Career Opportunities in Textile Design

Textile designers create the designs and patterns that make their way to commercial fabrics and products. Every piece of clothing, label, wrapping paper, or packaging artwork that you see was created by a textile designer. Designs created by these designers are also seen on rugs, linens, carpets, upholstery, and hundreds of other fabrics. If you often find yourself doodling patterns and shapes in your notebook, are detail oriented, and love drawing, then you could be an excellent designer. There is always a need for this type of work, and modern day production methods often involve computer software programs to make things more efficient and simplified. If you think that you would enjoy working with textiles, scope out your options at a design school to prepare yourself for your fashion degree.

To become a successful in textile design, proper schooling is critical. Check into degree programs to see what would be the best methods for obtaining your fashion degree. Many universities offer programs that can easily fit into your busy schedule, including night classes. However, make sure that you set aside time to dedicate yourself to your studies, since this is an involved major. You will be responsible for many detailed projects as a student of textile design. Some courses in the textile design curriculum are printmaking, sketching, basic design, and textile design. You will be familiarized with computer software that aids designers in their pattern making, as well as the application of patterns to fabrics and materials. You will also learn about various textures, shapes, and colors that are appealing to consumers.

As a practicing designer, you will work amongst technical specialists and marketing professionals in order to predict trends in fashion to satisfy buyers. You will create mock up samples to be presented to a project manager, which will go on to production if approved. Textile designers are also responsible for revising their designs and purchasing the materials needed for production. In addition, you will work first hand with fashion designers to come up with new designs and figure out ways to use them. If you enjoy abstract thinking, have great sketching abilities, and see things creatively, begin your career by obtaining your fashion degree.

www.made-from-india.com - Many people are of the opinion that textiles industry products are limited to the clothing they wear, but this is misconception. Take a look inside the air filters used in factories. These machines use fine textile made of satin to trap fine particles of soot & dust so that they cannot escape and pollute the environment. There are many textile manufacturing plants all over India, especially in Gujarat which cater to the requirements of the entire nation and a good volume of their products are exported too.

How To Buy A Leather Motorcycle Suit

If this is the first time you've been in the market for a leather motorcycle riding suit, or jacket for that matter, you are likely going into the experience with little information and a lot of questions. Most of motostrano customers come to us looking for a suit armed with recommendations and advice from friends, many of whom also have no idea what makes up a good fitting, quality suit. We're not asking you to ignore those recommendations or your own opinions, because they may in the end weigh the heaviest in your decision on what to buy, but take a moment to consider some new information your buddies may not be passing on to you.

A one or two piece leather suit is usually a relatively significant investment for most riders. The cost alone is the reason so many riders don't own a suit, let alone a good quality jacket. It's safe to say that a majority of street motorcycle riders ride with less than ideal riding gear. Given that fact, riding with any real protective gear other than a helmet is a step above the rest. Nevertheless, our opinion is that you should own and use the best quality riding gear that you can afford. Beyond that, your gear should fit your needs, your riding style and most of all it should fit you.

We are often asked what the difference is between the low end and high end suits. It comes down to the amount of features the suit has, the quality of the leather, the quality of the interior of the suit, the quality of the armor (if the suit features any), the type and amount of stitching in the suit. The more expensive the materials and the more time needed to make the suit, will make up the cost of the suit. Like anything, you tend to get what you pay for and poorly made suits will not only protect you less, but won't last as long just during the regular use of the suit.

Features to look for in a suit include:

* Leather type, either cowhide, kangaroo or goat

* Leather thickness and suit weight

* Type of venting and perforation features

* Type of padding and protection

* Type of spine protection, aero hump, or inserts

* Slider type and hardness

* Type and quantity of stitching

* Internal lining, removability

* Insert pockets or snap-ins for back protectors

* Stretch material used

The first thing you need to understand about motorcycle protective gear is that leather, whether cowhide or kangaroo skin, is always more protective than any type of textile (fabric) material currently available. Textile motorcycle gear is light weight and therefore comfortable, easy to get in and out of and breaths well, but there is a reason that no pro or amateur racer today is using textile gear on the track. Textile suits and jackets do not protect riders as well as leather in a crash. Today's suit manufacturers do use textile materials in parts of the suit that rarely experience impact or stress, such as under the arms, the groin and of course in the lining of a suit.

The qualities of leather make it a very difficult material to burn or tear in a crash slide situation. This isn't to say that textile jackets and pants shouldn't be owned and used for regular street riding, but of the two, leather offers more protection. Various types of leather and a wide range of leather thickness is used across all manufacturers.

You can really look at a leather suit as a 2nd, very thick skin, that is worn over your body. Sewn into this skin, in any serious leather suit, will be protective strategically placed armor for even more protection and then stretch panels and liners for comfort and cooling. In a crash situation, the leather protects from impact force that would otherwise tear your skin and sliding abrasion that would otherwise scrape your skin off. Impact armor is there to absorb as much of any impact energy as possible.

Higher end leather tends to be thinner and soft, therefore lighter and more comfortable for the rider, than heavy-weight leather. Thin, soft leather also takes less time for the suit to break-in than heavy weight leather. Thin leather, taken to the extreme may be comfortable, but can also no longer be fully protective, or if it is, is only a 'one-crash' garment.

Leather suits are typically offered in "one piece" and "two piece" varieties. One piece suits provide the best protection of the two types, due to the fact that there are less seams that can be subject to tearing during an impact situation. A two piece suit is slightly more versatile than a one piece suit, since it can be unzipped at the waist and be ridden as a jacket alone. Some manufacturers, such as Alpinestars, offer separate jackets and track pants that can be zipped together to make a full-type suit. Usually, however a riding jacket zipped to a riding pant does not zip all the way around the waist.

Increasingly, hi-tech suit manufacturers such as Alpinestars feature injection molded hard-plastic protection on their suits, combining leather protection with impact-absorbing hard body armor. This brings us to the topic of armor. Body armor is the part of the suit designed to protect the rider's body from hard impact with the ground or other objects. Many leather riding jackets on the market today have no body armor in them at all. The other important part of a suit or jacket is the impact absorbing armor. Higher end suits today use "CE Approved" hard plastic and/or multi-layered memory foam armor inserts at these impact areas. Utilizing hard armor and various types of foam and padding, creates an energy absorbing zone through out the suit, protecting the rider during heavy direct impact crashes.

Protection zones to look at include:

* Shoulders

* Elbows

* Spine

* Hips

* Knees

* Shins

* Chest

* Thighs

Alpinestars' higher ends suits, now offer exterior hard plastic protection in certain areas. This serves to protect the rider even more by putting the protection inserts as the first point of contact with the impact object.

The bare bones distinction between a high quality suit and low quality suit can be said to be the quality of the leather and the quality of the stitching. A high quality well-made suit can withstand the most brutal of slides and still stay together, protecting the riders skin. Lessor quality leather matched with poor stitching is what causes a suit to 'blow up', or come apart on a rider during a crash. It takes a certain amount of skill, learned proprietary knowledge and craft to produce a suit will live up to the task.

Next to protection, what any suit or jacket spends most of its time doing is keeping you comfortable. Mainly, this means that the suit should fit you well, so that you will want to wear it. An overly heavy suit with no venting on a hot day, won't be your first choice when you go to suit up for a day's ride in the street. An overly uncomfortable suit will also have the affect of being a distraction to your riding when you are on the bike. You want your suit to fit as good as possible.

Sizing. Especially when ordering online, sizing questions are one of the first things on people's minds. As a retailer with both a web site and a retail showroom of our products, we don't necessarily recommend that that you go and try on a suit at your local dealer and buy the item from us. Kinda tacky and most motorcycle dealerships don't offer a wide variety of sizes in their showroom for you anyway. Motostrano offers a free exchange return policy on all of our suits, so you can be sure to get the right size. Motostrano stocks suits, unlike other stores who only special order their inventory, so we won't cringe if you have to exchange or return a suit. Our sales associates can also guide you through the fitting process either on the phone or by email and help you select the right product.

Sizing across all manufacturers varies. Some makers size their suits in US Sizes, others in European Sizes. The difference in numbers is that European sizes are 10 above US sizes. So, if you tend to wear a size 42 US jacket, you'd be a size 52 in European sizing.

When we speak to customers on the phone who don't know what size they are, the questions we ask are:

* What's your height

* What's your weight

* What size US suit jacket do you wear

* What's your waist size

Using these questions we can usually get the sizing right in a few seconds. This is, however, as long as the rider isn't exceptionally built in the shoulder, stomach or thigh areas. Some, though few, riders will simply not fit well in any off the shelf suit.

You want your suit to fit as snug as possible, even to the point of being a little constraining. At Motostrano we preach that your new leather suit should at first be border-line uncomfortable when you first try it on. A new suit will give a half a size to a size after a few times of using the suit. Leather gives to an extent to form to the rider's shape and size. First time suit buyers are typically lost when it comes to trying on suits because they want the suit to fit perfectly the moment they try it on. A good fitting suit should be very snug on the few times of use. A perfectly fitting suit has few creases, baggy points and folds, yet is just snug enough to be a little tight on the rider. You shouldn't be able to grab a hand full of leather easily and bunch it up in your hand if the suit is fitting well. The suit should fit as well as possible, like a second skin, tight to your body.

Most first time suit owners try on a suit and want the knee protection and sliders to be up on their knees. Look at this photo of Eric Bostrom with his knee down and slider in full action and you'll have an idea of where you want your sliders to be in relation to your knees. Knee armor should stop at about the middle of your knee cap. Knee, elbow and shoulder amour shouldn't be loose on you.

The other point that first-time suit owners often overlook is that your suit is designed to fit you best when riding the bike. You're not going to use your suit to go out on a date and although showing up at your favorite rider gathering area and posing in a full race suit looks cool, that's not what a well made suit is designed for and we hope that's not playing in your purchasing decision. A race suit is designed to be in the riding position, leaned over and aggressively positioned. It's designed to fit the rider comfortably while riding the bike. We speak with folks all the time who get the suit on and complain they can't raise their arms over their head. Ok- great! you're not going to want your arms flailing over you head if you get off the bike- you'll want some restriction there.

When considering the features of a suit, you'll realize quick that the higher cost suits offer the most advanced features. If you can't spring for the big buck suit, you can still get a quality protective suit that fits, without having to settle for a low end suit that will come part on you while riding, or just plain be uncomfortable while riding. The full range of Alpinestars suits is designed to fit within most riders' budgets and still offer world-class features such as CE Approved armor, soft leather, venting and interior lining.

Another important point to consider is that there are a multitude of suit manufacturers on the market today. A good amount of them utilize the racing scene as a marketing and sales tool for their products. It makes good sense to look at which riders are riding with what suit brand, because these guys have careers and lives to protect and they crash all the time. They want to be around at the finish line, but realize too, that pro racers usually have custom suits built for them by their sponsors. What your favorite pro racer is wearing may or may not be available to the average rider. Suit makers also use their sponsored riders for product testing and product development. Many of the suits worn by pro racers are not yet available to the public, because the manufacturer puts time, money and energy into getting feedback from their sponsored riders for products that are not yet released yet. This information is then taken back to the lab and used to build next generation protection products.

Motorcycle Racing Jackets

Motorcycle racing jackets are stylish, classy, and extremely functional. Combining glamour with protection and comfort, such jackets form an essential part of motorcycle racing gear. Today, motorcycle jackets are available in plenty of different sizes, material, styles, and brands.

Some brands which are particularly popular among motorcyclists include Arlen Ness, AXO Gear, First Gear, Icon, Moose, Shift, Alpinestars, and Joe Rocket. Others are Ride Gear, San Diego Leather, Motor Helmets, Motorcycle Superstore, Brockton Cycle Center, Eagle Leather, Jamin Leather, Fox Creek, and Vanson Leathers. All the aforementioned companies offer jackets made up of textiles or leather, in different sizes and types.

Racing jackets have combine comfort with protection for the convenience and safety of the rider. Usually such jackets have CE-rated armor in the shoulder and elbow areas, and other hard-impact places. Padding or foam is also provided for the comfort of the rider. Such jackets also have better fits than other jackets, to enable comfortable sports riding.

Some brands, like First Gear, provide features like 'CE certification'; 'Hypertex, a material used for abrasion prevention'; 'cuff vent system'; 'Kwik- Dry, which makes jacket water-proof and prevents staining or shrinking'; and many other features.

An amazing collection of racing jackets can be found at Motor Helmets. Besides offering nearly all popular brands, it also provides discounts on some products, allowing huge savings on high-quality leather and textile racing jackets. Some popular ones include Joe Rocket 2006 jackets, Alpinestars men's and women's jackets (around $699.95), Icon ($350 - $380), First Gear ($289.95), and many more. Ride Gear also has a number of brands to choose from. It guarantees safe shopping and the best price.

Brockton Cycle Center allows big savings too. Jackets at Alpinestars can be bought for $349.00 instead of the regular price of $379.99. Also, jackets from companies like Kawasaki, Yamaha, and a number of other brands can be found at reduced prices. Motorcycle racing jackets combine comfort and safety. They are required by all racing motorcyclists for comfortable, safe, and abrasion-free rides.

The Indian textile Industry And Its Scope

The Indian textile industry is as old as the world textile industry. In fact the first known cotton cultivation seems to be from India followed by UK. Bombay or Mumbai as its know today is synonymous with the textile industry in India and also has the soubriquet "Manchester of the East". However more and more textile industry has been push to other states of India particularly Gujarat and Madras which are increasingly gaining the attention of the world textile buyers. Mumbai due to its high urbanization is becoming more of realty market. However I want to add a fact to the above statements is that Mumbai is the commercial capital of India.

Lot of niche markets is opening up in India. One place I recall was quite interesting was the Tirupur Textile Industry based in Madras. The place has become synonymous with the exports of India Knit wear. The industry based here is truly thriving with all the modern equipments and technologies. It is estimated that around 35 countries of the world visit Tirupur every month. Now look at this they deliver samples of custom-made knit wear in about 12 hours and up to half a million pieces within a few days. All for the dedication and hard work of workers as well as exporters whose ultimate goal is to meet the international buyer's requirement sometimes quite unreasonable. Today Tirupur can boast itself being in the elite list of towns with the largest foreign exchanges in India. Super quality brads like Wal-Mart's, JC Penney, Marks and Spencers have shown a keen interest in the Tirupur textile industry consisting of around 7,000 garment units providing employment to more than a billion people.

The world is looking up to the Indian textile industry to deliver its goods using technologies used and developed elsewhere be it the USA or Japan or Hong Kong.
India has an untapped potential to become in the top three list of producers as well as exporters.

Textile portal for the buying and selling of textile products including weekly pricewatch and news.

www.made-from-india.com - Many people are of the opinion that textiles industry products are limited to the clothing they wear, but this is misconception. Take a look inside the air filters used in factories. These machines use fine textile made of satin to trap fine particles of soot & dust so that they cannot escape and pollute the environment. There are many textile manufacturing plants all over India, especially in Gujarat which cater to the requirements of the entire nation and a good volume of their products are exported too.

If this was not enough, there are many cottage industries which are thriving on Textile and Leather Products manufacturers. The products made by these companies are relatively cheap and can be purchased from state run emporiums. There are special markets set up just for textile wholesalers too.

Textile in Style!

The textile industry is on ever-rise with increasing popularity of different types of fabric for all purposes. With increasing fabric demands of people for usage in their daily life, it is very essential for textile industry to update its techniques of fabric creation and style. Be it garment manufacturing or fabric for any other purpose so to say.

Trading of fabric has also taken up in the global market where cloth and readymade garments are imported and exported to various markets according to the demand. Where garment is talked about, each garment manufacturer has to make sure that it creates fabric which is most demanded and make it readily available whether in the local market or international market.

The market today witnesses the use of all kinds of fabrics accordingly. This might be used right from wearing to decorating home and for other purposes. Now days, election canvassing material is also made from fabric which is highly usable and eco-friendly. There is an entire range devoted to creating such material.

Apart from this fabric is also used for making defence material like tents. Here also, certain type of fabric is used and defence supplies are stipulated for certain organization in the industry. The textile industry is booming with every arena of life depending up on it. Ranging from everyday needs such as clothing to making a style statement fabric holds importance.

Fabric has significance right from garments to upholstery and accessories used to rise on the style meter. Products like jute bags have high percentage of customers as it is considered highly stylish by the youth and the old alike.

Apart from all above mentioned things, fabric is also used by the shoe industry. There is an entirely different clientele for cloth shoe and this is considered equally stylish. Also, it is eco-friendly unlike leather shoes. Though the purpose of stepping out on the road is solved by leather shoes and the like, yet shoes made from cloth are just as good and look great too.

Textile industry is an important industry where it has customers spread all over. Right from a common man who needs fabric for daily wear and such common use to those who use it as a luxury in home décor, fabric is something that is extremely important for one and all. Fabric that is handy, easy to use and sits in the style statement is what everybody wants. And the textile industry is rightfully fulfilling this demand of people.

Leather Office Chairs Offer the Ultimate in Luxury

Leather upholstery dates back to the Renaissance age and was especially prevalent in sixteenth and seventeenth century Spain. The artists and skilled craftsmen of the time developed tools for embossing, dying, and tanning raw hides that are still used today. Throughout history, furniture ranging from chairs and couches to headboards have been covered in leather and decorated with metal studs or even nails. Due to the rich history of leather furniture as well as the art of tanning hides, leather furniture has grown to symbolize power, strength, and status within the business world, making leather office chairs quite popular.

How is Leather Made?

The tanning process developed in the late sixteenth century took nearly a year to complete from start to finish. Animal hides were first coated in oil and grease, then scraped down to just the tough hide before being subjected to repeated pummeling in order to soften the hide. Stomping on the hide with bare feet was the most common approach for leather softening. Leather from cattle and oxen was more common back then due to the availability of the animals as well as the resulting strength of the leather. As time progressed, goat leather was used for more delicate applications.

Leather Furniture

The major benefits of using leather as a textile in furniture are that the natural product is extremely durable, properly cared for leather is soft and comfortable, and finally, leather upholstery is linked to the wealthy and powerful upper class. The earliest leather furniture was very traditional in style and large in size. The pieces were expensive and therefore owned only by the richest families and individuals. Bold or strong dye colors were very popular, including rich burgundy, rust, navy, and berry. The glazing process used created a smooth, shiny finish on the leather, which is characteristic of most antique pieces on the market today. Even some of the modern designs for leather office chairs utilize these rich colors, bringing a real sense of establishment and success into the office.

Modern leather upholstery utilizes lighter neutral colors like white, ivory, and natural wood shades. We also see softer more pliable leathers being used almost like fabric, allowing for a wider variety of design options including draping and pleating. The subtle matte finish maintains the integrity of the leather while giving a more casual or relaxed look to the furniture itself. While this more modern take on leather office chairs doesn't make as bold a statement as the traditional style, the thinner material and softer framing is compatible with current advances in ergonomic design, making the chairs themselves very comfortable and easy to use.

Leather in the Workplace

Given the comfort and high quality of leather upholstery, it is no surprise that many businesses and firms choose leather office chairs. Furthering the association of these chairs with power and status, you are most likely to find them behind the desks of executives and upper level employees. Leather office chairs are a great addition to a formal conference room, where they provide employees and guests with an extra taste of luxury.

Leather and Textile Jackets - Which One to Choose

With the summer coming up, leather versus textile is on a lot of motorcyclists minds. It might be a hard decision so I've put together a list of a few things you need to consider before buying yours. I'm leaving the looks out of this review since that's a personal decision.

So let's dig in it!

1. Protection. Leather is a lot better when it comes to protection. First of all, when in contact with the asphalt, leather will slide smoothly, or as smoothly as possible, across the surface. This is a good thing, because when you're sliding at 50 mph after a spill, you want to slide instead of bumping. Secondly, the tear resistance of leather is way better than textiles. This has been tested in hundreds of tests and while textile has been catching up with leather with advanced materials, it's still not quite the same. Finally, leather jackets usually come with a lot more protection than textile ones but you should check the jackets you're interested in and compare. Overall, leather definitely wins here.
2. Ventilation. This is very dependent on the actual jacket and it varies a lot. Leather is a very thick material and doesn't really breath all too much as is, but most of the leather jackets out there are well ventilated via perforated leather panels and oftentimes with the big back hump. Breath ability of textile jackets depends on whether it has a Gore-Tex or similar waterproof membrane in it. Jackets with the membrane are much thicker and won't breath as much. So, as I said, this varies a lot depending on the jacket, but if we're looking at a top of the line perforated leather jacket and a top of the line waterproof textile jacket, the leather would win.
3. Overall comfort. While the leather jackets have improved a lot recently, they're still a bit stiff to wear. Once they break in they will be much more comfortable, so if you're at a motorcycle store trying one on and it feels stiff, you'll have to consider the break in factor too. This is a double-edged sword though, because leather jackets being stiff, they won't flap around like some textile ones do, especially some loose models. This is why a snug fit is important. Textile jackets are still quite a bit more comfortable because they're not as restrictive as the leather ones and are usually much lighter than the leather ones. You'd be surprised at how much some of the thick leather jackets weigh with all the protection! Overall, I find textile jackets more comfortable.
4. Consider different riding environments! The important thing before buying is to consider your own riding environment. If you have to ride when it's cold outside, say around 50 F, you probably want a textile jacket. Riding in a warmer state, you're probably better off with a well ventilated leather jacket. Does it rain a lot? Waterproof textile. Also, one thing you need to think about is if you're planning to go to the local racetrack for a ride, some of them won't take in people wearing textiles for safety reasons.

To sum it up, there's quite a bit of stuff to consider before making your decision but hopefully this guide shed some light into it!

www.made-from-india.com - Many people are of the opinion that textiles industry products are limited to the clothing they wear, but this is misconception. Take a look inside the air filters used in factories. These machines use fine textile made of satin to trap fine particles of soot & dust so that they cannot escape and pollute the environment. There are many textile manufacturing plants all over India, especially in Gujarat which cater to the requirements of the entire nation and a good volume of their products are exported too.