SYNTHETIC FIBERS

HISTORY:

POLYESTER WAS DISCOVERED AND PATENTED IN 1941 BY JOHN REX WHINFELD AND JAMES TENNANT DICKSON. IN 1953, DU PONT PURCHASED THE US RIGHTS TO THE PATTERNANDTRADEDITUNDERTHE NAME DACRON. IT ROSE TO POPULARITY AFTER WORLD WAR II, BECAUSE OF THE DESIRE FOR EASY CARE AND MASS CONSUMERISM. IT WAS ORIGINALLY SEEN AS A CHEAP FABRICANDSEPARATEDTHESOCIAL CLASSES. IT WAS ORIGINALLY MANUFACTUREDASANALTERNATIVE TO COTTON AND WOOL. BUT IT COULDN'T COMPETE WITH THE TACTILE PROPERTIES OF THE NATURAL FIBERS. THEREFORE WHEN POLYESTERANDNATURALFIBERSARE BLENDED TOGETHER, YOU GET THE PROPERTIESOFTHENATURALFIBERS AS WELL AS THE STRENGTH, STABILITY,ANDEASEOFPOLYESTER.

IT IS PROMINENT IN SPORTSWEAR BECAUSE THE FIBERSARESTRONG,STAINRESISTANT,ANDDOESN'T ABSORB MOISTURE. THE TERM POLYESTER COMES FROMTHEWORDPOLY,MEANINGMANY,ANDESTER, MEANING A CHEMICAL COMPOUND DERIVED FROM OIL. “OVER 50% OF POLYESTER PRODUCED IS DESTINEDFORFIBERPRODUCTION.”(HALLET189)