the Middle Ages when a frame was added. But it was not until the early seventeen hundreds when an Englishman called John Kay created the fly shuttle that its productivity underwent major changes.

His son Robert continued to improve the looms efficiency and their combined efforts resulted in some of the great spinning inventions of the time.

The first power loom was invented in eighteen hundred and one by Robert Miller in Glasgow. Power looms were successfully working in Lancashire by eighteen hundred and five, in due course large areas of the country would visually change as large weaving sheds and mills grew across the north of England.

The Jacquard loom had been invented some years earlier in the late seventeen hundreds by a friend of Napoleon who was to later grant him a pension for his valuable invention, he was called and no surprise here Joseph Jacquard.

In weaving there are two sets of yarns called the warp this runs down the finished cloth or length ways down the loom and the weft this crosses the warp from side to side.

The warp yarns are wound on large reels these are called in the industry beams and are positioned at the back end of the loom.
The warp thread ends from the beam are threaded through the loom rather like guitar strings and the weft yarn is then fed through the warp from side to side.

The weft yarn is run across the loom and is fed off what is called a bobbin, not too distant from a fishing reel. There can be a number of bobbins and these are controlled automatically and replaced when yarn runs out or colours need to be changed.
Different patterns and designs are created by the varying the number of warp yarns and by changing the sequence in which they are raised or lowered, as the cloth is then made it is run onto fabric roller.

Today speed and economy dominate much of the industry and with it the way our machinery is designed. With the coming of the computer man management and the general overseeing of production has to some extent been taken over by the computer, thus reducing labour costs. This and in some areas of the industry the introduction of shutterless looms using either air jet or water have increased the speed of manufacture to meet in part modern day requirements.

Knitting is one of the most recent developments in the manufacture of textiles, yet the principles of knitting can like
those of weaving be traced back to Biblical times and the making of fishnets.

The actual craft of knitting came with Arab traders as early as the fifth century into central Europe. Knitting flourished both in England and Scotland during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

Knitting remained completely manual until the late fifteen hundreds, when in England William Lee, created a machine that could knit stockings.

This machine however was not allowed to be patented or used in England, for fear of creating unemployment, but it was used extensively and improved upon in the following decades in Europe.

It was over two hundred years later when William Cotton again in England introduced an improvement in power machines that was capable of creating shape into the heels and toes of hosiery,
that led ultimately to to-days modern state of the art fashion machinery.

Textile dyeing can take place after the fabric has been woven or knitted this process is called piece dying and is most common for plain fabrics. Yarns are also often dyed prior to weaving or knitting so as the producer can achieve a host of different colour effects.

Printing fabrics is not dissimilar to that of dyeing except that when printing, colour can be placed on to chosen areas of the fabric to create a design.

The origins of printed fabrics is not as exact as those of the weave, for example, because the colours of ancient cultures of the past have not stood the test of time and very little of there
production have been discovered by archaeologist. Wall paintings of the early Egyptians have been discovered showing costumes and tunics worn at the time depicting what can be clearly seen as printed fabrics.

The Chinese were using wood blocks for printing books and textiles in the eighth century but it took a further four hundred years before this technique was in use through out the Mediterranean countries.

By the thirteenth century, monks in Germany for the initial letters on manuscripts were using hand block printing. The process was later transferred to textiles. By the seventeenth century Germany had become famous for its designs on woven
Linen and other European countries were soon also to take up this new medium of textile manufacture.

The first successful roller print machine is credited to a Scotsman called Bell, he had also earlier created a system of successfully printing designs on to a flat bed process all this took place in the late seventeen hundreds. Shortly after this a manufacturer in Preston produced a six-colour roller machine and the era of volume print production had arrived.
Today over one thousand metres in up to eighteen colours can be printed in an hour.

It was not until after the First World War that flat bed screen-printing was put onto a commercial footing. This was made possible by the invention of a Swiss Manufacturer and soon after had revolutionised the industry because this system was fully automatic.
To day the same idea that the Swiss system developed in the twenties is in wide production and only computerisation has taken the original idea further forward towards the twenty first century.

The textile industry continues to grow and improve with each year that passes the world is now a global market and goods are exchanged from mill and country alike.

The consumer has a wider choice of designs and different woven printed patterns than ever before, as production methods continue to improve.

The articles now on offer become more and more competitively priced, for the world consumer; the ability to choose beautiful fabrics is no longer confined to the wealthy.

It is only really in the last two hundred years that furnishing fabrics, as we understand them today have been available to the general public. Both in Europe and America consumer interest in the decoration of the home had begun by the start of the eighteen hundreds.

The reason for the general availability of household textiles at this time is simple; the industry in Britain was now becoming industrialised.

With its mechanisation came volume. It was as usual, volume that drove up the need for sales and sales are ultimately achieved through competitiveness, thus was borne a new consumer to what had hitherto been an exclusive luxury for the very rich.

Velvets, brocades, damasks, block printed floral designs both traditional and abstract all were in great demand during the last century. Many of these fabrics were not just used for furnishing homes, but came via the fashion and garment industries; this remained common practice till quite recently.

In the United Kingdom, towards the end of the eighteenth century, Warners had become associated with design excellence for their production of weaves. In the eighteen eighties William Morris also was influencing the industry with his designs, his prints later to become synonymous with Liberty's and Sandersons. After the Second World War Sekers Mills in Cumberland became famous for their bridal wear but it was their furnishing fabric collections that historians will remember, Sandersons in Berners Street in London's West End dominated the furnishing fabric market for years.

During the eighties Collier Campbell produced a profusion of outstanding designs that won this unique British team awards from the Four Corners of the World. Today Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell are still creating some of the most exciting textile designs for fabric houses both in Europe and America.
Osborne & Little and Designers Guild promoted collections of wallpapers and fabrics of altogether a completely new and fresh look bringing a sense of couture to the home. Andrew Martin has taken this even further and offered an eager public pure theatre in textiles and at textile shows. An old and traditional british wallpaper company Coles has undergone a major change over the last few years and is currently producing some wonderful new and innovative designs. Lewis & Wood a smaller specialist company supplying fabric and wallpapers to the decorative and specialist end of the market are developing beautiful collections of wallpaper, screen printed and wider than normally available, rarely quite unique!

At this time the market is moving forward with many companies offering to specialist retailers and designers alike a profusion of exciting textile developments. Moving almost in full circle, at this time we also see that silk is once again in major demand but at prices today that make it an affordable commodity for the populace.

On the continent a large number of leading European furnishing textile companies exhibit at the worlds largest and once most important textile show. This takes place in Frankfurt each year during January, and is called Heimtextil, the visitor can marvel at the breadth and depth of an industry, still very much at the centre of World commerce. The show however is facing competition from other exhibitions such as Decosit held in Brussels in September, textile shows being started in China and Paris ever popular, with two shows in January 2007.

In America during the seventies and eighties major textiles houses emerged onto the world scene, Covington Fabrics Corp (sold during the summer of 2005), Kaufmann, Kravet, Robert Allen and many more. Supporting some of these fabric converters were designers such as Jack Prince and Jay Yang and latterly Jean Baudrand. Over the last year or so Fabricut has emerged as a very serious player and as with those companies named above the companies products are now available in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Household textile buyers have never had such choice or help in their decision-making. Literally hundreds of design oriented magazines are on offer in book shops and street vendors alike, radio and television programmes offer the viewer and listener hours of advice each week. As the new millennium gets unde rway, what will happen over the next hundred years, is any ones guess. The author believes that in time the end consumer will have the ability to have their own design ideas created to order, who knows, perhaps even over the internet?

As usual there are a large number of fabric houses and well renowned designers not mentioned in this article. This obviously is a pity as it is they who influence our choice and buying ideas in to days market. Their names, some of their stories, and the influence of the designer and market needs, will hopefully be covered more fully in our next electronic publication update.

Please note that this is only meant as a brief glimpse of our industry and may contain unintentional errors by the writer. This is updated from year to year and any additional help or tips are always warmly welcomed.