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The Textile industry (also known in the United Kingdom and Australia as the Rag Trade) is a term used for industries primarily concerned with the design or manufacture of clothing as well as the distribution and use of textiles . Image File history File links Merge-arrows. ... Textile manufacturing is one of the oldest of mans technologies. ... Clothing protects the vulnerable nude human body from the extremes of weather, other features of our environment, and for safety reasons. ... For other uses, see Textile (disambiguation). ...

Cottage stage

Before the maufacturing processes were mechanized, textiles were produced in the home, and excess sold for extra money. Most cloth was made from either wool, cotton, or flax, depending on the era and location. For example, during the late mediaeval period, cotton became known as an imported fibre in northern Europe, without any knowledge of what it came from other than that it was a plant; noting its similarities to wool, people in the region could only imagine that cotton must be produced by plant-borne sheep. John Mandeville, writing in 1350, stated as fact the now-preposterous belief: "There grew there [India] a wonderful tree which bore tiny lambs on the endes of its branches. These branches were so pliable that they bent down to allow the lambs to feed when they are hungrie." This aspect is retained in the name for cotton in many European languages, such as German Baumwolle, which translates as "tree wool". By the end of the 16th century, cotton was cultivated throughout the warmer regions in Asia and the Americas. In Roman times, wool, linen and leather clothed the European population: the cotton of India was a curiosity that only naturalists had heard of, and silk, imported along the Silk Road from China, was an extravagant luxury. The use of flax fibre in the manufacturing of cloth in northern Europe dates back to Neolithic times. Long and short hair wool at the South Central Family Farm Research Center in Boonesville, Arizona Wool is the fiber derived from the fur of animals and people of the Caprinae family, principally sheep, but the hair of certain species of other mammals such as goats and rabbits and oxes... For other uses, see Cotton (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Flax (disambiguation). ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... For other uses, see Cotton (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... Full-page portrait of Sir John Mandeville. ... Events 29 August - An English fleet personally commanded by King Edward III defeats a Spanish fleet in the battle of Les Espagnols sur Mer. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World consisting of the continents of North America[1] and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... “Silk Route” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Flax (disambiguation). ...

Cloth was produced in the home, and the excess woven cloth was sold to merchants called clothiers who visited the village with their trains of pack-horses. Some of the cloth was made into clothes for people living in the same area and a large amount of cloth was exported. A Cloth Merchant is, strictly speaking, like a draper, the term for any vendor of cloth. ...

The process of making cloth depends slightly on the fiber being used, but there are three main steps: preparation of fibers for spinning, spinning, and weaving or knitting. The preparation of the fibers differs the most depending on the fiber used. Flax requires retting and dressing, while wool requires carding and washing. The spinning and weaving processes are very similar between fibers though. A hand-turned spinning wheel in action Cones of yarn for industrial use Z-twist and S-twist yarns Spinning is the process of creating yarn (or thread, rope, cable) from various raw fiber materials. ... Tweed loom, Harris, 2004 Woven sheet Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of threads or yarn called the warp and weft of the loom and turning them into cloth. ... For the record label, see Knitting Factory. ... Retting Retting, n. ...

Spinning evolved from twisting the fibers by hand, to use of a drop spindle, to a spinning wheel. Spindles or parts of them have been found in very, very old archaeological sites; they may represent one of the earliest pieces of technology available to humankind. was invented in India between 500 and 1000 A.D.^[1] It reached Europe via the Middle East in the European Middle Ages. A spindle (sometimes called a drop spindle) is a wooden spike weighted at one end with a wheel and an optional hook at the other end. ... A spinning wheel is a device for making thread or yarn from fibrous material such as wool or cotton. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... “European History” redirects here. ...

Weaving, done on a loom has been around for as long as spinning. There are some indications that weaving was already known in the Palaeolithic. An indistinct textile impression has been found at Pavlov, Moravia. Neolithic textiles are well known from finds in pile dwellings in Switzerland. One extant fragment from the Neolithic was found in Fayum at a site which dates to about 5000 BCE. There are many different types of looms, from a simple loom that dates back to the Vikings, to the standard floor loom. For other uses, see Loom (disambiguation). ... The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic – lit. ... Pavlov is either Ivan Pavlov, a Russian scientist, or F.P. Pavlov, the nom-de-plume of A.N. Bykov, a Russian engineer and writer the Soviet platoon commander Yakov Pavlov; see Pavlovs House. ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... Pile dwelling on Sumatra, Indonesia Pile dwellings are houses raised over the surface of the soil or a body of water. ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... Al Fayyum is one of the governorates of Egypt located in the centre of the country. ... // Events 4860 BC - Mount Mazama in Oregon collapses, forming a caldera that later fills with water and becomes Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States. ...

History during the industrial revolution

Main article: Textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution

The key British industry at the beginning of the 18th century was the production of textiles made with wool from the large sheep-farming areas in the Midlands and across the country (created as a result of land-clearance and inclosure). Handlooms and spinning wheels were the tools of the trade of the weavers in their cottages, and this was a labour-intensive activity providing employment throughout Britain, with major centres being the West Country; Norwich and environs; and the West Riding of Yorkshire. The export trade in woolen goods accounted for more than a quarter of British exports during most of the 18th century, doubling between 1701 and 1770 [1]. Exports of the cotton industry – centred in Lancashire – had grown tenfold during this time, but still accounted for only a tenth of the value of the woollen trade. With the establishment of overseas colonies, the British Empire at the end of the 17th century/beginning of the 18th century had a vast source of raw materials and a vast market for goods. ... For other uses, see Textile (disambiguation). ... Long and short hair wool at the South Central Family Farm Research Center in Boonesville, Arizona Wool is the fiber derived from the fur of animals and people of the Caprinae family, principally sheep, but the hair of certain species of other mammals such as goats and rabbits and oxes... Species See text. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Inclosure (also commonly enclosure), refers to the process of subdivision of common lands for individual ownership. ... For other uses, see Loom (disambiguation). ... A spinning wheel is a device for making thread or yarn from fibrous material such as wool or cotton. ... Tweed loom, Harris, 2004 Woven sheet Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of threads or yarn called the warp and weft of the loom and turning them into cloth. ... This article is about work. ... Norwich (IPA: //) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England. ... The West Riding as an administrative county prior to its abolition in 1974. ... For other uses, see Cotton (disambiguation). ... Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ...

The textile industry grew out of the industrial revolution in the 18th Century as mass production of clothing became a mainstream industry. Starting with the flying shuttle in 1733 inventions were made to speed up the manufacturing process. In 1738 Lewis Paul and John Wyatt patented the Roller Spinning machine and the flyer-and-bobbin system. Lewis Paul invented a carding machine in 1748, and by 1764 the spinning jenny had also been invented. In 1771, Richard Arkwright used waterwheels to power looms for the production of cotton cloth, his invention becoming known as the water frame. In 1784, Edmund Cartwright invented the power loom. With the spinning and weaving process now mechanized, cotton mills cropped up all over Great Britain. A Watt steam engine, the steam engine that propelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain and the world. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardised products on production lines. ... The flying shuttle was developed by John Kay in 1733, and was one of the key developments in weaving that helped fuel the Industrial Revolution. ... Events February 12 - British colonist James Oglethorpe founds Savannah, Georgia. ... Events February 4 - Court Jew Joseph Suss Oppenheimer is executed in Württenberg April 15 - Premiere in London of Serse, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. ... Lewis Paul (d. ... John Wyatt (? – 1766), an English inventor, was born near Lichfield and was related to Sarah Ford, Doctor Johnsons mother. ... -1... Model of the spinning jenny in a museum in Wuppertal, Germany The spinning jenny is a multi-spool spinning wheel. ... 1771 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... [[Media: ]] Richard Arkwright Sir Richard Arkwright (23 December 1732 – 3 August 1792) to Ellen and Thomas Arkwright he was an Englishman credited with the spinning frame — later renamed the water frame following the transition to water power. ... The water frame is an extension of the spinning frame; both of which are credited to Richard Arkwright. ... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Edmund Cartwright Edward (Edmund) Cartwright (April 24, 1743 in Marnham, Nottinghamshire – October 30, 1823 in Hastings, Sussex) was an English clergyman and inventor of the power loom. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Textile mills originally got their power from water wheels, and thus had to be situated along a river. With the invention of the steam engine, in the 1760s to 1800's, mills no longer needed to be along rivers. An overshot water wheel standing 42 feet high powers the Old Mill at Berry College in Rome, Georgia A water wheel (also waterwheel, Norse mill, Persian wheel or noria) is a hydropower system; a system for extracting power from a flow of water. ... // The term steam engine may also refer to an entire railroad steam locomotive. ...

Post industrial revolution

Many of the cotton mills, like the one in Lowell MA, in the US originally started with the intention of hiring local farm girls for a few years. The mill job was designed to give them a bit more money before they went back to the farm life. With the inflow of cheap labor from Ireland during the potato famine, the setup changed, as the girls became easily replaceable. Cotton mills were full of the loud clanking of the looms, as well as lint and cotton fiber. When the mills were first built a worker would work anywhere from one to four looms. As the design for the loom improved so that it stopped itself whenever a thread broke, and automatically refilled the shuttle, the number of machines a worker could work increased to up to 50.

Originally, power looms were shuttle-operated but in the early part of the 20th century the faster and more efficient shuttleless loom came into use. Today, advances in technology have produced a variety of looms designed to maximize production for specific types of material. The most common of these are air-jet looms and water-jet looms. Industrial looms can weave at speeds of six rows per second and faster.

By the latter 20th Century, the industry in the developed world had developed a bad reputation, often involving immigrants in illegal "sweat shops" full of people working on textile manufacturing and sewing machines being paid less than minimum wages. This trend has resulted due to attempts to protect existing industries which are being challenged by developing countries in South East Asia, the Indian subcontinent and more recently, Central America. Whilst globalisation has seen the manufacturing outsourced to overseas labor markets, there has been a trend for the areas historically associated with the trade to shift focus to the more white collar associated industries of fashion design, fashion modeling and retail. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... A developed country is a country that has achieved (currently or historically) a high degree of industrialization, and which enjoys the higher standards of living which wealth and technology make possible. ... Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ... A sweatshop is a factory, where people work for a very small wage, producing products such as clothes, toys, shoes, and other consumer goods. ... Textile manufacturing is one of the oldest of mans technologies. ... Sewing machines can make a great variety of plain or patterned stitches. ...  High human development Medium human development Low human development Unavailable (colour-blind compliant map)   Developing countries not listed as least developed countries or as newly industrialized countries, in their respective articles. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... Globalization is a term used to describe the changes in societies and the world economy that are the result of dramatically increased trade and cultural exchange. ... White-collar workers perform tasks which are less laborious yet often more highly paid than blue-collar workers, who do manual work. ... Fashion design is the applied art dedicated to the design of clothing and lifestyle accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time. ... Photograph of the once famous model Dovima A model is a person who poses or displays for purposes of art, fashion, or other products and advertising. ...

Areas historically involved heavily in the "rag trade" include London and Milan in Europe, SoHo district in New York City and the Flinders Lane and Richmond districts in Melbourne and Surry Hills in Sydney. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Milan (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Cast-iron architecture in Greene Street SoHo is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Flinders Lane between Queen and Elizabeth Streets Majorca House Flinders Lane is a minor street in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Richmond is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... This article is about the Australian city; the name may also refer to City of Melbourne or Melbourne city centre. ... Categories: Suburbs of Sydney | Incomplete Sydney suburbs ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ...

In popular culture

• The Rag Trade, a British sitcom

The Rag Trade is a British television sitcom transmitted by the BBC between 1961 and 1963. ...

See also

• Textile manufacturing terminology
• Rags to riches

The manufacture of textiles is one of the oldest of mans technologies. ... The term Rags to Riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth. ...

References

External links

• History of the Textile industry
• union of textile industries

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Related:	Blocking · Manufacturing · Preservation · Terminology · Textile industry · Textile Museums