Why are textiles evolving?

When we go into clothing stores, we never really take the time to think about how the clothes we buy are made, let alone knowing the in’s and out’s of the textile industry that makes them. However, when we recently visited our favorite clothing store, we started to wonder about the evolution of how the textile industry has evolved over time, so we started to conduct our own research into the industry to learn more about the evolution of the textile industry.

So how has the textile industry evolved over the years? The oldest form of fabric used for clothing were animal skins that early humans used to stay warm. Since the use of animal skins, the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century and subsequent years brought a push towards automation by centralized factories, eventually bringing the development of synthetic fibers.

Once textile manufacturing became very automated, fashion designers and clothing companies had to develop new supply chain techniques that would allow them to reach their customers and produce effectively in the ever-changing fashion industry.  

Textile manufacturing now takes place in low wage and low safety standard countries such as China, India, and Bangladesh. Companies do this to save money on production costs, however, the working conditions are not ideal; that is why there is a push for products that are made domestically in the United States. There is a shift into making clothes more environmentally friendly, as evidenced by the products made by Patagonia and Everlane.