Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Textiles are central to our lives and are at the heart of the world's largest industries. In recent years there has been a dynamic shift in attitudes toward textiles, fuelled in part by explosive developments in technology. While textiles have always retained roots in craft and industry, the discipline now embraces a much wider range of practices. Innovations in the industry demand a fresh approach to the subject, which this comprehensive introduction ably supplies.

Taking as their starting point the very meaning of textiles, Gale and Kaur go on to show the astonishing range of opportunities for careers in the field, from the creative (artists, craftspeople and designers) to the social and industrial, to the commercial and associated practices (buyers, journalists, researchers and scientists). The Textile Book takes us behind the scenes with professionals to reveal what various jobs involve, what influences decision makers, and how their decisions affect what we buy next season. What happens to clothes before they reach the shops? What determines the 'must have' item? How can recycled bottles be transformed into silk-like yarns? These and many other questions are explored to show the diversity that makes up the contemporary global textile scene.

Woven, printed, embroidered, knitted -- textiles are pivotal to the everyday experience of people in all parts of the world. This wide-ranging and informative book conveys the excitement and new challenges textiles represent and is essential reading for anyone working with, studying or simply interested in textiles.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface
• Part I Overviews
• What Is Textiles
• The Cultural Place of Textiles
• Perceptions of Fabric
• Part II The Creative
• The Textile Designer
• The Designer-Maker
• The Craftsperson
• The Textile Artist
• Part III The Social and Industrial Context
• Global Textile Traditions
• Ecology
• Industry
• The Role of Trendsetting and Forcasting
• Part IV Related Disciplines and Studies
• The Buyer
• Journalism
• Science
• Research
• Bibliography
• Index

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Gale and Kaur (both, Univ. of Central England) present an overview of fabric and fiber as a fundamental part of human existence and endeavor. Starting with the place of textile in culture and its continuous evolution under the influences of society, technology, and business, they introduce all the different professionals involved in bringing textiles, whether industrially produced fabrics or handmade items from studio production, into existence. Those engaged at the creative end of textiles--textile designers, designer-makers, craftspersons, textile artists--make use of technological advances springing up from the work of research scientists and, with the help of trend forecasters and marketing people, shape the styles and respond to consumers' tastes. Businesspeople, politicians, financiers, organizations, and individuals engaged in ecological matters, all have their part in shaping the textile industry in its role as a major player in world economy. The vast and diverse textile field relies on many disciplines in its trade--e.g., lawyers, buyers, journalists, and advertising professionals. Throughout, comprehensive information is clarified through examples and case studies from the field. Those studying textiles and the general public should find this book very useful. General readers; upper-division undergraduates through professionals. M. Tulokas Rhode Island School of Design