Textile, Apparel, Retail, and Trade Terminology

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Joint venture – A company owned by two or more companies, often from different countries.

Juniors – Category of clothing for preteen and young teenage girls; this clothing is generally very fashion – oriented.

Just in time (JIT) - A philosophy and method of manufacturing that minimizes production costs by minimizing raw materials and components inventories through requiring that such materials be delivered where needed in the production process “just in time,” or just before needed in the production process. JIT requires careful management throughout the supply chain, and requires short cycle or delivery times. JIT also increases flexibility, allowing retailers to react more easily and quickly to changes in fashion and consumer demand, because large inventories are not built during the manufacturing process.

Juried show – A trade show in which companies wishing to exhibit must submit goods for determination on whether they meet the design and quality standards of the show’s organizer.

Keyhole buttonhole – A stitched buttonhole in the shape of a keyhole, with a larger, rounded opening at one end to accommodate the shank of the button or the stitching attaching the button to the garment.

Knitting – A method of forming fabrics and / or garments by interlocking yarns in a particular way. Garments may be knit by hand or by machine.

Knit to shape – A process by which major components of a knit garment are knit in the shape of the finished product, so as to require minimal, if any, cutting or trimming. Knit to shape garments are generally considered to be of higher quality than cut to shape knit garments.

Labor union – A group of workers from the same or similar trade/s, officially organized for the purposes of collective bargaining and negotiating labor contract terms.

Landed cost – The cost of goods including delivery to the buyer’s distribution center.

Laundering – The act of washing an item such as a fabric or garment, with soap or detergent, for the purpose of removing dirt.

Lead time – The amount of time required before an activity can be undertaken.

Letter of Credit (L/C) – A formal letter issued by a bank which authorizes the drawing of drafts on the bank up to a fixed limit and under terms specified in the letter. Through the issuance of such letters, a bank guarantees payment on behalf of its customers (purchasers of goods) and thereby facilitates the transaction of business between parties who may not be otherwise acquainted with each other. The letter of credit may be sent directly by the issuing bank or its customer to the beneficiary (seller of goods), or the terms of the credit may be transmitted through a correspondent bank. In the latter event the correspondent may add its guarantee (confirmation) that the issuing bank, depending on the arrangements made between the seller and the purchaser. Letters of credit may be revocable depending on whether the issuing bank reserves the right to cancel the credit prior to its expiration date.¹¹

Licensing – A contractual agreement allowing for one or more companies to produce and sell products incorporating the design, artwork, or logo of another company.

¹¹ Ibid.

Lifestyle – The overall mode of living of an individual or group of people, as represented by the type of housing, transport they utilize, work and leisure activities in which they engage, types of clothing, food, and other products and services they purchase, and image they convey.

Light box – A five – sided box containing three or five different types of standard light sources (incandescent, fluorescent, simulated sunlight, etc.) that can be turned on alternately to allow the user to check for metamerism in color shade matching under different types of light.

Lightfastness – The characteristic of retaining color when exposed to extended periods of light, such as sunlight.

Lining – An interior component of a garment or accessory that nearly duplicates the exterior of the garment or product but fits inside to give stability and a finished appearance to the inside of the product.

L/C – see Letter of Credit.

Made Up – Textile products composed of two or more woven fabric components.

MAGIC Marketplace - The MAGIC shows connect a global audience of buyers and sellers of men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel and accessories. Retailers spanning single store boutiques to mass - market domestic and international chains attend. www.magiconline.com.

Manmade fiber – A textile fiber that does not occur naturally. Examples include polyester, nylon, rayon.

Mannequin – A free – standing, life – sized doll with detachable arms and legs; used in retail stores to display clothing.

Marker – A pattern layout put on top of the fabric for the cutter to follow.¹²

Mass production – Manufacture of goods in large commercial quantities, generally using an assembly line process.

Material World – A global trade show for the sewn products industry; covers design through delivery. (www.material-world.com)

Memory – The characteristic of returning to its original shape or size when a yarn or fabric has been stretched.

Menswear – Category of clothing intended for men; includes trousers, sport jackets, suits, ties, men’s shirts.

Mercerization – A process of swelling cotton yarn to preshrink the yarn and give it added strength and luster or shine.

Merchandising – Often refers to the way in which goods are displayed in a retail store, to make them more visually enticing to customers, with the intention of increasing sales. Merchandising

¹² Frings, Gini Stephens. Fashion From Concept to Consumer, Sixth edition. Prentice Hall.

includes careful selection of the assortment of goods, and determining which goods will be sold in close proximity to one another.

Metamerism -. The difference in appearance of a color under different types of light.

Misses – A size category for women’s clothing.

Modular manufacturing – A method of manufacturing that uses small groups of people who work together to produce a finished garment.¹³

Multipack – A package that combines, into one retail unit, several individual retail packages, in order to encourage consumers to purchase several units at once. Multipacks may sometimes be featured at a special promotional price that makes the per – unit price more favorable than the sum of the prices of the individual units.

Multiple Unit Pricing – A pricing practice that offers discounts to buy multiple units of the same product.

NAFTA - North America Free Trade Agreement. An agreement creating a free market between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Natural fiber – A fiber that occurs in nature. Cotton, wool, silk, and linen (flax) are natural fibers.

Needle cutting – Quality defect caused when a sewing needle breaks the yarn (generally of a knitted fabric), causing small but visible holes in the fabric.

Needle punching – A method of interlocking fibers in a non – woven fabric by punching a barbed needle through layers of fiber, then withdrawing it to tangle the fibers.

Net weight – The weight of goods, excluding the weight of any packing materials. 

Niche – Small, speci

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