The chances that you are wearing one of these marvellous inventions are rather high. Textiles are everywhere and you don’t just wear them. Defined as a woven material consisting of a network of fibers, textiles have a multitude of uses. Today, I am going to take you on a journey through the world of textiles.
The history of textiles goes as far back as 34000 BC according to some scientists. Textiles have been ubiquitous in human history for a very long time. They have provided shelter and protection from the harsh environments for millennia. When humans started migrating away from equatorial Africa, the climate obviously became colder. Furs gradually were replaced by the more breathable variety of protection in the form of textile sewn together from fibers such as flax or hemp.
The exotic silk fiber was first woven into useful fabric in China. Silk still stands as a symbol of luxury with a soft sheen and breathability after over five millennia in use. Silk was an important contributing factor in the spread of international trade and sparked to beginning of friendly relations between nations for mutual benefit. The Silk Route was a large network of paths connecting the landmasses of Africa, Europe, and Asia (as far east as Nanjing in China). Silk was found along with mummies in the tombs from Ancient Egypt which is testimony to the importance of the fabric as a part of larger motion that eventually enabled the rapid communication and spreading of humans, goods, and ideas.
Some historians claim that cotton gin invented by Eli Whitney was responsible for the rapid proliferation of the cotton textile industry around the world. A cotton gin rapidly separates the fibers from the seeds thus allowing for higher productivity than enabled by manual techniques. However, this innocuous little invention was also responsible for the proliferation of slavery and its rapid growth. Although the cotton gin hastened the slowest part of making cotton fabrics, during that period of rapid growth, there was not enough labour available for picking the cotton from the plants.. This led to the rather unfortunate growth of human trafficking for slavery purposes in North America.
After the removal of seeds from the fiber, the cotton was fed to the spinning jenny (which was invented prior to the cotton gin) which allowed for the drawing of the fibers into more useful yarn. This seemingly unobjectionable item is the reason for that circle in the center of the Indian national flag. That circle with spokes is supposed to be a traditional Indian hand drawn spinning wheel known as the charkha. The reason it is of national significance is because of the Indian struggle for independence from the British rule and Mahatma Gandhi’s “Swadeshi Movement.” Swadeshi translates roughly to indigenous and it was a movement that strived to stimulate production of goods within India (including the rural areas). Gandhi had the bright idea of stimulating the economy of rural India instead of relying on expensive imported fabrics from the British. This fabric made was of relatively lower quality (thus called khadi meaning rough) and was symbolic of the Indian struggle for independence. To this day, flags of India are to be made of khadi material to appreciate the struggles of the efforts for an independent India.
The twentieth century era of textiles was signified by a large variety of purpose-built artificial fabrics. The early origins of artificial fibers can be traced back to the origins of rayon which was purposely engineered to be a fabric that could be dyed more easily. Rayon is what is called a semi-synthetic fabric because it originates from cellulose fibers such as cotton through chemical modifications. The first truly synthetic fabric was nylon (which was in fact, contrary to popular beliefs, NOT NAMED SO because it was discovered simultaneously in New York and London). The invention of nylon by Dr. Wallace Carothers was one of great significance during the Second World War because it enabled the manufacture of parachutes within the United States without having to rely on risky shipments of silk. Unfortunately, Dr. Carothers’ struggle with depression meant he never got to see his discovery be seen as the massive game changer that it was.
Modern textiles are pushing the boundaries of engineering and science. Such textiles are known as technical textiles and have huge ramifications outside of the garment industry. A large fraction of these technical textiles are used due to their superior mechanical properties. Fiberglass is one of these technical textiles which allows a rather sturdy structure for a low cost and most importantly, for a low weight. Kevlar is another such example which allows for bulletproof apparel. One of the more recent inventions, carbon fiber, is used widely in areas such as aerospace engineering due to its excellent mechanical properties and extremely low weight. Another hot area of development is nanotechnology-based fabrics. Some clothiers have adopted fabrics enhanced by nanotechnology due to their superior properties such as hydrophobicity. We know for a fact that textiles aren’t going anywhere for a long time. I am actually truly excited to observe the societal impact of textiles for years to come.
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