Reason For studying Textiles

A study of textiles will show,for example,why certain fabrics are more durable and therefore more serviceable for specific purposes.It will explain why certain fabrics make cool wearing apparel as well as give an impression of coolness when used as decoration.The matter of cleanliness and maintenance must also be estimated before purchasing,when that is an important factor.

Complete knowledge of textiles will facilitate an intelligent apparaisal of standards and brands of merchandise and will develop the ability to distinguish quality in fabrics and,in turn,to appreciate the proper uses for the different qualities.As a result,both the consumer merchant and consumer customer will know how to buy and what to buy,and salespeople will know how to render good service to those consumers who have not had the advantage of a formal course in textiles.

Great strides have been made in the textile industry,and have markedly influenced our gneral economic growth. The prosperity and growth of related industries, such as petrolium and chemistry, and dependent industries,such as retail apparel stores,have produced broader employment opportunities.Competition for the consumer's dollar has fostered the creation of new textile fibres with specific qualities to compete with well-established fibres.New fibre blends have been created to combine many of these qualities into new types of earn with new trademarks.There are also new names for the fabrics made of these new fibers and yarns. New finishes have been developed to add new and interesting characterstics of fibres,yarns and fabrics.

The welter of creativity and the myriad of trademarks present a challange to the consumer,who is sometimes knowledgeable but frequently confused.Yet one need to be.Without being overly technical,this information can be easily understood and consequently very useful to the consumer in business and personal life.All of this information can be adopted for such utilitarian benefits as economy,durability,serviceability,and comfort,as well as for such aesthetic values as hand ( or feel), texture,desgin,and color.

In the study of textiles,the students initial interest will become an absurbing interest when they descover the natural fascination of fabrics and their cultural associations,particularly when factual study is supplemented by actual handling of thr textile materials.The subject will seem worthwhile as they become familiar with illustrative specimens and fabrics and begin to handle and learn to compare the raw materials of which fabrics are made as well as the finished consumers' goods.