Textilepedia: The Ultimate Textile Bible

Textilepedia is an extensive textile dictionary that covers all essential fabric knowledge, making it the ultimate reference for anyone involved in the fashion industry. Whether you're a seasoned designer or a beginner, this book simplifies the complex world of textiles with a perfect blend of text and imagery. It includes everything from fibers, yarns, woven, knits, non-wovens, laces, leathers and furs, finishing, and more. Textilepedia helps you navigate through different types of materials, understand finishing options, and make informed decisions about fabric selection.

Textilepedia is designed to be the go-to resource for all aspects of fabric selection. It provides comprehensive information on fabrics, understanding varying textures from rough to soft, and evaluating breathability and drape. E.g. the book explains why fabrics have different widths, what makes a fiber or fabric elastic, which fabrics are best for printing, and the sustainability of natural fibers. Packed with essential information about textiles, Textilepedia benefits a wide range of roles within the fashion industry, from designers to product developers.

Delivering comprehensive knowledge about textile applications right to your fingertips, Textilepedia covers everything from choosing fibers and the formation of yarns to the characteristics of common fabrics and the effects of textile finishing. Essentially, it’s an all-in-one textile information hub that can be carried wherever you go.

Understanding textiles can be challenging, even for experienced designers who work with fabrics daily. That’s why Textilepedia is presented in a highly visual and easy-to-understand format. The book is filled with clear and attractive images, illustrations, diagrams, and icons that make the information easy to read, understand, and remember.

Practicality is a core focus of Textilepedia, with information presented in a straightforward and digestible manner. Lengthy theories are replaced with concise, essential information that can be quickly applied in real-world scenarios, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness as a designer.

Fashion design is a harmonious blend of imagination, fabrication, and execution. A strong understanding of textiles is crucial for ensuring the functional base of any design. The deeper the knowledge of textiles, the more creativity can be pushed to its boundaries. Textilepedia provides that foundational knowledge, giving a head start in understanding textiles and an edge in a fashion career.

More than 100 years ago the brothers Adolf ("Adi") and Rudolf Dassler made their first pair of sports shoes. Hundreds of groundbreaking designs, epic moments, and star-studded collabs later, this book presents a visual review of the adidas shoe through almost 200 models.

To further develop and tailor his products to athletes’ specific needs, Dassler asked them to return their worn footwear when no longer needed, with all the shoes eventually ending up in his attic (to this day, many athletes return their shoes to adidas, often as a thank you after winning a title or breaking a world record). This collection now makes up the "adidas archive", one of the largest, if not the largest archive of any sports goods manufacturer in the world—which photographers Christian Habermeier and Sebastian Jäger have been visually documenting in extreme detail for years.

Shot using the highest reproduction techniques, these images reveal the fine details as much as the stains, the tears, the repair tape, the grass smudges, the faded autographs. It’s all here, unmanipulated and captured in extremely high resolution—and with it comes to light the personal stories of each individual wearer. We encounter the shoes worn by West Germany’s football team during its “miraculous” 1954 World Cup win and those worn by Kathrine Switzer when she ran the Boston Marathon in 1967, before women were officially allowed to compete; custom models for stars from Madonna to Lionel Messi; collabs with the likes of Pharrell Williams, Raf Simons, Stella McCartneyor Yohji Yamamoto; as well as the brand’s trailblazing techniques and materials.

Accompanied by expert texts, each picture tells us the why and the how, but also conveys the driving force behind adidas. What we discover goes beyond mere design; in the end, these are just shoes, worn out by their users who have loved them—but they are also first-hand witnesses of our sports, design, and culture history, from the beginnings of the Dassler brothers and the founding of adidas until today.

A captivating visual exploration of fashion and modern style as seen through the eyes of artists across the globe.

Since the emergence of the seasonal fashion industry in the nineteenth century, Western artists have been engaging with fashion’s impact, meaning and forms in their artwork. In portraits, the clothes that sitters wear are often revelatory about their wider context or identity. But as time has passed, sartorial details artists used to provide visual praise or condemnation of their subjects have lost their legibility. Exploring the variety of ways in which artists have engaged with such possibilities over the last two hundred years, this book examines the intricate relationship between the history of modern art and fashion, revealing the many ways modern fashion has featured within art and the ways art has, in fact, become fashion.

Discover the relationship between the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the creation of the London department store Liberty; the free advertising Burberry received in paintings of the First World War, and how London’s ‘Swinging Sixties’ scene led to the creation of some of the most important and powerful artworks of the twentieth century.

In the far east of France, close to the German and Swiss borders, lies the historic city of Mulhouse. During the early 19th century, it became one of the leading centres of textile manufacture in the country. Today it is home to the Musée de l’Impression sur Étoffes, a museum dedicated entirely to the history of fabric printing from the 17th century right up to the present day.

Few are the serious fashion designers who have not come to visit this astonishing temple to textiles. This book, however, gives you the key to those vaults, presenting on its broad pages perfectly captured images of its collections that span four different continents – recounting a fascinating artistic and technological adventure across the world, from its origins in India to the most contemporary creations.

Across two volumes, you’ll discover nine luxuriantly illustrated chapters that being to glorious life a chronological and thematic overview of the Musée’s unprecedented retrospective of the art of printed fabrics. And that journey begins in India, with the first volume devoted to the far east origins of the designs that made these prints famous, and how they came over to the factories of Europe. You’ll also find here stories and images detailing artistic innovations such as toile de Jouy and the development of new colour ranges.

In the second volume, the reader can look back at the incredible inventiveness of manufacturers and their designers throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Explore eye-catching cashmere motifs and the intense passion for nature and flowers that emerged under the Second Empire, before the artistic avant-gardes and modernity profoundly evolved the artistic creation of textile prints.

With nearly 900 pieces reproduced here to the highest possible standard, you will journey through the extraordinary tapestry of motifs and colours, that make this book such a peerless source of inspiration for textile enthusiasts of all kinds.

The Dress Detective is the first practical guide to analyzing fashion objects, clearly demonstrating how their close analysis can enhance and enrich interdisciplinary research. This accessible book provides readers with the tools to uncover the hidden stories in garments, setting out a carefully developed research methodology specific to dress, and providing easy-to-use checklists that guide the reader through the process.

Beautifully illustrated, the book contains seven case studies of fashionable Western garments – ranging from an 1820s coat to a 2004 Kenzo jacket – that articulate the methodological framework for the process, illustrate the use of the checklists, and show how evidence from the garment itself can be used to corroborate theories of dress or fashion.

This book outlines a skillset that has, until now, typically been passed on informally. Written in plain language, it will give any budding fashion historian, curator, or researcher the knowledge and confidence to analyze the material in front of them effectively.

** A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK **

'Fascinating . . . The history of the world through the eye of a needle . . . I recommend this book to anyone' THE SPECTATOR
'A charming, absorbing and history that takes us on a journey from the silk roads to sportswear, from ruffs to spacesuits . . . I devoured this quietly feminist book' SUNDAY TIMES
'Joyful and beautiful' NATURE
'Will make you rethink your relationship with fabric' ELLE DECORATION

All textiles begin with a twist. From colourful 30,000-year old threads found on the floor of a Georgian cave to what the linen wrappings of Tutankhamun's mummy actually meant; from the Silk Roads to the woollen sails that helped the Vikings reach America 700 years before Columbus; from the lace ruffs that infuriated the puritans to the Indian calicoes and chintzes that powered the Industrial Revolution, our continuing reinvention of cloth tells fascinating stories of human ingenuity.

When we talk of lives hanging by a thread, being interwoven, or part of the social fabric, we are part of a tradition that stretches back many thousands of years. Fabric has allowed us to achieve extraordinary things and survive in unlikely places, and this book shows you how -- and why.

With a cast that includes Chinese empresses, Richard the Lionheart and Bing Crosby, Kassia St Clair takes us on the run with escaped slaves, climbing the slopes of Everest and moonwalking with astronauts. Running like a bright line through history, The Golden Thread offers an unforgettable adventure through our past, present and future.

In The Illustrated World of Couture, Megan Hess brings to life fashion’s most important and intriguing art form, with fascinating insights and exceptional illustrations.

Hundreds of hours, many expert hands and unimaginable metres of fabric: couture is truly wearable art, where creativity and craftsmanship collide. Worn by only a handful of people worldwide, couture still has incredible influence, even beyond the traditional boundaries of fashion.

In this unique collection, follow Megan through the intricate details, multifaceted inspirations and dramatic shows that define the couture experience. Let her introduce you to the generations of creators who conceive and craft these fantastical garments, and the collectors who treasure them. And travel with her to the exclusive ateliers and glamorous events of the world’s fashion capitals to see how couture is both designed and displayed.

Internationally renowened illustrator Megan Hess has spent her career documenting fashion’s most beautiful people, places and pieces. Here she invites you to discover The Illustrated World of Couture, in an essential volume for all fashion devotees.

Textiles have a long and distinguished history on the Indian subcontinent, from the dazzling woven silks worn by royalty to the simple block-printed patterns worn by the masses. Drawing from the Victoria and Albert Museum’s world-class collection, this beautiful and informative reference features breathtaking and varied textile designs, techniques, and colors.

Each piece is examined in detail through close-up shots of the fabric and patterns, and demonstrates different weaving techniques, allowing readers to see precisely how the textile was made. Divided into three chapters by pattern style—“Floral,” “Figurative,” and “Geometric”—each chapter comprises an introduction to the style’s history along with its intended use.

This authoritative volume overflows with distinctive colors and patterns to inspire and inform the reader about the history of Indian textiles and patterns, their intended use, and the methods by which they were made.

The Liberty Scarf is a captivating tribute to one of fashion's most enduring luxury accessories, celebrating its rich heritage and exquisite artistry. From the early 1900s, when silk scarves were first printed at Liberty's own printworks in London, the Liberty scarf evolved into a timeless emblem of effortless sophistication, admired for its lustrous, finely woven silk and distinctive, intricate prints. It has long stood as a symbol of British elegance and artistic expression, seamlessly blending heritage with modernity.

Showcasing Liberty's global reputation for innovation and mastery in textile craftsmanship, this book unveils the beauty and precision behind each scarf, drawing from Liberty's extraordinary archive—from nature-inspired classics and heritage motifs to bold abstract designs reflecting postwar and contemporary influences.

Credited with creating some of the most luxurious and spectacular haute couture pieces of all time, Christian Dior became a fashion icon overnight in 1947 with the launch of his “New Look,” a sumptuous hourglass silhouette that provided a welcome tonic to the austerity of wartime. Its wild success, and the global fame that ensued, was built on the designer’s subtle understanding of fashion, couture, style, elegance, and women—a perspective best revealed in Dior’s own words.

This thematically organized collection of quotes by Christian Dior pays homage to the legendary designer, sharing his advice on all things, from style and how to dress (“No elegant woman follows fashion blindly,” he once declared) to his insights into the creative process, invaluable for any budding designer.

The World According to Christian Dior is the perfect gift for fashion devotees.