Fibres & Fabrics
Quick Guide to Different Types of Textile Fibres
Bitesized information on ten of the most used textile fibres in the fashion industry including cotton, polyester, viscose (or rayon), silk and wool.
Natural Fabrics
Cotton
Woven or knitted, cotton produces a soft, strong fabric that is breathable, absorbent and washable, and blends well with other fibres. It is now the world’s largest non-food cash crop and the most used natural fibre, but cotton only accounts for 24 percent of global fibre use.
Initiatives exist to produce cotton more sustainably, however, around half of global cotton farms producing cotton require irrigation, and chemicals are widely used.
Cotton production emplo…
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