Textiles, Clothing and Fashion Design
Textiles, Clothing and Fashion Design moves from fibre to fabric to garment: how fibres are classified, how yarns and weaves behave, how finishes change performance, how clothing is selected and constructed, and how it is cared for. This domain scores well because classification and property questions are precise.
Fibre classification
Natural fibres are vegetable (cotton, linen, jute), animal (wool, silk) and mineral (asbestos). Man-made fibres split into regenerated, made from natural polymers (viscose rayon from wood pulp, acetate), and synthetic, made from petrochemicals (polyester, nylon, acrylic, spandex). Rayon is regenerated, not synthetic.
Properties that decide use
Cotton is absorbent, cool, stronger when wet, but wrinkles and mildews. Wool is warm, elastic, felts on washing and is attacked by moths. Silk is a fine lustrous filament. Polyester is strong, quick-drying, thermoplastic (a hot iron glazes it) and poorly absorbent, which makes oil stains hard to remove.
Yarn and weave
Staple fibres are short and spun; filament fibres are continuous. Weaves: plain (calico), twill (diagonal wale, denim), satin (floats give lustre). Knitted fabrics interloop and stretch. Finishes include mercerisation (caustic soda on cotton for lustre and strength) and sanforisation (shrinkage control).
Worked example
A white fibre burns quickly, smells of burning paper and leaves grey ash. Reasoning: plant fibre, so cotton or linen. A fibre that melts, shrinks from the flame and leaves a hard black bead is polyester; a smell of burnt hair points to wool or silk, a protein fibre.
Traps
Warp is the lengthwise, stronger yarn and weft is crosswise; regenerated is not synthetic; avoid hot irons on polyester and hot water on wool; fashion is not the same as style.