Textile, Apparel, Retail, and Trade Terminology

Contact for any information regarding Textile testing equipment, testing consumables and test methods.

AATCC – American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists; An industry association that seeks to promote increased knowledge of the application of dyes and chemicals in the Textile Industry. AATCC also standardizes test methods for the US textile and apparel industries, including those for colorfastness, shrinkage, and other measurements routinely utilized to determine and quantify fabric performance. This site includes information on the organization, membership, how to obtain AATCC test methods and necessary equipment or supplies, and a world calendar of events. www.aatcc.org.

Abrasion – Degradation or wearing down of the surface of a fabric or yarn, caused by repeated rubbing against a rough surface.

Acid washing – A finishing process for textile and apparel products that produces a aged or distressed appearance.

AGOA – African Growth and Opportunities Act. Allows for duty-free and quota-free entry of specified goods into the U.S. from AGOA – eligible countries of SubSaharan Africa; requires a textile VISA for apparel goods.

Air waybill – A bill of lading for air transport of goods, which specifies terms of transport for the goods specified, and limits on liability.

American Apparel and Footwear Manufacturers Association. AAFMA is the national trade association representing apparel, footwear, and other sewn products companies and their suppliers. www.americanapparel.org.

Apparel – Clothing; garments.

ASAP. The ASAP Global Sourcing Show is the world’s largest garment and textile sourcing trade show produced by Cyber Merchants Exchange. It brings together leading manufacturers from around the world to one venue to meet potential buyers. www.asapshow.com.

ASTM – Originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials. One of the largest voluntary standards development organization s in the world. ASTM is a source for technical standards for materials, products, systems, ad services. www.astm.org.

Assembly line – Organization of production activities into discrete steps, using a division of labor, under which each step in the production process is performed by a different individual, and each individual performs only one or a limited number of steps in the process. Assembly lines are generally more efficient and cost – effective than having one individual fully produce a product in its entirety.

Athletic wear – Category of clothing intended for active athletics; includes shorts, t-shirts, exercise clothing.

Back to school – A category of children’s and teenager’s clothing intended for schoolwear and related activities, and sold at retail primarily in the late summer months before the new school year begins.

Ball - point needle – A sewing needle with a rounded tip rather than a sharp point, designed to slip between the yarns of a knit fabric rather than piercing the yarn and causing quality defects.

Bar code – A graphic code comprised of a unique combination of black and white bars of varying widths, that when scanned by a computerized bar code reader, identify the product and key information such as product specifications and price. Formally known as a Universal Product Code (UPC).

Batch – A group of products or components dyed or otherwise processed together.

Batch processing – Processing groups of products or components together rather than individually.

B2B – Business to business (wholesale) marketing and sales.

B2C – Business to consumer (retail) marketing and sales.

Bias – The diagonal direction of a fabric, at a 45 degree angle to the warp yarn. Garment components cut on the bias have less structural integrity and may stretch out of shape. Garments may be cut on the bias as a design characteristic.

Bill of Lading – A document listing the goods being transported, describing the condition of goods upon their acceptance by the freight carrier, giving identifying details of the cargo vessel, specifying the person sending the goods, and the person designated to receive the goods. This document is issued by the freight carrier and serves as a receipt for the goods.

Blanket stitch – A large decorative T – shaped stitch made along the edge of a fabric or garment component as a design component.

Bleaching – A chemical treatment to whiten yarn, fabric, or garments. Bleaching not only removes color, but generally reduces fiber, yarn, and fabric strength.

Bleeding – Unintentional transfer of dye from one yarn or fabric to another during laundering, or when the yarn or fabric becomes wet. Bleeding is a very serious quality problem, leading some manufacturers to recommend dry cleaning, or washing bright colored garments or fabrics separately from other garments or fabrics. Incidence of bleeding generally reduces with subsequent washings.

Bobbin World – US trade show for textile manufacturers and apparel industry suppliers. (www.bobbinworld.com)

Booking number – A number assigned by the freight company to a cargo booking. This number serves as a reference number on bills or other freight – related correspondence.

Bouclé – A yarn of fabric that has uneven loops created by very high twist of selected yarns. While this can be a quality defect, it is generally an intended design feature.

Bound buttonhole – A buttonhole constructed by binding the cut edge with a second piece of fabric so that no stitching shows. Bound buttonholes are considered a hallmark of high quality and couturier clothing.

Bricks and mortar – Physical retail stores.

Brushed fabric – A fabric that has been mechanically brushed to raise fibers, giving a softer look and feel.

Burst strength –The amount of force required to break the yarns of a knit fabric.

Buying office - An office, either independent or store – owned, located at a major market center in order to facilitate ordering, communications and oversight.

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