Last modified on November 15, 2008, at 20:45

Textile

Hebridean tweed

A textile is any cloth or goods produced by weaving, knitting, crocheting, or felting fibers. Fibers can come naturally from plants (e.g. cotton, flax and hemp) or animals (e.g. wool, silk), or they may be synthetic (e.g. nylon, rayon, polyester, viscose, glass or silica). The cloths produced are known as fabrics, the goods produced are known as clothing, linens, and other products made of fabric.

A woven tartan

As an adjective, textile pertains to the manufacture (textile industry), design (textile design) and research (textile research) of woven fabrics.