Chapter 1 - The Textile Industry
overseas agent
(intermediary) person or company that represents an exporter or importer in the countries overseas where it conducts business
remnants
1-10 yard pieces of cloth
private label
a retail brand in which apparel or other sewn products are manufactured specifically for a retailer and sold exclusively by that retailer (ex: Arizona at JC Penny)
finishing
additional treatments
converter
an individual or organization that buys greige good usually from mills, has the fabric dyed or printed and finished by other companies and then sells the finished fabric - all aspects of fabric are determined by them and sell products to same customers as mills
importer
buys fabric or manufactured textile products from a foreign mill or other supplier and brings it into the US
mill
company that owns textile machinery and makes fabric - they sell their finished fabrics to converters, jobbers, large retail stores, PL and apparel manufacturers
yarn
continuous threadlike strands composed of fibers that have been twisted together
doubled and rolled
folded in half lengthwise and then wound around a flat piece of cardboard
retail
have large variety of fabrics, with a small inventory of each one
jobber
help dispose of excess or surplus merchandise for the mill - buys from mills, converters and garment manufacturers - valuable customers (buy discounted styles)
Fair Trade
indicates that a product was produced without labor exploitation, by using environmentally sustainable practices and that the producers received fair prices for their product
put-up
indicates the way fabric is packaged when it is sold
recycling
large component of the environmental movement to reduce ecological damage
market planning
long-range planning
fabric
made from yarns and are either woven or knitted
rolled put-up
most fabrics sold to garment and other manufacturers are put like this - fabric is wound around a cardboard tube
exclusive brands
national brand with distribution through one retailer (ex. Candies at Kohl's owned by Iconix Brand Group)
shorts
pieces of fabric shorter than 40 yards in length - jobbers usually buy these
dyeing
process for imparting a solid color to textiles
printing
process of imparting designs to textiles
fiber
smallest part of the fabric, fine hairlike substances, categorized as natural or manufactured
apparel
the textiles used in clothing
interior furnishings
the textiles used in furniture, bath, kitchen and bed
industrial products
the textiles used in such items as luggage, flags, boat sails, bandages, dust filters and so on
vertically integrated mill
they make the fabric, produce their own yarn, and perform the finishing processes required after the fabric has been created
greige
unfinished fabric
pound goods
very short pieces of fabric (less than 1 yard in length) sold by the pound
overrun
when a mill produces more dyed, printed or finished fabric than the order specifies
over-the-counter
when home sewers purchase fabrics sold in retail stores
