Textile Survey- Chapt 1

Two types of importers and what they do

1. Direct Importer- buys fabric or manufactured textile products from a foreign mill or other supplier and brings it into the US. 2. Import Mill- a foreign company that owns textile machinery and makes the fabric or yarm that is exported to the US. Once in the US it operates similarly to a US Mill in selling textiles and obtaining order.

How many nations send textiles and apparel goods to the US market?

150 nations

What percent of the US market in textiles do foreign companies control?

65% of the domestic clothing and textile market

Mill

A company that owns textile machinery and makes fabric.

Import Mill

A foreign company that owns textile machinery and makes the fabric or yarn that is then exported to the U.S., and operates similarly to an American mill in selling fabrics and obtaining orders.

Fair Trade

A term used to indicate that a product was produced without labor exploitation, by using environmentally sustainable practices and that the producers received a fair price for their product. This term is often seen on products made in developing countries which are sold to companies in developed countries.

Sustainability

A way of manufacturing that aims to reconcile fair labor practices, stewardship of the environment and a fair profit margin for the business.

Exclusive Brand

Also known as a captive brand. A national brand that is distributed exclusively through one retailer. The difference with an exclusive brand and a private label is a matter of owership and control.

chop mark

An identification mark put on a fabric to indicate it has been inspected and approved. However, some less developed countries do not have a first-quality standard that is published by the industry or government which could in practice make these marks meaningless.

Converter

Buys greige goods, usually from mills, has the fabric finished by other companies, and sells the finished fabric. The construction, design, color and finish are all determined by the converter.

Yarns

Continuous threadlike strands composed of fibers that have been twisted together.

Remnants

Fabric that is usually between 1 and 10 yards.

Strength

Fibers ability to withstand stress. Force needed to break the fiber is known as tenacity and is expressed in grams per denier or grams per fiber weight.

Vertically Integrated Mills

Large textile mills that not only make the fabric, but also produce their own yarn and perform the finishing processes. Some mills also manufacture and distribute apparel. (ex American Apparel.) These large mills do not make the fiber.

Fabrics

Made from yarns and are either woven or knitted.

Two Primary Sources of fabric?

Mills and Converters. Both are companies that make or create material.

Overrun

Occurs when a mill produces more dyed, printed or finished fabric than the order specifies.

Shorts

Pieces of fabric less than 40 yards in lengths. Can be sold in 5s to 10s, 10s to 20s or 20s to 40s. All measured in yards.

Printing

Process of imparting designs, such as dots, florals, stripes, to textiles.

Spot or Nearby Goods

Sales of fabric that are in inventory or almost ready for sale. This sort of transaction/sale only happens on a small scale.

Fiber

Smallest part of the fabric. Fine, hairlike substances, categorized as natural (cotton or wool) or manufactured (created from chemicals like acrylic and nylon).

Overseas Agent

Sometimes called an intermediary. An overseas agent represents an exporter or importer in the country overseas where the client conducts business. The agent might provide business contacts and customers, helps with the language and customs and attire for a foreign individual or company.

Textile Jobber

Specializes only in current or in style fabrics rather than discontinued styles and goods that mills have found difficult to sell. These jobbers buy relatively large quantities from mills and converters. Might sell to a specialty or small end user.

Abrasion Resistance

The ability of a fiber to resist wear from rubbing that contributes to fabric durability. Example- Nylon.

Dyeing

The process by which a color is imparted to a yarn or fabric.

Rolled Put-up

The way fabric is packaged when sold. it is wound around a cardboard tube. Traditionally, a piece of woven fabric would be 60-100 yards, but now much larger pieces can be shipped. Knit fabrics are traditionally 35 to 50 pound rolls in either open-length or tubular form.

Put-up

The way most fabrics are packaged when sold. Most fabrics are sent in a rolled pull-up.

Greige Goods

Unfinished Fabrics.

Pound Goods

Usually very short pieces of fabric and are sold by the pound not the yard. Sold at the buyer's risk and receive the lowest price.