Providing detailed analysis of the thermal comfort assessment of clothing as the basis for developing standards, this book discusses the thermal protective role of clothing as a way of modelling heat transfer from the body, general thermal regulation of humans, and the importance of globally accepted test methods and standards to improve quality. New materials and discoveries in the study of thermal comfort necessitate the need for standard improvements and update. The development of international standards and the unification of testing methods is of crucial significance to ensure cost reduction and health protection. The book promotes instruments, methods, implementation of unified specifications, and the definition of standards so that a clear quality management system can be established, for both production systems and testing methods. It discusses standards in ergonomics of the thermal environment, clothing thermal characteristics, and subjective assessment of thermal comfort, which allows for systematic control of the measuring methods and the services and final products that are distributed on the global market. This book is aimed at industry professionals, researchers, and advanced students working in textile and clothing engineering, comfort testing, and ergonomics.

Karen Pastorello's pathbreaking biography of Bessie Abramowitz Hillman places this remarkable labor leader and Progressive Era activist at the center of the founding of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. Bridging the gap between Progressive social feminism and the labor feminists of the post-World War II period, Hillman worked to end race and class injustice and improve the quality of life for working women, even as she was overshadowed by her husband, union leader Sidney Hillman. Interweaving Hillman's experiences as an Eastern European Jewish immigrant with a rich historical account of the founding and development of a key garment union, Pastorello reveals the prominent role of women labor activists in both the workplace and union leadership.

The eighth edition of this industry standard for textile terminology is fully revised and expanded featuring approximately 100 new entries and over 14,000 definitions of fibers, fabrics, laws and regulations affecting textile materials and processing, inventors of textile technology, and business and trade terms relevant to textiles. Trademark information has been thoroughly updated to reflect the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS), and current definitions from the industry associations American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists and American Society for Testing and Materials are included. Fully illustrated with over 400 photographs and line drawings, entries include pronunciation, derivation, definition, and uses. An extensive appendix provides a list of national and internationalindustry associations and organizations. From Abaca to Zyex, The Fairchild Books Dictionary of Textiles contains essential reference information for professionals and scholars involved in the textile industry.

One of the world's largest sellers of footwear, the Bata Company of Zlin, Moravia has a remarkable history that touches on crucial aspects of what made the world modern. In the twilight of the Habsburg Empire, the company Americanized its production model while also trying to Americanize its workforce. It promised a technocratic form of governance in the chaos of postwar Czechoslovakia, and during the Roaring Twenties, it became synonymous with rationalization across Europe and thus a flashpoint for a continent-wide debate. While other companies contracted in response to the Great Depression, Bata did the opposite, becoming the first shoe company to unlock the potential of globalization. As Bata expanded worldwide, it became an example of corporate national indifference, where company personnel were trained to be able to slip into and out of national identifications with ease. Such indifference, however, was seriously challenged by the geopolitical crisis of the 1930s, and by the cusp of the Second World War, Bata management had turned nationalist, even fascist. In the Kingdom of Shoes unravels the way the Bata project swept away tradition and enmeshed the lives of thousands of people around the world in the industrial production of shoes. Using a rich array of archival materials from two continents, the book answers how Bata's rise to the world's largest producer of shoes challenged the nation-state, democracy, and Americanization.

Paris, along with New York, was one of the main centres of the fashion industry in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. But although New York based garment workers were mobilized early in the twentieth century, Paris was the stage of vibrant revolutions and uprisings throughout the nineteenth century. As a consequence, French women workers were radicalized much earlier, creating a unique and unprecedented moment in both labour and feminist history. Seamstresses were central figures in the socio-political and cultural events of nineteenth and early twentieth century France but their stories and political writings have remained marginalized and obscured. Drawing on a wide range of published and unpublished documents from the industrial revolution, 'Sewing, Fighting and Writing' is a foucauldian genealogy of the Parisian seamstress. Looking at the assemblage of radical practices in work, politics and culture, it explores the constitution of the self of the seamstress in the era of early industrialization and revolutionary events and considers her contribution to the socio-political and cultural formations in modernity.

Broken Promises of Globalization: The Case of the Bangladesh Garment Industry analyzes the consequences of the latest wave of globalization within the context of the Bangladesh garment industry's integration into world markets and production chains. Shahidur Rahman has found that although globalization has created opportunities, the process of globalization has also triggered a deformed development leaving Bangladesh increasingly vulnerable to shifts and tensions within the world trading regime. Bangladesh's vulnerability, experienced as a constraining framework by all the major actors in dependent industrialization, is of particular importance to the progress both of workers and of Bangladesh's industrializing modernizers in the garment industry. This book intends to respond to three questions. First, has the garment industry been able to counteract the vulnerability that women garment workers had experienced in their villages? Second, is the formation of a welfare committee a substitute model for unions when it comes to protecting women's rights? Finally, how is a Least Developing Country dealing with both domestic and external pressures in its response to globalization? Rahman argues that in spite of the opportunities created by the growth of the garment industry, the key actors such as workers, entrepreneurs, unions, and even the government have become vulnerable in the process of the global integration of this industry. This is an ethnographic study that tells the story of the rise, growth, and demise of a Bangladeshi garment company. From a broader approach, an internal force such as the government of Bangladesh is not alone in being responsible for pushing the workers into a vulnerable position; external pressure on the state is also responsible for intensifying the vulnerability of Bangladeshi institutions and actors. Broken Promises of Globalization exposes the crisis Bangladeshi garment companies face as a result of the momentous pressures emanating from the regime of neo-liberal globalization. This ethnographic study, exploring a wide range of contemporary and recent development issues, holds particular relevance for students and scholars of sociology, political science, political economics, labor, and development studies.

"A very realistic and readable ethnography."--Susan Schaefer Davis, author of "Adolescence in a Moroccan Town" "Offers a portrait of the lives of Moroccan women working in factories. With sensitivity and great honesty, Cairoli evokes the struggles women face as they enter an exploitative labor force and challenge cultural norms. A poignant and devastating portrayal of the underside of globalization."--Rachel Newcomb, author of "Women of Fes: Ambiguities of Urban Life in Morocco" In Morocco today, the idea of female laborers is generally frowned upon. Yet despite this, many women are beginning to find work in factories. Laetitia Cairoli spent a year in the ancient city of Fes; "Girls of the Factory" tells the story of what life is like for working women. Forced to find a factory job herself so that she could speak more intimately with working women, she was able to learn firsthand why they work, what working means to them, and how important earning a wage is to their sense of self. Cairoli conveys a general sense of the working life of women in Morocco by describing daily life inside a Moroccan sewing factory. She also reveals the additional work they face inside their homes. More than an ethnography, this volume is also for those who want to better understand what life is like for a new generation of young women just entering the workforce. M. Laetitia Cairoli is adjunct professor of anthropology at Montclair State University.

This is the first work on British textile exports to South America during the nineteenth century. During this period, textiles ranked among the most important manufactures traded in the world market and Britain was the foremost producer. Thanks to new data, this book demonstrates that British exports to South America were transacted at very high rates during the first decades after independence. This development was due to improvements in the packing of textiles; decreasing costs of production and introduction of free trade in Britain; falling ocean freight rates, marine insurance and import duties in South America; dramatic improvements in communications; and the introduction of better port facilities. Manuel Llorca-Jana explores the marketing chain of textile exports to South America and sheds light on South Americans' consumer behaviour. This book contains the most comprehensive database on Anglo-South American trade during the nineteenth century and fills an important gap in the historiography.

After the Revolutionary War, despite political independence, the United States still relied on other countries for manufactured goods. Francis Cabot Lowell, born in Massachusetts in 1775, was one of the principal investors in building the India Wharf and the shops and warehouses close to the harbor. His work was instrumental in establishing domestic industry for the United States and spurred the American industrial revolution. Francis Cabot Lowell's Method-a detailed investment plan, cheap raw materials and power, a motivated labor force, a sound marketing plan, and above all, modern technology-became the standard for the American factory of the nineteenth century.

"The Clean Clothes Campaign is a worldwide movement that aims to improve the wages and conditions of sweatshop workers. This is the story of their struggle. Large retailers such as Tesco, Walmart and Carrefour lure shoppers in with prices that seem too good to be true. This book shows that they're too good to be fair. All along the industry's supply chain, workers, often children, are exploited through poverty wages, unpaid overtime and harsh anti-union measures. The campaign urges those in charge of the garment industry's supply lines to protect their workers and treat them fairly. This dynamic account of direct engagement by concerned consumers is a must read for those that see globalization differently and want their shopping choices to support the most vulnerable people involved in the clothing industry"--Publisher description.

Many Latino and Chinese women who immigrated to New York City over the past two decades found work in the garment industry-an industry well known for both hiring immigrants and its harsh working conditions. Today the garment industry is one of the largest immigrant employers in New York City and workers in Chinese- and Korean-owned factories produce 70 percent of all manufactured clothing in New York City. Based on extensive interviews with workers and employers, Margaret M. Chin, offers a detailed and complex portrait of the work lives of Chinese and Latino garment workers. Chin, whose mother and aunts worked in Chinatown's garment industry, also explores how immigration status, family circumstances, ethnic relations, and gender affect the garment industry workplace. In turn, she analyzes how these factors affect whom employers hire and what wages and benefits are given to the employees.

Chin's study contrasts the working conditions and hiring practices of Korean- and Chinese-owned factories. Her comparison of the two practices illuminates how ethnic ties both improve and hinder opportunities for immigrants. While both sectors take advantage of workers and are characterized by low wages and lax enforcement of safety regulations-there are crucial differences. In the Chinese sector, owners encourage employees, almost entirely female, to recruit new workers, especially friends and family. Though Chinese workers tend to be documented and unionized, this work arrangement allows owners to maintain a more paternalistic relationship with their employees. Gender also plays a major role in channeling women into the garment industry, as Chinese immigrants, particularly those with children, tend to maintain traditional gender roles in the workplace. Korean-owned shops, however, hire mostly undocumented Mexican and Ecuadorian workers, both male and female. These workers tend not to have children and are thus less tied to traditional gender roles. Unlike their Chinese counterparts, Korean employers hire workers on their own terms and would rather not allow current employees to influence their decisions.

Chin's work also provides an overview of the history of the garment industry, examines immigration strategies, and concludes with a discussion of changes in the industry in the aftermath of 9/11.

The properties of woven and knitted fabrics differ largely due to the path yarn follows in the fabric structure. This path determines the fabric's physical properties, mechanical properties, and appearance. A slight variation to the design may result in entirely different properties for the fabric. Structural Textile Design provides detailed insight on different types of designs used for the production of woven and knitted fabrics, highlighting the effect design has on a fabric's properties and applications. With focus on the techniques used to draw designs and produce them on weaving and knitting machines, this book will be of great interest to textile engineers, professionals and graduate students in textile technology and manufacturing.

When a new technology makes people ill, how high does the body count have to be before protectives steps are taken? This disturbing book tells a dark story of hazardous manufacturing, poisonous materials, environmental abuses, political machinations, and economics trumping safety concerns. It explores the century-long history of "fake silk," or cellulose viscose, used to produce such products as rayon textiles and tires, cellophane, and everyday kitchen sponges. Paul Blanc uncovers the grim history of a product that crippled and even served a death sentence to many industry workers while also releasing toxic carbon disulfide into the environment. Viscose, an innovative and lucrative product first introduced in the early twentieth century, quickly became a multinational corporate enterprise. Blanc investigates industry practices from the beginning through two highly profitable world wars, the midcentury export of hazardous manufacturing to developing countries, and the current "greenwashing" of viscose as an eco-friendly product. Deeply researched and boldly presented, this book brings to light an industrial hazard whose egregious history ranks with those of asbestos, lead, and mercury.

The textile industry is one of the oldest in the country, going back several centuries. The industry experienced recession from the mid-1960s to the 1980s. However, this trend is reversed after the early 1990s when domestic demand for textiles products as well as exports increased substantially. What factors have contributed to the growth of the industry? What kind of changes have occurred in the structure of exports of the industry and what are their implications? Has the growth of this labour-intensive industry generated adequate employment? This book addresses such debates and examines the process of growth of India's textile industry, focusing on its performance on the employment front since the 1980s. Using macro-level data, the book analyses determinants of domestic demand and challenges the general perception that the growth of the industry was primarily driven by an expansion in exports of textile products. It argues that structural changes such as inter-fibre and inter-sectoral shifts and capacity expansion involving modernization have contributed to decline in quantity as well as quality of employment generated by the industry.

The role of quality assurance is to ensure that once a specification has been agreed, every product and every production run meets that standard. The Fundamentals of Quality Assurance in the Textile Industry describes how quality professionals in the apparel industry coordinating with overseas factories can ensure excellence. The author explains what tools are required and how to manage products from style conception to finished production and the methods used to track and evaluate samples and production at each stage of the critical path. This book reinforces the concept that quality assurance must become an integral part of the business and details crucial procedures that have been adopted internationally.

This book aims to provide a broad conceptual and theoretical perspective of apparel manufacturing process starting from raw material selection to packaging and dispatch of goods. Further, engineering practices followed in an apparel industry for production planning and control, line balancing, implementation of industrial engineering concepts in apparel manufacturing, merchandising activities and garment costing have been included, and they will serve as a foundation for future apparel professionals. The book addresses the technical aspects in each section of garment manufacturing process with considered quality aspects. This book also covers the production planning process and production balancing activities. It addresses the technical aspects in each section of garment manufacturing process and quality aspects to be considered in each process. Garment engineering questions each process/operation of the total work content and can reduce the work content and increase profitability by using innovative methods of construction and technology. This book covers the production planning process, production balancing activities, and application of industrial engineering concepts in garment engineering. Further, the merchandising activities and garment costing procedures will deal with some practical examples. This book is primarily intended for textile technology and fashion technology students in universities and colleges, researchers, industrialists and academicians, as well as professionals in the apparel and textile industry.

This new volume reviews recent academic and technological developments behind new engineered modified nanotextile materials. The developments in textiles using nanotechnology give ordinary materials improved properties, such as better water resistance, enhanced moisture and odor reduction, increased strength and elasticity, and resistance to bacteria, among other improvements. The research reported in this book presents state-of-the-art technology in modern materials with an emphasis on the rapidly growing technologies in textile engineering. Several innovative applications for different materials are described in considerable detail with emphasis on the experimental data that supports these new applications. From nano-fibers to chemical materials, creative modifications concerning new nanocomposites are described that could one day become commonplace. The book covers a host of topics in this area, including the design of new textile products, moisture and heat transfer in clothing, developments in electrospinning, new applications, nanotextile and tissue engineering from a biological perspective, and more. The book is intended for researchers and those interested in future developments in mechanical and physicochemical characteristics of modified nanotextile materials and polymer blends. The book will also be a useful tool for students and researchers, providing helpful insights into new evolving research areas in nanostructured polymer blends and composites in textiles.

Fast fashion is an industrial trend that refers to the concept of shortening lead time (production, distribution) and offering new products to the market as fast as possible. Despite an abundance of research results, there is no comprehensive reference source that covers the state-of-the-art findings on both theoretical modeling and empirical research on fast fashion systems. This edited volume consists of three sections - review and exploratory studies, analytical models, and empirical research - made up of many interesting contributions in the respective domain. The result is a well-balanced handbook which includes both theoretical results (from various perspectives) and empirical findings. This volume will be of interest not only to those involved in the fashion industry, but also to academics and practitioners in the wider fields of business, manufacturing engineering, systems engineering and supply chain management.

In this holistic approach to the study of textiles and their makers, Colleen Kriger charts the role cotton has played in commercial, community, and labor settings in West Africa. By paying close attention to the details of how people made, exchanged, and wore cotton cloth from before industrialization in Europe to the twentieth century, she is able to demonstrate some of the cultural effects of Africa's long involvement in trading contacts with Muslim societies and with Europe. Cloth in West African History thus offers a fresh perspective on the history of the region and on the local, regional, and global processes that shaped it. A variety of readers will find its account and insights into the African past and culture valuable, and will appreciate the connections made between the local concerns of small-scale weavers in African villages, the emergence of an indigenous textile industry, and its integration into international networks.

By the late 1810s, a global revolution in cotton had remade the U.S.-Mexico border, bringing wealth and waves of Americans to the Gulf Coast while also devastating the lives and villages of Mexicans in Texas. In response, Mexico threw open its northern territories to American farmers in hopes that cotton could bring prosperity to the region. Thousands of Anglo-Americans poured into Texas, but their insistence that slavery accompany them sparked pitched battles across Mexico. An extraordinary alliance of Anglos and Mexicans in Texas came together to defend slavery against abolitionists in the Mexican government, beginning a series of fights that culminated in the Texas Revolution. In the aftermath, Anglo-Americans rebuilt the Texas borderlands into the most unlikely creation: the first fully committed slaveholders' republic in North America. Seeds of Empire tells the remarkable story of how the cotton revolution of the early nineteenth century transformed northeastern Mexico into the western edge of the United States, and how the rise and spectacular collapse of the Republic of Texas as a nation built on cotton and slavery proved to be a blueprint for the Confederacy of the 1860s.