A
ANIMAL FIBERS
Animal fibers are derived fromanimals. Examples include wool from sheep or silk from silkworms.
German: tierische Naturfasern
B
BEAM DYEING
is a special form of dyeing fabrics, only used on inelastic fabrics. The fabric is wrapped around a barrel and the dye is pushed into the beam through the fabric by applying pressure. This method of dyeing is very gentle and therefore puts less strain on the surface. However, it is not used on elastic fabrics as different spreading can appear. Additionally, for fabrics like viscose moiré effects appear when dyeing it in the beam.
German: Baumfärben
BLEACHING
Natural fibers like cotton or wool are not naturally pure white, which is why they are bleached. This way the yellow undertone vanishes and the result is a pure white. When dyeing the fabric later on, the intended colour can be achieved more easily.
German: Bleichen
BLENDS
A blend is a fabric composition made out of different fibers. Both natural fibers and chemical fibers can be mixed with both natural
and chemical fibers. Examples of blends are wool and silk or elastane and cotton. The new fabric composition usually integrates all the advantages of all the base fibers mixed into the blend.
German: Mischfasern/Mischgewebe
C
CASHMERE
is harvested from the cashmere goat. The goats are not sheared, but rather combed once a year. Thus, only the undercoat, which is particularly soft and supple material, is used.
German: Kaschmirwolle
CELLULOSE FIBERS
Cellulose fibers are produced out of the natural commodity wood. Cellulose is changed from natural polymers to spinning mass and consequently spun to cellulose fibers. They belong to the group of chemical fibers, but are not synthetic f ibers. Examples are viscose, Tencel, and Modal.
German: Zellulosefasern
CHEMICAL FI BERS
Chemical fibers – also called man-made fibers – include all non-natural fibers. A differentiation can be made between cellulose fibers and synthetic fibers.
German: Chemische Fasern
CIRCULAR KNIT TING MACHINE
produces a tube in upper body length, in order to achieve seamless fabrics. For each size there has to be a different machine.
German: Rundstrickmaschine
COMBING
Combing is a f inishing technology only applied to raw fibers. The aimed result is a more even and robust surface. This is because, when the fibers are combed, the short fibers are naturally combed out and the long fibers aligned.
German: Kämmen
CORE YARN
is a yarn with an elastic core, for example a cotton yarn with an elastane core.
German: Coregarn
COTTON
Cotton is a plant fiber which is retrieved from the cotton plant. Cotton cannot be processed raw, but first has to be spun into threads.
German: Baumwolle
D
DEGUMMING
is the production process of various silk qualities. The raw silk yarn is degummed by boiling it in a soap bath. The more the silk is degummed, the glossier the silk appears and the higher the perceived quality.
German: Entbasten
DTEX
Dtex are decitex, where 1 dtex corresponds to 1 gram per 10,000 meters of yarn. See Tex.
DYEING
Depending on the type of fabric, different dyeing processes are applied. Dyeing is possible in nearly all steps of the textile production chain.
German: Färben
E
ELASPAN
is a very elastic chemical fiber yarn. It is often used for plating elastic fabrics.
ELASTANE
is a synthetic fiber which is often mixed with other fibers in order to increase their elasticity. By mixing elastane into the blend, the fabric
gains an increased rebound force and therefore keeps its shape.
German: Elasthan
EYELET EMBROIDERY
also called broderie anglaise is a form of embroidery where patterns are embroidered onto cotton fabrics. Then, holes (called eyelets)
are cut out, the eyelets being part of the pattern. At the end the bands are embroidered again. The result is a beautiful and noble look. It is often used for light nightwear.
German: Lochstickerei
F
FINE RIB
is a knitted fabric with a fine rightright binding. Thus, on both sides of the fabric alternating right and left meshes are visible. Fine rib has a high elasticity, so it nestles perfectly to the body and adapts to movement. That is why fine rib is especially suited for undergarments.
German: Feinripp
FLOSS SILK
is retrieved from the short fibers of the top layer of the cocoon. As the top layer cannot be unrolled, it has to be plucked off and combed. The
resulting silk resembles naturally colored cotton.
German: Florettseide
FULLY FASHION TECHNOLOGY
The finished product is produced by this one machine, including knitted seams and bands. No cutting is necessary anymore – the only thing
left to do is attach finishing details like strap adjusters.
German: Fully-Fashion-Technologie
G
GUIPURE EMROIDERY
A pattern is embroidered onto a base fabric, for example cotton yarn on a synthetic fabric. Then the yarn is dissolved. The production
process is very extensive and therefore the embroidery is very expensive and luxurious. Various options of looks like graphic patterns, structural patterns, or subtle patterns are possible.
German: Guipure-Stickerei
GASSING
is a f inishing technology only applied to yarns and twines. The goal is an even surface. The fibers which are standing out are burned off with a controlled flame.
German: Gasieren
GIZA COTTON
is only cultivated in the Nile Valley in Egypt and is harvested exclusively by hand. The exceptionally long fiber length of 33–38 mm and the exceptionally fine micronaire value of <3.2 makes this fiber especially soft.
GLOSSY SILK
is one hundred percent degummed silk. One of the most expensive types of s ilk, it is commonly woven into atlas silk and silk damask.
German: Glanzseide
H
HIGH-GRADE FINISHING
is used as a collective term for the finishing of textiles made from plant fibers, cellulose fibers, or their blends. In most cases synthetic resin is used to reduce the swelling of the fibers. This way the textile becomes more stable in form, develops higher crease resistance, and dries faster.
German: Hochveredelung
I
INTERLOCK
is a f ine double-faced circular knitted fabric that has right meshes on both sides. Interlock has a dense mesh structure and great form stability and is less elastic than fine rib. Therefore it is especially suited for nightwear.
J
JACQUARDTRONIC LACE
is a Raschel lace. The lace is produced on Raschel machines, with an additional Jacquard fixture. This way several varying patterns can be produced.
German: Jaquardtronic-Spitze
K
KNITTING
is the production of textile fabric out of yarn. The fabric consists of rows of meshes, a mesh being made out of the enlaced yarns.
German: Strickerei
L
LEAVERS LACE
is a particularly fine and delicate lace. Thus, only fine yarns are used. This particular lace is only produced on old looms in the south of France.
German: Leavers-Spitze
LEAVERTRONIC
is a t ype of lace developed by Weberlace. It is produced on especially adapted versions of Jacquardtronic machines and using special yarns. Leavertronic comes pretty close to Leavers lace in look and quality, and is a lower-price, more commercial option. Leavertronic is a registered brand.
LYCRA
is a highly elastic synthetic fiber, which belongs to the group of elastane fibers. Lycra is exclusively used in blends, e.g. as a blend with the main fiber polyamide. The proportion of the Lycra fiber in blends varies between 18 and 25 percent. Lycra blend fibers have the characteristic of being highly elastic in the length.
LYOCELL
Another name for Tencel. See Tencel.
M
MERCERIZATION
is a f inishing technology used on yarns, twines, and fabrics. The goal of mercerization is an even and shiny surface with an improved robustness. The yarns, twines, or whole fabric panels are soaked in caustic soda, the cotton fibers start swelling, and the inner
structure as well as the transverse section change. The result is that light is reflected from all sides, the mercerized material receives an
even and shiny surface, and robustness is improved. The shiny surface remains after multiple washes and the mercerized cotton can be dyed
more easily than untreated cotton.
German: Merzerisierung
MERINO WOOL
is the slightly crimped undercoat of the merino sheep. Only pure new wool is used, to ensure a wool of the highest quality. Merino wool is
especially suited for undergarments.
MERYL
Microfiber made out of polyamide. Due to the fiber type and the fabric structure fabrics made out of Meryl are water-resistant and windproof,
while having a soft and flowy feel.
MESH SPACING
shows how many needles are used in one inch (= 2.54 cm). The finest mesh spacing E50 therefore shows that in one inch 50 needles (= 50
meshes) are used for the knitting, which in return indicates a needle size of 5 mm. The mesh spacing and the quality of the used yarn
are two of the most important indicators for the quality of the fabric.
German: Maschenteilung
MICRONAIRE VALUE
is used to define the fineness of cotton. The micronaire scale has the categories 2 to 8, where 2 defines the finest value and 8 the coarsest
fiber. The following applies: below 3 is a very fine fabric, 3 to 3.9 is a fine fabric, 4 to 4.9 is average, 5 to 5.9 is slightly coarse, and everything
above 6 is coarse.
German: Micronairewert
MODAL
is a cellulose fiber, related to viscose. Modal is often mixed into a blend with cotton, wool, or polyester. What makes Modal so special is that it adds incredible softness, smoothness, and a glossy look to the fabric.
N
NATURAL FIBERS
Natural fibers are fibers which are collected either from plants or animals. Therefore, natural fibers can be divided into plant fibers and animal fibers.
German: Naturfasern
P
PIMA COTTON
is a t ype of cotton that has an especially long staple length and is only harvested by hand. This makes yarns and fabrics made out of Pima cotton super-soft, durable, and more pilling resistant than common cotton yarns.
PL AIN WEAVE
is a t ype of weave where the weft and warp thread are especially tightly crossed. Each warp thread is alternatively placed above or below a weft thread. The visual appearance of the surface is identical on both sides of the fabric.
German: Leinwandbindung
PLANT FI BERS
Plant fibers are extracted from plants. Examples include linen and cotton.
German: pflanzliche Naturfasern
POLYAMIDE
is a synthetic fiber which is particularly known for its durability. Polyamide can often be found in blends with other fibers like cotton or wool. By mixing polyamide into a blend, the fabric gains durability and becomes easier to care for.
German: Polyamid
POLYESTER
Polyester is a synthetic fiber that is often mixed with other fibers and turned into a blend. Advantages
of using polyester in blends are fineness and lightness.
R
RASCHEL LACE
Raschel lace is a lace produced on a Raschel machine. Usually it is coarser and therefore also cheaper than Leavers lace.
German: Raschel-Spitze
RAW SI LK
is the name for the silk thread that can easily be unrolled from the cocoon. The silk does not shine and is not smooth, but is very strong. By degumming the raw silk various silk types and qualities can be achieved.
German: Rohseide
S
S&Z YARN
is the product of the enmeshing of an S-yarn and a Z-yarn. By enmeshing these two the twisting of the fabric can be minimized.
German: S&Z-Garn
SEA ISLAND COT TON
is cultivated on the Caribbean islands of the British West Indies. It has a s taple length of more than 50 mm and is harvested exclusively by hand. The production of Sea Island cotton encompasses only 0.0004 % of worldwide cotton production.
SEAMLESS TECHNOLOGY
produces products without seams. This can be achieved by using circular knitting machines, where there has to be a different machine for each size, as the machine produces a tube in the length of the upper body.
German: Seamless-Technologie
SILK
is an animal fiber which can be derived through the processing of a thread spun by the silkworm. The thread can be derived from the cocoon which the silkworm builds in order to protect itself from external threats while transforming into a butterfly. One cocoon consists of up to 800 meters of connected silk thread.
German: Seide
SINGEING
is a f inishing technology only applied to fabrics. The fibers which are standing out are burned off with a controlled flame, resulting in a more even surface and improved robustness.
German: Sengen
SINGLE JERSEY
is a knitted fabric that has a subtle right-left binding. Thus, on the right side of the fabric only right meshes are visible, while on the left side only left meshes are visible. Single jersey has a very fine surface appearance.
SIRO YARN
is a false twine. Two yarns are simply folded. The siro yarn is softer and less expensive than a real twine.
German: Sirogarn
STAPLE LENGTH
is the average fiber length of all the fibers in a sample.
German: Stapellänge
SUPIMA COTTON
is a registered brand. The cotton is essentially Pima cotton which is guaranteed to have been grown and harvested in the US.
German: Supima-Garn
SYNTHET IC FIBERS
Synthetic fibers are pure chemical fibers and artificially spun from synthetic molecules.
German: Synthetische Fasern
T
TACTEL®
TACTEL® is a unique two-layer construction, able to endure maximum strain and guarantee comfort. The inner layer absorbs and transports moisture to the second, outer layer. The outer layer is absorbent, so the moisture stays there until it evaporates.
TENCEL
Tencel is a cellulose fiber which is produced out of natural resources in a chemical process. The production of Tencel is particularly eco-friendly and the fiber is one hundred percent biodegradable. Other advantages of Tencel are the soft drape, noble shine, and the stretchability.
TEX
The yarn count is internationally measured with the unit tex. 1 tex = 1 gram per 1,000 meters of yarn.
TEXTRONIC LACE
Textronic lace is produced by machines by means of the Jacquard process (weave technique). The usage of different yarns is possible. Furthermore, the creation of different motifs is possible by using a raised pattern thread (similar to embroidery).
German: Textronic-Spitze
TULLE EMBROIDERY
patterns are embroidered onto elastic or inelastic tulle by using different embroidery stitches. This form of embroidery is one of the oldest production processes of tulle and is still very popular. A huge range of patterns are possible.
German: Tüllstickerei
TWINE
also called a twisted thread, twist, or twisted yarn. A twine is produced by twisting a minimum of two yarns. The harder the twine is twisted, the smoother and more closed the surface. Advantages of twine include increased robustness, a reduced pilling effect, and a more even structure.
German: Zwirn
V
VISCOSE
is the oldest cellulose fiber and often used as a substitute for the more expensive silk. Therefore, it is also referred to as artificial silk. The fiber consists of up to ninety percent cellulose and is consequently mostly plant based. For the production of the fiber sawdust from beech and spruce is cooked while chemicals are added. Visually, different looks such as cotton, silk, or even linen can be achieved.
German: Viskose
W
WEAVING
is one of the oldest techniques to produce textile fabrics. At least two threads, the weft and the warp, are crossed at r ight angles.
German: Weberei
WOOL
is an animal fiber harvested from the coat of goats and sheep.
German: Wolle
Y
YARN
is an intermediate textile product which is used to produce fabrics. Yarn is a long, thin formation consisting of one or multiple fibers. Depending on the type of f iber and intended characteristics of the yarn, the spinning process of the yarn may vary.
German: Garn
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