Designer Advice — Materials & Finishes
Materials & Finishes - Microfiber
Microfibre generally consists of very fine Nylon or Polyester filaments used to produce light, soft and breathable fabrics.
This manufactured fibre is very strong and is resistant to both abrasion and damage from many chemicals. It is elastic, some may say even “springy” and is quite lustrous. It returns easily to its original shape and is non-absorbent. It is fast drying, resistant to some dyes, resistant to creasing and resistant to moths and other insects, water, perspiration and standard drycleaning agents. It is readily washable and is not damaged by sunlight or weather.
Truly an impressive man-made addition to the textile industry.
- Rick Malatesta
- Tags: Materials & Finishes
Materials & Finishes - Cotton
Cotton is a natural vegetable fibre of great economic importance as a raw material for cloth. Its widespread use is largely due to the ease with which its fibres are spun into yarns. Cotton’s strength, absorbency, and capacity to be washed and dyed also make it adaptable to a considerable variety of textile products. It is one of the world's major textile fibres.
It is obtained from bushy plants. The immature flower bud, called a square, blooms and develops into an oval fruit called a boll that splits open at maturity, revealing a mass of long white hairs, called lint, that cover the numerous brown or black seeds. There are four main types of cotton: American Upland, Egyptian, Sea Island and Asiatic. The flowers from which these different types of cotton are obtained vary in colour and texture, thus providing each type of cotton with varying characteristics. Cotton, in general, is very elastic. It can withstand high temperatures, has high washability and is very susceptible to dyes.
- Rick Malatesta
- Tags: Materials & Finishes
