Elements of a Textile – Who Are the People Behind the Fabric?

#HawaiiFiberProject Part IV – Textiles

Do you see the people behind the fabric you wear? Traditionally weaving textiles for clothing, blankets and rugs was done artfully and carefully by women. Children grew up watching their mothers and grandmothers spinning yarn and weaving intricate designs in the home. As our societies have changed, these traditions have slowly left our households and have become a far away industry in developing countries. An industry in which many laborers are exploited and suffer harmful working conditions. Something that was once globally ingrained as a part of our everyday cultural heritage has shifted to big garment industries in economically struggling countries eager for work. There are still small pockets of artisan made textiles and fiber artists, but our visceral connection to textiles has been more or less lost.

In this post I want to bring the textile back to life, and look at the human lives touched along the way. From harvesting and gathering materials to weaving the fabric, there are many hands in the process before the textiles even enter a garment factory or design studio. During the #HawaiiFiberProject, I researched every step of the supply chain for natural materials. The process for creating textiles would be similar for synthetic materials except for steps one and two (spinning and harvesting), and leathers and furs deserve a whole dedicated post, which I’ll put out another time. For the purpose of this project and showing the many layers and people involved, I stuck with wools and plant based materials.

I’ll walk you through each step, harvesting and gathering, spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing. As we go, imagine the men, women and children around the world that work to make these textile take shape. To take a peek into the lives of those constructing clothing, you can learn more in the Fashion Revolution’s Garment Diaries series, where they researched the day to day lives of garment workers in Cambodia, Bangladesh and India. Textile mills and dye houses exist in these countries as well and this valuable research provides a snapshot of what their lives may be like as well.

Step 1 – Harvesting and Gathering

For each fiber this will vary slightly. In my project I looked at three different fibers, pineapple, waste materials, and locally grown wool. You can check out my post on pineapple fibers to learn more about the process of stripping the leaves and extracting the fibers. For the waste fabric I cut strips of waste materials that my mom had saved, it took several hours to cut up enough fabric for one tote bag. The locally grown wool is by far the most labor intensive fiber in this group. First the sheep need to be sheared, then the wool needs to be washed and carded until it’s ready for spinning.

This stage of textiles is often overlooked but it has a huge impact. Cotton, for example, requires a lot of water to grow, making it a controversial sustainable fiber. There are vast differences in the treatment of sheep between locally grown wool and mass produced wool. Oftentimes breaking down plant fibers is extremely labor intensive and requires a lot of difficult manual labor. With every fiber there are different concerns. I would encourage you to research the fibers in your clothing and thoroughly understand the process of growing and harvesting the fibers. Is there a history of forced child labor? How do pesticides affect the workers? Are the animals treated well?

Step 2 – Spinning

This stage is a bit simpler, and nowadays would mostly be done by machine. The biggest concerns I would have are in regards to labor conditions and working with the machines. Are the machines safe? And are the workers treated fairly?

Traditionally, hand spinning was done in the home and is still practiced as a fiber art. You can still find artisan made, hand knit or hand loomed products made with hand spun yarn, but since this is so time intensive, these products are a luxury item.  

While in Hawaii I got to learn to spin with the Hawaii Handweavers’ Hui at the Hilo public library. It was fun to chat with the members and hear what they planned to do with their yarn. I was also excited to see three young girls learning to spin, loved to see that the younger generation had an interest in the craft. I have to say, it takes a lot of patience to get an even and fine thread. I didn’t quite get the technique down, but it was almost mesmerizing to keep the thread consistent. It seems like it could be useful as a meditative practice.

Step 3: Weaving

Weaving, like spinning, has been mechanized for large scale production. The introduction of the power loom in the late 1700’s revolutionized the textile industry and has led to the high tech industrial looms of today. In this stage the fiber is transformed into usable fabric, and depending on the type of weaving, this stage can determine the end use for the textile. For example a cotton can be woven into a heavy weight denim or a thinner cotton thread can be used to create a lightweight lawn fabric. Each type of textile would be used for completely difference products. 

There are different levels of mechanized looms and since hand loomed products are very popular, some of the easier to use looms are used to make artisan products. Since these artisan made products can be sold at a higher price point, this allows women in rural areas use their cultural heritage to make textiles and get paid fair wages. There are also those who still use the original rustic looms of their ancestors to create truly stunning works of art, further increasing the value and earning potential. 

Although both spinning and weaving have largely been mechanized, people still run these machines. The human element is not removed by the introduction of high powered machines, just lessened to some degree. The introduction of big machines can bring up new concerns, such as safety precautions.

Step 4: Dyeing and Finishing

Sometimes the dyeing process happens before weaving depending on the textile being created or the process at the mill, but it can be done after the textile has been woven as well. Dye houses work in batches, and it’s important to use fabric from the same dye lot for each production run. The fashion industry tends to identify colors via pantone numbers in an attempt to get everyone on the same page, but even though the dye house uses the same dye and same process, different dye lots can produce slightly different shades.

When working with factories overseas, they are often in charge of confirming colors and will usually provide swatches from different dye lots to ask for preference. As a production manager in the America you may have little to no interaction with the dye houses and textile mills. Many overseas factories handle the sourcing, dyeing and finishing, which means this part of the supply chain is left unseen. 

Like I mentioned in my last post, dyeing is extremely water intensive, and depending on the dye, can be very harmful to those working in the factories and those living in nearby communities. What is the global environmental impact of using so much water? How can these communities recover from being exposed to toxic chemicals from dye run-off?

The last stage of a textile is finishing. This includes chemical washes to decrease flammability (which is mandatory for children’s clothing), mechanical shrinking, water resisting treatments and an array of techniques for altering fibers for better hand feel. Finishing has similar concerns to dyeing, water waste and chemical run-off. This part of the process can be virtually unseen in the finished product, but can be necessary for selling in any major retail store. For example chemical washes to decrease flammability are mandatory for all children’s wear. Is it good to expose workers and the children wearing the clothes to these chemicals?  

This all happens before a garment worker gets a hold of the fabric to start sewing the product, and I’m afraid it’s the most overlooked part of the garment industry. Granted, it can be challenging to find information on these stages of textile creation, many companies are not forthcoming about these processes. It never hurts to ask questions and express concern, consumer behavior can drive serious change in an industry. 

Today, on Labor Day, I thought it was important to call attention to those workers around the world who contribute to the products we wear daily and who are overlooked and often unseen. Labor Day is traditionally about the social and economic achievements of American labor workers, but I think it’s also our responsibility to be aware of the laborers abroad who make our American consumed products. Who are the workers behind the goods that we buy at Labor Day sales? And what is our responsibility to them? Should we be fighting for their rights and safety in the work place? I think the answer is yes. 

 

Adventures with Pineapple Leaves – A Look at Sustainable Textile Production in Hawai’i

#HawaiiFiberProject Part I – Alternative Fibers

Have you thought about what your clothing is made of? Some people commit to wearing only natural fibers, responsibly sourced materials or recycled textiles, but where exactly do these fibers come from and how are they processed? Is there room for alternative fibers?

I kicked off the #HawaiiFiberProject by exploring this question and decided to try my hand at processing pineapple fibers. Before settling on pineapple, I researched a few Hawai’i grown plants and ruled out hemp, coconut, and banana. Even though industrial hemp was just legalized in Hawai’i, it would be hard to acquire, the fiber takes a lot of energy to break down and I didn’t have access to the tools I needed. Coconut fibers are great for more rustic pieces and would be perfect for a doormat, but I wanted something a bit more refined. When looking up processes for making banana fibers, they always involved heavy machinery and just wasn’t something I had the resources to produce. Ultimately, pineapple fibers seemed like the most realistic and attainable option. My main guidance was a Youtube video by the Philippine government, it looked fairly straightforward.

The Process

A lot of you have been asking be about where exactly these fibers are coming from. Is it the fruit pulp or the rind? The fibers used for textiles actually come from the leaves at the base of the plant, not the fruit. 

After collecting about 15 leaves, I re-watched my reference Youtube video and got started. Equipped with a metal spatula I began scraping away at the leaves until the white fibers were visible, and then slowly pulled them out. 

There was some trial and error for the best way to pull out the fibers. You have to make sure the whole fiber is exposed to avoid breaking, but also be careful not to cut the fibers while scraping the leaves. In hindsight, I should have kept the strands neatly hanging, instead of throwing them all together, to avoid getting tangled. After extracting the fibers I spent quite a bit of time cleaning and untangling the fibers to be usable.

Since the process of scraping the leaves took longer than expected, I only used about six or seven leaves, but it produced more than enough fiber for me. I can’t imagine creating enough to make a full textile for a shirt, but if you have the right tools and experience it might not be such a taxing experience. I spent two days to make just a small basket full of fibers. 

Originally, I wanted to weave a textile out of the pineapple fiber, but the process of making such a fine even thread was beyond my capabilities. After playing around with the fibers and seeing how it behaves, I thought it would work well as an accent in my sakiori tote bag. By taking a few strands of the fibers and twisting them, it was the perfect unexpected touch to the design.

The steps are pretty basic, but by far the most difficult and time intensive stage was scraping the leaves to expose the fibers. I waited a couple days after picking the leaves before starting, so they may have been a bit dried out, but my hand was unbelievably sore after just one leaf. Next time, I would try soaking the leaves, or using them right after picking.

The fiber itself was beautiful and silky. One day I’ll try this again (properly) and make something completely out of pineapple fiber. It reminds me of a linen with a slight sheen, and maybe a little bit stiffer.

Pineapples are traditionally used in the Philippines to make a refined lightweight textile. There are boutique mills that produce the fabric with artisans, but as you can see, it is a very labor intensive process for mainstream production. That being said, there are now several types of textiles made from the pineapple plant, including pineapple leather, and there seems to be a lot of room for innovation in textile production. (Le Souk is a fun site to peruse and find alternative sustainable and ethical fabrics.)

The Takeaway

Why should we consider other kinds of textiles and what’s wrong with what we’re already using? My interest in looking at alternative fibers is twofold – 1) textile production could be a positive introduction to the Hawai’ian economy, creating jobs, supplying local designers and offering a unique experience for eco-tourism, 2) the way we currently produce a majority clothing is wasteful, we should constantly be looking for better alternatives to water intensive crops and non-recyclable materials. 

Although Hawai’i garment manufacturing grew rapidly during the 1920’s and reached it’s peak during WWII providing for the servicemen on the islands, the textile industry never saw the same fortune. Except for a couple textile mills that came about with the popularity of screen printing in the 1950’s (Alfred Shaheen and Van Hamm Textiles), it’s difficult to find anything on textile production in Hawai’i. Starting in the 1960’s the cost of labor drove out the garment industry, just like in many other parts of the US. Bringing back the garment industry, and starting a textile industry, would mean either transforming it into a niche, high-end market or creating innovative technologies and taking out the human element. Something I discuss in relation to Trump’s America First policies in this post from April.

There is a Made in Hawai’i movement and a few brands make ready-to-wear garments locally. Textiles, to my knowledge, are not being widely produced in Hawai’i. But with the legalization of industrial hemp it seems like an opportunity to become a hub of artisanal and sustainable textile production. The Industrial Hemp Pilot Program is underway, inching Hawai’i towards partaking in the $620 million American hemp industry, which includes not only textiles but also health, food and beauty products.

Other sustainable fibers already growing in Hawai’i, such as pineapple, coconut, and banana, do not face the same legal barriers as hemp. Yet, currently there are no government programs, machinery or skilled labor in Hawai’i to support this. We would have to turn to mills elsewhere for guidance, or create new systems to break down the materials and turn them into fabric. I would be excited to see food waste from these plants used for textiles, I haven’t worked out the operational details for this one, but I would be a really fun project to try out. 

I imagine mixing the lure of a Hawai’ian getaway fantasy with the luxurious quality of artisan made sustainable textiles would make for a great niche market. There is no sense in trying to compete with large-scale fast fashion fabric mills. Take Japan for example – across many markets, including the textile industry, they have mastered the beauty and power of extremely well made, artisan crafted products. I think there’s room for Hawai’i to join in too and start making their own boutique sustainable textiles. 

Responsible material sourcing, and textile science are constantly evolving and in my opinion, are at the root of sustainable and ethical fashion. Pure, non-toxic, and renewable resources are the base of any basic sustainable garment. This is my main reason for starting the #HawaiiFiberProject, I wanted to take step beyond the clothing design and look at the fibers and textiles that they are made of. Are there materials we haven’t considered? and how would this industry impact our economy and communities?

In closing I’d like to share this video from Patagonia on industrial hemp production in Kentucky. I first saw it back in October and it spurred a lot of the questions I had about how a textile mill could positively impact a community. I hope you enjoy it!