Types of Indian Fabric-II : Folksmarket.com

In our previous blog post we have discussed about the type of fabric with natural fibres. In continuation of that post here is the second part of types of fabric and discuss Man-made Fabric.

 

Types of Man-made fibre (in alphabetical order) by Folksmarket.com

(Please note that all the above images are taken from various sources. All credits to them)

Acetate Fibre

Acetate fabrics are cellulose based fabric obtained clinically by wood or cotton pulp. It is very valuable low cost fibre with good draping abilities. It was invented by Swiss brothers, Camille and Henry in 1905. They have a good and luxurious luster akin to the silk  fabric. They are resistant to the moth, mildew and shrinkage. Acetate Fibres are used in brocades, satin etc but they are not suitable for the winter season as they have poor heat retention property.

Acrylic Fibre

This synthetic fibre is made from polyacrylonitrile. It was Dupont Corporation who created the first Acrylic fibre in 1941. The fibre is warm, lightweight and popularly called as ‘imitation of wool’. It is also a low cost alternative to Kashmiri fabric.  It is resistant to the sun light, moth and oils and can be used as apparels for the babies as it does not deteriorate while machine washed. However it has also earned a bad reputation for being ‘cheap’ and squeaked while knitting.

Chiffon Fabric

Chiffon is a French word for cloth or rug. It’s a lightweight plain woven sheer fabric with alternate S and Z twist. The twist puckers the fabric in both directions giving it a slight stretch and rough feel. It is manufactured by cotton, silk or synthetic fibres. Being a soft drape, Chiffon finds it immense use in evening wear mostly as an overlay, bridal wardrobe and blouse. It is soft so it must be washed gently with hand.

Denim Fabric

Denim fabric is a big hit in global world. Its vivid texture and comfort makes it one of the must in everybody’s wardrobe across North and South of the globe. Denim fabric is a rugged cotton plain twill woven fabric. Like Chiffon it’s also borrowed from French word Nimes. While weaving the weft passes from two or more warp threads giving it a diagonal ribbing. One important weaving characteristic that is much evident in the Denim is the selvedge. The selvedge forms a neat and natural edge that does not unravel.

Georgette Fabric

One of the most demanding fabric in the fashion industry, the Georgette is made from the silk, rayon or synthetic filament yarns. It is named after a French folk, Georgette de la Plante. It’s a lightweight, dull finished  crepe fabric which is highly twisted. Both warp and weft are twisted in S and Z twist to give it a crinkly surface. Its opaque and slightly heavy with Chiffon but it is liked for its uniqueness and exquisiteness.

Nylon Fabric

The term Nylon is derived from New York and London. This is a generic synthetic fibre manufactured from polyamides. It was the first synthetic commercially successful fabric. It’s a silky material and became popular in 1940s with the increase demand of Nylon stockings. Originally the Nylon was intended to replace silk after silk become scarce in WW-2. It is used in fabrics, bridal veils, carpets, musical instrument and rope for industry and household. It is preferred mostly for its strength and strong flexibility. They are also wear and tear resistant thus offer a low cost fabric for the general folks.

Rayon Fabric

Rayon fabric neither falls in Man Made fibres altogether nor in Synthetic fibres. It lies somewhere in between. The reason for that is it is produced from the naturally occurring polymers. It is a versatile fabric that can be knitted or woven. Its soft texture makes it loveable for apparels and furnishing use.

Spandex Fabric 

                      

Known for its exceptional elasticity this synthetic fibre is also known as Elastane. Its great shape retention quality makes it the darling of the fashion industry. The spandex fibre can regain their shape even after stretched 500 times! Not only it fits better but also feels better. It was invented by Sandquist and Shivers in 1959. It is also known as Lycra in Britain. Today you will see a lot of sports-wear industry use Spandex as their major fabric clothing. The quality of shape retention finds it use in female undergarment as support hose.

Satin Fabric

Satin is a weaving technique. Normally silk, nylon or polyester fabrics are satin woven to make it called as Satin Weave. The satin weave has a glossy surface and dull back. With minimum number of interlacing it is a warp-dominated weaving. The high number of floats on fabric gives it a luster appearance. While “Satin” is used for the filament yarns like silk and nylon but if short staple fibres are used like cotton, it is known as “Sateen”. Satin fabric are very lightweight owing to the weight of silk and nylon. The glossiness of the fabric surely makes it a high class fibre and very popular in fashion industry.

Taffeta Fabric

It is a crisp, plain woven fabric mostly made from the silk or synthetic fibres. In Persian the word ‘Taffeta’ means ‘twisted woven’. It is considered to be a high end fabric mostly designed for wedding and party wears. Earlier it was produced by handlooms but now a days its production is dominated by mills of Bangalore, India. There are two different types of Silk Taffeta: Yarn-dyed and Piece-dyed. While Yarn-dyed Taffeta is stiffer and used in dress materials, the Piece-dyed is very soft and used in linings. It has a unique wavy or rippled pattern that looks like water stain and reflects like differently. It is very popular for female apparels.

Velvet Fabric

The shear name sounds the smoothness and lustrous quality in a fabric. Velvets are woven tufted fabric (tuft: fluffy threads that are closed in bottom and spread out in top like a feather) with a short dense pile. The velvets are woven in a special looms that weaves two thickness at the same time. The two pieces are cut apart and to create the pile effect. The two fabric are then wound on separate take-up rolls. Earlier it was difficult to clean as it attracts dust very frequently but modern day drying machines have made this job bit easier. Velvet can be made from the silk (mostly for high end fabric) or cotton/lines or wool. It is one of the smoothest and softest amidst all the fabric. It is used in curtains, beddings, covers and also the apparels. For high class look and price viability, this fabric is very sought after fabric.

Viscose Fabric

Viscose is a viscous organic liquid used to make Rayon and Cellophane. It is increasingly become synonymous with rayon. It’s a soft material that is widely used for women’s stocking and undergarments. These days its also used for lining and furnishing.

These are some of the fabric type which informs our consumers about man-made and natural fibres to a greater extent. The list can not be claimed as complete as the textile industry is one of the oldest industry of the civilization and folks have been celebrating the art of clothing and furnishing since ages and are still doing. Still the list surely brings out commonly used fabric.

Man-made fibres are being developed for the scarcity of the natural fibres, experimenting to create something wow and more environment resistant fabric. It however must kept in mind that many of these fabric are being manufactured by polluting the environment to a greater extent. It is our responsibility to balance this degradation. Many times these fabric are also not good for skin and creates rashes and irritation while going in sunlight and exposed to UV rays. For such persons specifically and every one in general, the natural fibreare great choice. And if it comes from the handloom of those bastions of traditional folks then its just like icing in cake!!