Subject : FMMQ

Submitted by: Noorain Zainabh

Question 1:

Explain the importance of leather in fashion industry. Write about the products being made out of leather and suede leather. Mention
fashion brands using leather in manufacturing of their products.

Answer:

The mighty industry is not just a fashion statement for us, but also a great source of foreign exchange. Leather Industry enjoys a lot of
benefits in India, as India is filled with cattle, the main ingredient of the Industry. It provides employment for a large sector of people.
Leather occupies an important part of lives, from bags, dresses, accessories, footwear and belts. A recent study says that the use of
leather in India has doubled in last decade. Fashion industry relies heavily on Leather, and growing as a fashion statement to use leather
products as a symbol of status. Leather industry thrives in India for more than 300 years, and continues to grow as an indispensable
global leader in import of the raw materials, and also in the process of making it into the finished goods. The quality of the leather is
determined by the raw materials and the way it has been chemically treated and then finally the look and feel. Multi-national
companies have their wing invested in this billion dollar industry, with increasing international brands across the globe is the striking
evidence of how people love and enjoy the products. Leather technology and engineering is emerging as the latest course of study, and
our country have produced enormous designers, manufacturers in the global standards.

Products that are made out of leathers and suede leather are:

Suede leather are the leather made from the underside of the animal skin, which is softer and more pliable than the outer skin layer,
though not as durable. Suede leather is made from the underside of the skin, primarily from lamb, although goat, calf, and deer are
commonly used. Splits from thick hides of cow and deer are also sueded, but, due to the fiber content, have a shaggy nap.

Shoe:

Cow hide shoes with leather laces were found in a cave in Armenia which date back five thousand, five hundred years. The
characteristics of leather make it particularly suitable for the construction of footwear. It can be cut and shaped with comparative
ease, it is light, strong and supple and most importantly, it breathes. Despite developments in synthetic materials and the subsequent
popularity of sports shoes, leather shoes remain popular because of their comfort and durability. Shoe production accounts for 52% of
the world leather goods market, which produces an enormous variety of footwear ranging from the flimsiest of sandals through to the
most substantial of boots. Cheaper products are made from ‘bonded leather’ or ‘genuine leather’ whilst more expensive items use Full
Grain or Top Grain leather. Cow hide is the most common choice of shoe leather but the fashion market also uses more exotic leathers
such as ostrich or crocodile. Suede is a popular form of shoe leather because of its softness and comfort. Nubuck offers the same level
of comfort but is a stronger and more durable leather.

Gloves:

The ancient Egyptians made leather gloves, though one wonders what use they had for them. Gloves have been worn both as a
protection against the elements and as a sign of social standing, a signal that the person wearing them was too sophisticated to risk
contamination from the world of ordinary people. Leather gloves have served both functions. Poor people used the skins of rabbits or
deer to create warm winter gloves, leaving the skin on the inside for additional warmth, whilst the rich demonstrated their wealth and
taste by wearing finely made gloves of the softest and thinnest leather. Those two functions of the glove, utility and fashion, remain
with us today, typified by the sheepskin, fur lined glove and the sleek, fitted calf skin glove.

BASEBALL GLOVES: A catcher’s mitt is going to take a lot of punishment and there is no other material that is as strong, flexible and
comfortable as leather. The best gloves are made from four main types of leather. Full Grain is strong and durable but it does take a
long time to break in. Cow Hide is much easier to break in but it lacks Full Grain’s durability. Kip Leather, a luxury cowhide, is strong,
light and easy in break in, but it is very expensive. Premium Steer Hide is more durable than Cow Hide but it’s also stiff and heavy.

Jacket:
Leather has been used for jackets for centuries: it is windproof, waterproof and extremely durable. The black leather motorcycle jacket
has since the nineteen forties become an iconic garment which signifies rebellion. The Nicholas Cage character in ‘Wild at Heart’ says
of his leather jacket: ‘This is a snakeskin jacket. And for me it’s a symbol of my individuality and my belief…in personal freedom’.

Leather satchels bag:

Leather satchels have a long tradition. In the past, school bags were almost entirely made from leather. In the 1970s, colourful
synthetic satchels came into fashion. There is still an attractive range of genuine leather bags. Leather satchels are usually made of
firm, thick cow leather. The leather is vegetable-tanned. Historically, school satchels were inspired by soldiers’ satchels. The teacher’s
bag is traditionally made of leather and has been much less replaced by synthetic materials.

Leather dresses:

Leather dresses are characterized by their use of leather as the primary textile/fabric of construction. This doesn’t mean that all
leather dresses are made of 100% leather, rather leather is typically the primary fabric from which it is constructed. Some leather
dresses may also use polyester or other synthetic materials. So if you’re in the market for a new leather dress, pay close attention to
the details to determine what exactly it is made of. The use of other fabrics can alter its characteristics, potentially giving it greater
elasticity or other beneficial traits. On the other hand, however, dresses made of 100% leather offer an unmatched level of style and
sophistication that’s not found elsewhere.

The fashion brands which uses leathers are :

Mahileather

Gucci

Louis Vuitton

Prada

Chanel

Tommy Hilfiger

Burberry

Kering

Fendi

Tapestry

Question 2:

Write about eco leather. What is it’s need in fashion market and write about the products made out of it.

Answer:

Eco-leather is made with natural fibers such as flax or cotton mixed with palm, corn, soybean and other plant oils that are laminated
together in layers to create something that looks and feels as if it came from an animal. The designers love it because it gives them a
whole element of design that they didn’t have before when they were trying to work with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as an artificial leather
substitute,” Wool said. “And it’s breathable. It’s not like a plastic that would make your foot sweaty if you wore it.” And unlike real
leather, which requires tanning a process that releases potentially toxic materials into the environment the materials in eco-leather are
sustainable and produce a low carbon footprint, Wool said. Interest in the material is growing, he noted. Nike, Puma and Adidas have
requested samples of it so that they can experiment with this new, green product. Producing leather is not very eco-friendly. So to be
able to have a material that looks, feels and has the same properties of leather but is more controllable and is more environmentally
friendly would be a great achievement,” said Loris Spadiccini, general manager of Tretorn North America, a subsidiary of Puma, which
produced a prototype shoe using Wool’s eco-leather. Most eco-leather is made from plant-based material or vinyl. According to some,
eco-leather can even sometimes include leather that comes from animals as long as it’s been tanned and dyed with vegetal-based
materials instead of harsh toxic chemicals. ECO leather can be made from several types of alternative materials that look and act like
leather. Most common form of vegan leather is PVC. It’s cheap and readily available due to its durability and low cost factor. Many
brands that are able to sell vegan bags under a $100 price point are most probably using PVC. The next most common type of eco
leather is Polyurethane or PU. It is a canvas/cloth backed fabric with a plastic coating on top. The thickness or thinness of the coating
determines its durability. If you’ve noticed some PU bags peeling and ripping it’s probably because they are coated with a thin layer of
plastic. the type of fabric a company is using as vegan leather quality can vary. GUNAS brand bags are made using high quality eco
friendly performance fabrics that look and feel like leather but are 100% animal friendly. We also incorporate plant based materials
such as MULBTEX which is silicone based and plastic free unlike its vegan counterpart Pinatex.

Vegan leather and faux leather are the same thing essentially a fake ‘leather’ material that does not use animal skin the main concern
for most people when deciding between vegan and real leather is the impact it has on animals and the environment. However, whilst
the term vegan leather might imply an environmentally friendly product, this is not always the case. In The fashion industry, the culture
in the luxury market’s interest in environmental consciousness has led to the trend of utilizing fake fur in high-end designs.
Furthermore, many luxury brands such as Burberry have banned animal fur in recent years. Even London Fashion Week, one of the four
major fashion weeks, banned fur in 2018; Helsinki Fashion Week and Stockholm Fashion Week followed, banning fur and exotic skin. In
addition, changes occurred in firms and consumers. For example, the online usage of vegan products has doubled in England and
America since the first half of 2018. Tesla, a car manufacturing company, has started to use artificial leather rather than real leather
due to the requirements of vegetarians. Moreover, the usage of artificial leather has increased in various businesses such as the shoe
and car industries. With the increasing awareness about cruelty to animals, many people are opting for alternative leather products, to
help create a sustainable environment. Artificial leather has become very popular nowadays in the leather market because it looks
identical to real leather. Also, it has lot more flexibility and positively effects the environment unlike the leather industry. Various
substitutes of leather such as pleather, naugahyde, vegan leather, barkcloth, cork, glazed cotton, recycled PET polyester, paper etc. are
available. Pleather is commonly used to make artificial leather clothing. It is made from plastic material and is less costly and lighter
material compared to leather. Products made from pleather are available in variety of colors. Another material used for leather is
naugahyde which looks similar to animal skin. Barkcloth is thick, soft and is slightly textured fabric that is obtained from Moraceae
trees. Further, cork fabric is obtained from the wood of cork oak tree. The fabric is made from the bark of the tree and has many
qualities that make it a suitable option for leather. It is soft, waterproof, dirt and dust resistant and durable. These fabrics and
materials are also environment and animal friendly.

Glazed cotton is a high quality polished cotton which is also used as leather alternative. This silk type fabric is normally used for bed
sheets, cushions and also for clothing. One can opt for this eco-friendly fabric instead of leather and save animals. Paper is another
eco-friendly option for leather. There are number of things made from paper like clothes, bags, baskets etc. Recycled PET polyester is
also used instead of leather. It is a synthetic fiber obtained from recycling used plastic bottles and manufacturing wastes. Hence, it
does not pose environmental risks as the leather. Besides, PET polyester can be recycled again. So, to make the environment free from
the pollution of the leather industry, one can use products made from recycled PET polyester instead of leather.

Vegan leather is often made from polyurethane, a polymer that can be made to order for any designer’s whim. It can also be made from
innovative and sustainable materials such as pineapple leaves, cork, apple peels, other fruit waste, and recycled plastic and used to
create products that put animal skins to shame.

The products made out of eco leathers are

Bags:

One of the brand called moon rabbit uses vegan faux leather, cruelty-free label has been gaining immense traction due to its unique handcrafted
bags. It believes that bags are an essential commodity, and it intends to provide quality products to its conscious consumers.

And even some other kinds of companies use apple peel leather too. The company called Urban Expressions offers backpacks in every style,
from metallic vegan leather to embroidered.
Jackets:
Motorcycle jackets are tough, edgy, and always in style. PETA and Coalition LA have teamed up to bring you this “go with the faux” vegan leather
jacket.

Belts:

Cork is the new vegan material on the block—a recyclable, biodegradable, and versatile material, it can be made to look and feel like
leather. Corkor makes a great cork belt that has a rustic look that goes well with any pair of pants.

Shoes:

Sneakers from Good News x H&M are made from Bananatex, a durable and waterproof textile made with fibers from banana plants.

Question 3:

What are non- wovens. Explain their applications in the fashion insustry. Write about the medical textiles where non- wovens are used.

Answer:

Nonwoven fabric is a fabric-like material made from staple fibre (short) and long fibres (continuous long), bonded together by chemical,
mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. The term is used in the textile manufacturing industry to denote fabrics, such as felt, which are
neither woven nor knitted.[1] Some non-woven materials lack sufficient strength unless densified or reinforced by a backing. In recent
years, non-wovens have become an alternative to polyurethane foam.

Nonwoven fabrics are broadly defined as sheet or web structures bonded together by entangling fiber or filaments (and by perforating
films) mechanically, thermally or chemically. They are flat or tufted porous sheets that are made directly from separate fibres, molten
plastic or plastic film. They are not made by weaving or knitting and do not require converting the fibres to yarn. Typically, a certain
percentage of recycled fabrics and oil-based materials are used in nonwoven fabrics. The percentage of recycled fabrics varies based
upon the strength of material needed for the specific use. In addition, some nonwoven fabrics can be recycled after use, given the
proper treatment and facilities. For this reason, some consider non-woven a more ecological fabric for certain applications, especially
in fields and industries where disposable or single use products are important, such as hospitals, schools, nursing homes and luxury
accommodations.

Nonwoven fabrics are engineered fabrics that may be single-use, have a limited life, or be very durable. Nonwoven fabrics provide
specific functions such as absorbency, liquid repellence, resilience, stretch, softness, strength, flame retardancy, washability,
cushioning, thermal insulation, acoustic insulation, filtration, use as a bacterial barrier and sterility. These properties are often
combined to create fabrics suited for specific jobs, while achieving a good balance between product use-life and cost. They can mimic
the appearance, texture and strength of a woven fabric and can be as bulky as the thickest paddings. In combination with other
materials they provide a spectrum of products with diverse properties, and are used alone or as components of apparel, home
furnishings, health care, engineering, industrial and consumer goods.

In order to improve the performance of the fabric, the apparel industry has whole-heartedly accepted the nonwoven fabrics.The
nonwoven fabrics are web structures that are bonded together through intertwined fibre or filaments mechanically, thermally, or
chemically. Nonwoven fabrics include fabrics that are not woven or knitted such as felt and such fabrics do not require converting the
fibres to yarn. In most of the cases, nonwoven materials are densified or reinforced by backing in order to strengthen them. Nonwovens
have also become an alternative to polyurethane foam. Usually, a certain percentage of recycled fabrics and oil-based materials are
used in nonwoven fabrics and the quantity of these depends upon the strength the fabric needs. Nonwoven fabrics are considered
eco-friendly, as these can be recycled after use, the prerequisite being the proper treatment and facilities.

There are different processes of making the nonwoven fabric. The wet laid nonwoven fabrics account for the largest portion of the
nonwoven fabric industry. The production process of wet laid nonwoven fabrics is similar to that of producing a paper. Staple fibres,
water and other raw materials are made into slurry, which is similar to pulp. The liquid is then removed, and the remaining substance is
dried in an oven. The final residue is made into several products including apparel, medical packs and filters. This section of the
nonwoven industry has seen rise in demand, primarily at the cost of another nonwoven category, spunbonded nonwoven fabrics.

Spunbonded nonwoven fabrics are generally strong and durable and are primarily used for the manufacture of medical and hygiene
products, automotive and furniture applications, and geotextile and roofing markets. These fabrics are manufactured by melting and
spinning polymers, they are then cooled and bonded into the final fabric. Another process is carded nonwoven fabrics, which are made
from staple fibres that are carded, sometimes referred to as combed, prior to heating and bonding. Final products that use carded
nonwoven fabrics include wipes, hygiene products and filters. In the pressed or needled felts are fabricated by hooking and entangling
fibres, which are then compressed to form the fabric. These fabrics are primarily used in the furniture, filtering and automotive
industries. Nonwoven has found a respectable place in apparel industry and today, several clothes that are available in market have
something that concerns nonwoven fabric. The exercise wear, sneakers, fire fighters’ or SWAT teams’ uniforms all involve nonwoven
fabric. The benefits of nonwoven fabric are many. For e.g. nonwoven fabrics in exercise wear can keep the moisture away from body,
thus maintaining the normal body temperature of the wearer.

Bulletproof vests, fire fighting suits and military apparel employ nonwoven fabrics. These fabrics make breathability possible, help in
water resistance, have fire-resistance quality, good durability and are also cost-effective. The cuffs and collars of the shirt are stiff
because of the nonwoven fabrics. The capes and wraps used by the dentists and also in the restaurants involve nonwoven fabrics.
Imitation furs, gloves, gloves liners, medical and surgical apparel, outerwear, workout wear, swimwear, protective clothing, shoe insoles,
sleepwear, shoulder pads and also the innerwear comprise nonwoven fabric. The benefits that the nonwoven fabrics offer are immense
in comparison to the conventional fabrics, the clearest advantage is cost savings. Nonwovens have made an astonishing progress in
fashion apparel. Recently many patterns of fashion garment are developed by using the newly developed nonwoven fabrics. Unlike
woven and knit fabrics, nonwovens do not tangle; therefore this makes it easy to incorporate shaped hemlines into the garment design.
Seams within the garment also do not require finishing. Nonwoven fabrics are easy to cut and offer a wider range of design than woven
fabrics.

The nonwovens industry is developing at a swift pace. These fabrics have been evolved as environment friendly and with the
sky-rocketing prices of petro-based raw materials like polyester, nonwovens are an obvious favourite. There are softer, lighter,
recyclable, less expensive and eco-friendly versions of nonwovens. Some companies have even come up with nonwovens that contain at
least 50 percent renewable material. Apart from the normal manufacturing of nonwovens, there are various blends also being used by
the apparel industry. Some of the nonwoven fabrics, developed with various fibres and value addition cotton-polyester blended
nonwoven fabric, polyester nonwoven fabric, silk nonwoven fabric, wool nonwoven fabric and polyester durable nonwoven fabric.

The nonwoven fabrics with decent flexibility are suitable for making everyday wear like shirt and coat. These fabrics are believed to be
the ideal garment material, supported by the fact that they offer personal comfort, good mechanical, strength and beauty. As the
properties of nonwoven embraces lower tensile strength as well as robustness, it proves to be useful for the apparel industry.

At present, many research and development are being conducted to improve the characteristics of nonwoven fabrics so that they can
be converted into usable, customised garment for the high tech applications like medical, intelligent textiles, smart textiles etc. The
nonwoven industry is focusing on non-durable range of clothing. As per the statistics provided by Rieter, out of total nonwoven fabrics
only 1 percent is utilised for apparel application. Nonwovens are developed to impart special properties to product. Here the advantage
of nonwovens compared with textiles, as e.g. fabrics, is the high economic efficiency of production and their performance capability
while at the same time offering lower weights. In order to be competitive today, nonwovens producers must show high productivity at
low cost. At the same time, the market demands higher quality. In the medical and sanitary domain the use of appropriate fibres is an
important condition for obtaining the required properties. Products free of binder and chemicals are preferred in this particular branch
of industry.

FIBERS USED

For the production of nonwovens for the medical and sanitary domain and for products in the personal and health care and the cosmetic
area, mainly 3 fibres types are used: cotton, rayon and wood pulp, cotton linters.

Wood pulp fibres for impart the desired properties to the products and stand out for many advantages compared with synthetic fibres
while the presence of medical and hygienic nonwovens. Since most of them are disposable products, the question of resources must
stand at the beginning of our reflections.

NON-WOVENS FOR MEDICAL TEXTILES

Form the above depiction of the various available for medical purposes, it can be seen that there are a wide variety of fibres used for
the purpose. The technology of manufacture also ranges from woven, knitted, non-woven and composites. The improvements in the
non-implantable products have been directed towards faster healing of the wound and minimising discomfort to the patient. The uses of
haemostatic fibres like polysaccharides help faster wound healing. The present day wound covering doesn’t stick to the wound and
hence prevents its maceration.

Non-woven materials are used in numerous applications, including:

Medical

Isolation gowns

Surgical gowns

Surgical drapes and covers

Surgical masks

Surgical scrub suits

Caps

Medical packaging: porosity allows gas sterilization

Gloves

Shoe covers

Bath wipes

Wound dressings

Drug delivery

Plasters