Textile Encyclopaedia

Silk is a natural animal fibre produced from the cocoons of the silkworm.

Wool is coming from the coat of a sheep.

Virgin wool it is wool that is freshly sheared from the animal meaning never processed before.

Mohair refers to the hair of the Angora goat.

Cashmere is obtained from the underfur of the cashmere goat hence it is very soft.

Alpaca wool is obtained from the fur of the alpaca (a form of camel from the Andes).

Camel wool is made from the fine hair of the lower layer of the camel's coat.

Vicuña is a very fine wool coming from llama called Vicuña. It is derived from the animal hair after the top coat has been removed.

Angora is obtained from the fur of the angora rabbit.

The fibers of cotton are collected from the cotton plant.

Linen is a cloth made from flax.

Jute is obtained from an annual jute plant.

Textiles made from cellulose acetate fibers resemble natural silk (artificial silk) and feel almost as soft.

Lyoncell is a fabric industrially produced from natural raw materials. The fabric has a very smooth surface, warms almost as well as virgin sheep's wool, cools similar to linen and is more absorbent than cotton.

This textile is also known as copper silk or copper fiber. Cupro fibers are primarily used to make linings.

The source of this man-made fiber is beech wood. Fabrics made of Modal have a silky gloss and are breathable.

The fibers are made of cellulose bonded with acetic acid.

Viscose is the most important artificial silk and provides a light and loose drape to a fabric.

Elastane is an extremely stretchable man-made fiber with high elasticity.

Polyamide is a synthetic man-made fiber often used in materials for sportswear.

Polyacrylic is a petroleum-based synthetic fiber. Polyacrylic fabrics are bulky, voluminous, have a wool-like character and are therefore often blended with wool. In combination with polyacrylic, wool does not felt as quickly and is easier to care for.

Fabrics with polyester are very durable and easy to care for. However, cloths with a lot of polyester are not very breathable.

This synthetic fiber is very elastic. It is also used in foamed form.

Polyethylene is a thermoplastic produced by chain polymerization of ethene with the simplified structural formula.