By Doris Montag In 1664, English naturalist Robert Hooke, predicted a fiber "if not fully as good, nay better" than the silk fiber produced by the silkworm. Nearly 200 years later in 1855, a Swiss chemist, Georges Audemars, used the fibrous inner bark of a mul- berry tree as his source of cellulose to make artificial silk. He formed threads by dipping needles into the solution and drawing them out. In the 1880s, Sir Joseph Swan extruded this cellulose solution through fine holes to produce silk threads. He developed this technique to produce filaments for the new electric lamps. In 1885, Swan exhib- ited fabrics crocheted by his wife from this new fiber, but he did not pursue its textile possibilities. In 1889, a French chemist, Count Chardonnet, produced an artificial silk yarn called rayon that caused a sensation at the Paris Exhibition. In 1924, the Celanese Company began the commercial textile production of an acetate fiber. In 1931, an American chemist, Dr. Wallace Charothers, working for DuPont, discovered a new miracle fiber called nylon, which was the first fiber synthesized completely from chemicals. Nylon stockings were first shown in 1939 at the San Francisco World's Fair, and by the following spring American women were in love with this new product. During WWII, nylon replaced Japanese silk in parachutes, tents, tires, ropes, ponchos and military supplies, and was even used in U.S. paper currency. Polyester was created in the early 1940s by two British scientists working for Calico Printers. It was introduced into textiles in the early 1950s. At this same time, DuPont produced acrylic, a wool-like fiber. In 1952, "wash and wear" first appeared in a blend of 60% acrylic and 40% cotton. Triacetate arrived in 1954 making it possible to have crisp, permanently pleated fabrics. Spandex, a stretchable fiber created by DuPont in 1959 was originally used in bras and jockstraps. The 1960s introduced aramid fibers, also known as Kevlar or Nomex, which are lighter and tougher than steel, and also fire and electricity-proof. By the late 1950s, nearly 30% of the fibers used by American textile mills were man-made, and today's basic fibers had all been created. After this period, fiber blending became widespread and the industry introduced modifications to the basic generic composition resulting in flame retardant, cling-free, soil resist- ance or anti-static properties. In the 1970s, flammability standards, ini- tially demanded for children's sleep- wear, were legislated. Since the 1970s, the manmade fiber industry has provided 70% of all the fibers used by American tex- tile mills, dominating the apparel and home furnishings industries. In 2002, polyester outpaced the demand for cotton and today dominates the syn- thetic market. Its attraction for the outdoor gear market is that it repels water and does not decompose from contact with sunlight. In 2014, the U.S. Textile and Apparel Industry reported synthetic fiber demand at 55.2 million-ton, cel- lulosic fiber at 5.2 million-ton and natural fibers, including cotton and wool, at 25.4 million-ton. Do you know what your shirt is made of? Doris Montag is a freelance cura- tor and storyteller. Follow her on Facebook at HistoryofOrdinary- Things.
The history of man-made fibers
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