Textiles Technology includes diverse topics covering textile design, textile designers, properties & usage of multiple textile types, historical & cultural textile influences, textile project development and completion, labelling requirements and textile use in areas including costume. Practical components [obviously not included here] are a dominant part of study, with understanding developing through practical application.

This page accesses information on all the above areas. It includes portals and sites for specific resources, tutorials, activities, tips & tricks, historical information, communication skills, programs, designer knowledge and more.

Costume

History, cultural areas, regional costume, … .

• Costume History
  ‘Each era in history has been unique in many ways. Over the course of time, each period has a unique costume and dress associated with it. They range from the simplistic Roman era to the elaborate costume of the Elizabethan period to the frivolous time of the Roaring 20s. Each period has a unique story associated with the attire of the time. We have assembled a collection of resources about costumes throughout history’.
  Good collection !
• Costume History [The Costume Manifesto]
  Covers a wide range of periods of costume history done in time order. Links to other costume information.
• Folkwear
  ‘Folkwear patterns have been used by theatre and dance costumers, historic re-enactors, art-to-wear aficionados, anyone who enjoys dressing up. Learn what makes Folkwear patterns special’. Covers many periods and places.
• Milieux : The Costume Site
  Quite a listing in directories for Images, Ethnic & Theatrical, Museums for Costumes. Also sections on History & Research, including such things as armour.
• Ravensgard Costumes & Textiles
  Links in directories for General Costuming, specific costuming [e.g. shoes], culture specific, jewellery making, more.
• Reconstructing History
  Patterns for both period and cultural costumes. Cultural section includes other resources, information, links, bibliographies, more.
• R.L. Shep Publications
  ‘Books on authentic costume, fashions, uniforms from the Civil War, Edwardian, Federalist, Regency, Victorian, other eras. Authentic historic patterns and tailoring systems’. Costume links, other material.
• The Costume Gallery
  ‘Tour nine main areas of The Costume Gallery. We host over 10 000 web pages, 45 images, two databases of fashion, costume’. Use one of two guides provided.
• The Costume Page
  ‘Costuming Resources Online. Over 1 000 unique links on these pages. Some cover more than one area of interest’. Ethnic & Folk Costume links are on this page, while Theatrical Costumes are found here.
• The History of Costume
  Braun & Schneider, c.1861-1880. ‘An excellent source for students who are studying the history of fashion and for costume designers. One must be aware these illustrations have a Victorian perspective to their designs. The last 35 pages consist of contemporary folk dress [c.1880] from most European, Asian, and African countries’.

Fabrics

Properties, performance, uses, colouring, yarns & fibres.

• Fabric Dyeing & Painting
  Multiple techniques.
• Fabric Identification
  Article, further links to related fabric areas, articles, projects, search engine.
• Fabric Link
  Tips for care and use of different fabrics, more.
• Fibre Resource
  The Textile Fibre WWW Database. Links to almost every fibre you can think of. Grouped under individual fibres from Alpaca to Azlon. Also grouped as natural and man-made. Includes several non-clothing fibres.
• Fibre World
  Information on areas from acrylics to spandex , other man-made fibres. In particular, check the FibreWorld Classroom.
• History of Fabrics
  Annotated links for fabric information from denim to velcro.
• Threads Studio
  ‘Mail order business, based in Australia. We specialise in unusual and interesting embroidery threads, textile art requirements’.
• Wool Industry
  ‘Everything you need to know about Australian Merino wool’.

Fashion Designers

Information on individual designers, Australian and international.

Australian Akira Isogowa Alex Perry Bettina Liano Carla Zampatti Christopher Essex Collette Dinnigan Country Road Jenny Kee Kirrily Johnston Leona Edmiston Lisa Ho Mambo Marnie Skillings Sass & Bide Tigerlily Tina Kalivas Whitehouse

International A-Style World Balenciaga Calvin Klein Diesel Dolce & Gabbana Donna Karan [DKNY] Ermenegildo Zegna Giorgio Armani Issey Myake Jean Paul Gaultier Karl Lagerfeld Mary Quant Oscar de La Renta Paco Rabanne Pierre Cardin Prada Salvatore Ferragamo Versace Yves Saint-Laurent

Fashion News Cosmopolitan Elle Magazine Fashion Source Ragtrader Textile Source FashionTV Glamour [UK] Grazia Lucire Marie Claire Mode Fashion Style The Thread Studio Vogue [Australia]

General Sites & Portals

• Apparel Search
  ‘Apparel Search is an apparel industry directory providing members of the fashion industry with links to virtually every aspect of apparel, fashion, textiles and clothing’. Scroll down to check specific areas from the listing as well.
• Angel of Fashion
  ‘Search one of the most concise Fashion Resources on the Planet. Sites that display the Angel of Fashion Award are some of the first Fashion Web Sites ever created. You’ll find those and thousands more’. Designers, magazines, alternative fashion, The Look, … .
• Culture Victoria - Australian Fashion & Textiles
  ‘The collection maintains rich holdings of both wearable and decorative textile works that encompass the rare, the historical and the contemporary. Covering a broad spectrum of craft traditions and practices including quilting, embroidery, weaving, patchwork, crochet, knitting, screen printing, ikat, this collection celebrates the richness of our local design heritage by engaging with the distinctive and innovative approaches adopted by Australian textile artists past and present’.
• El Centro College Library Fashion Web Links
  A college in Dallas, Texas. It has compiled a listing of fashion sites in multiple directories. Each is well annotated [even down to directions] and cover areas such as history, costume, fashion news & magazines, textiles, specialised sites, more.
  Worth considering
• Fashion Brokers
  A fashion directory through a Designer Mall. Exclusive brands.
• Fashion Designers by Nationality
  Listing covering 33 nationalities/groups with large listings in each. Present designers plus those from the recent past. Links lead to new pages. From Wikipedia.
• Fashion Designers & Visual Merchandising
  Fashion designers, visual merchandising, mannequins, latest news, newsletter, forum, calendar, more.
• Fashion Guide
  Visual site to give you a knowledge base.
• Fashion : How To
  How to look your best. Makeovers, ways of always having something to wear.
• Fashion Net
  Jobs, training, overseas department stores.
• Fashion New Zealand
• Fashion : Past & Present
  Extensive listing of links, grouped in directories. From.
• Internet Resources for Textiles
  Astounding collection of links by an American university library. 54 directories from Automotive Applications through to Fiberarts, a History of Textiles to Wool and Yarn.
• Links for Learning
  Select Stage 5 Textiles . Design, Project Work, Resource Reviews Database link. Digital Education Revolution, Department of Education & Training, NSW.
• Modern Australian Fashion Textiles
  Australia.gov.au. ‘Australia’s unique fashions have relied upon textiles, the colour and the cloth, as much as garment type, styles and looks. A wide variety of Australian fashion textiles - hand-coloured, printed and painted silks, woven wool, dyed discharge and devore prints, ground velvets, and ochred designs based on traditional Aboriginal body paintings have all contributed to the definition of modern Australian fashion’.
• Studio Faro
  A range of professional development activities that may be suitable for beginning textile teachers as well as others who are interested in this area and these particular skills.
• TAFE New South Wales
  ‘Explore course & career information along with the thousands of links to industry, learning resource websites’.
• Textiles Technology
  ‘The following resources have been developed to support Stage 5 Textiles Technology’. Digital Education Revolution, Department of Education & Training, NSW.
• Ultimate Guide of How to Remove Stains From Clothes
  ‘Various types of stains need different treatments for effective removal. Read through the laundry tips and resources here to learn how to salvage clothing that has become stained’.

Fashion Weeks

There are tens of Fashion Weeks around the world, many in places you might not consider. The following provides listings for many, plus direct links to some of the more important.

• World Fashion Weeks Calendar
  Select by Featured Fashion Weeks, by Country, by years, Video Fashion Weeks, fashion associations and even by modelling agencies. Also has other sections on related areas such as Trade Fairs and Trends. A second Fashion Week Directory & Guide can be found at this site.
• African Fashion International
  Covers several Fashion Weeks, Johannesburg and Cape Town for example, other fashion news and more.
• Australian Fashion Week
• Fashion Rio
  Rio de Janeiro. Video presentations, blog, more. Site in Portuguese but Google translation available.
• FashionWeekLA
  Find all the information about the Los Angeles Fashion Week.
• Japan Fashion Week, Tokyo
  News, Features, television, more.
• London Fashion Week
  Flash or HTML versions.
• Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Berlin
  News, Designers, Shows, Schedule, Designer for Tomorrow, more.
• Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, New York
  One of the major Fashion Weeks from around the world.
• Milan Fashion Week
  Get a brochure, news, schedules, press releases and more. Organised by The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana.
• Paris Fashion Week
  Couturiers, Fashion Designers, activities, contacts, latest new, partner sites, more.
• Volvo Fashion Week Moscow
  This is the English version of the site.

Furnishing

• Alternative Windows
  ‘44 sets of Free illustrated instructions for the making of bedding, blinds, curtains, cushions, ornamental trimmings, curtain tiebacks, window top treatments, finishing touches. Also a sewing guide which will teach you all the basics of binding, piping, seams, stitches, more’. Ebooks which can be purchased.
• Caring for Furnishing Fabrics
  Hints from buying and working with fabrics, to washing and ironing.
• Sewing Resource Guide
  Nearly 1 000 links. There are many on soft furnishings of various kinds.
• Sewing & Soft Furnishing Basic Instructions
  ‘The links on the menu [ ] will take you to the following Free instructions. to enable you to master and understand some basic sewing techniques’.
• The History of Carpet
  Taken from the definitive book volume on the topic. Starts in 6 000 BC.

Non-Apparel

Jewellery, textile arts, crafts, … .

• Craft Australia
  Newsletters, forums, articles, research, educational material, resources, more.
• Cusco Textiles
  ‘Cusco Textiles - A Guide to Weavings and Textiles in the Cusco Region of Peru’. Ranges from an introduction through looms, weaving techniques, designs, symbols, dyeing, more.
• Founders Of The Arts & Crafts Movement
  Article, then a series of links. Most are US -oriented.
• Jewellery Related Sites
  Information on gemstones, beading, jewellery organisations, newsletters, training, magazines.
• The Internet Textiles Site
  Textiles, fabrics, cotton, quilting, patterns, home decoration, sewing, plastic, even henna tattoo, more.
• World Wide Quilting
  Basic How To’s, a quilting library, other links, patterns & instructions.

Perspectives on Design

Historical, cultural & contemporary design.

• The Koelz Textile Collection
  ‘A large collection of textiles collected in the early 1930s. Contains a wide variety of fine pieces documenting the sophisticated textile arts of South and Central Asia and Iran’.
• London College of Fashion Archive
  ‘Digital record of the archive. A collection of historical materials which chronicle the history of the College from its origins [circa 1900] as two early needle trade schools until the 1970’s’.

Sewing

Basic techniques, patterns, machine usage, tutorials, handouts. … .

• Dress Making Secrets
  ‘Even though first published in 1961, this book has the best dressmaking and sewing pattern information’. 20 sections available online and also available in a PDF version, though this is Fee-based.
• Sewing [About]
  Multiple sections and techniques are covered from sewing basics to sewing machines, Free patterns to sewing various fabrics, techniques to costumes, more.
• Sewing Tips
  ‘Who you, a Sewing Guru ? After you read these 182 Sewing tips, you’ll be one’. Beginning to advanced.
• SEW-lutions Guidelines
  Sewing.org. ‘One and two page educational articles in PDF format. They cover all aspects of sewing, from beginner level information to advanced sewing techniques. Individual sewers will find the Guidelines helpful and informative, while educators and retailers have permission to reprint the articles to use as educational handouts [See notes on the home page]’.
• Simplicity
  Australian Simplicity site. Provides access to a vast array of patterns online, which should be available through Australian sources.
• Start Sewing
  ‘Formed to offer a unique reference point on sewing know how. Whether you want to create a perfect dress, make some curtains or simply mend the hole in that shirt, this site has it covered’. Includes short videos.

Sustainable Fashion

• Sustainable Fashion Quotes & Musings
  Blog that is ‘about organic, natural, sustainable clothing and eco-fashion’.
• Sustainable Style Foundation
  ‘Look fabulous, live well, do good’. Multiple sections include information on the group and an Education & Awareness directory.
• Sustainable Textiles
  ‘Learn about appropriate textile technology and environmental sustainability. Strategies have been adopted by the textile industry worldwide to reduce the impact of textile production on the environment. While easy to identify negative impacts of the textile industry on the environment, this tutorial focuses on the positive steps that can and are being taken to reduce the impact’.

Tools & Technology

Software & machinery, dictionaries, … .

Computing

• Computer Textiles Design Group
  ‘Association of people who promote the use of computers in the design of Textiles for embroidery, surface design, screen printing, patchwork, quilting, knitting, beading, lace-making, needlework, stitching, other textile activities’.
• Fashion CAD
  Download demonstration software for pattern making and marker layout.
• Gerber Cutting System
  Information about the Gerber Cutting system and other company products.

Dictionaries & Glossaries

• Apparel Search Glossary
  ‘Compiled from numerous resources over the past several years’. Very extensive.
• Dictionary of Fabric Isms
  ‘Sayings, phrases, movies, song titles, quotations containing fabric, apparel, textile terms’.
• Fashion & Design Textile Dictionary
  Also a glossary, design links, Q & A section.
• Performance Fabric Glossary
  Alphabetical. From Fabric Link.
• Textile Dictionary
  From Fabric Link.
• Visual Dictionary of Fashion
  Now a commercial publication available through Amazon and other sources.
• WWD Fashion Dictionary
  Done in directories rather than alphabetically.

© D & B Mann Webmasters. All rights reserved. Last updated - 14 April 2013.
Best viewed at a resolution of 1280 x 800 or greater. We use and recommend Mozilla Firefox as the preferred browser.