Alpaca is a natural fibre obtained from the fleece of the South American alpaca animal, which belongs to the camelid family, related to the llama.
The Alpaca fibre, known for its fineness, softness, and warmth, comes in various natural colours, …
Textile
Polyester
In the 1940s, the first polyester fibres emerged, known as Terylene in the US and Dacron in the UK [1]. It was in the 1950s that polyester fibre production gained momentum on a commercial scale [2]. The 1990s marked a …
Nylon
Nylon is a collective name for synthetic fibres derived from polyamides, which are large molecules with specific chemical properties. The best known are nylon 66, nylon 6, nylon 610 and nylon 11, for example, whose chemical properties differ [1]. The …
Elastane
Elastane is a stretch fibre that can quickly return to its original shape after being stretched to three times its actual length [1]. The fibre is also known as Spandex, Lycra, Numa, Spandelle and Vyrene [2], [3]. The material absorbs …
Denier
Photo: Victoria_Regen, Pixabay
Denier is a unit of weight used to measure the thickness of silk or artificial fibres commonly used for stocking. It refers to the weight in grams of 9 000 meters of yarn, so a 30 denier …
Acrylic
Acrylic fibres, which are derived from polyacrylonitrile, a synthetic organic polymer [1], experienced their most significant expansion in the clothing industry during the 1950s, challenging the traditional dominance of wool in knitted sweaters [2]. Acrylic’s popularity soared due to its …
