Did you ever wonder how that gown ended up in your possession or what kind of textile material it is composed of? When did people discover that fibers from plant, animals and even insects could be fashioned into something more useful, more versatile and more glamorous cloth? The use of natural fibers in apparels may have started way back thousands of years ago but the exact date is unknown as historians realized that countries that came to explore these fibers guarded their discoveries with all their might.

Flax is generally considered to be the oldest natural textile fiber and the use of it into weaving dates back to the Egyptian dynasties where flax were woven into linen and sewn as shrouds used in burying their pharaohs. Flax is grown in temperate and sub-tropical regions such as Russia, France, Belgium, Spain, Egypt, and among others.

Cotton, which is often spun into yarn or thread, is a native to the Americas, Pakistan, Africa and India. It has been spun, woven and dyed to clothe the ancient people of India, Egypt and China. Because cotton is highly absorbent, it is generally used in making bath towels, robes, blue jeans, socks, underwear, most T-shirts, bed sheets and yarn for knitting and crochet works. In addition to garment manufacturing, cotton is also used in fishnets, coffee filters and oil from cotton seeds.

Silk are produced by insects but the most popular of it is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm. Because of its absorbency, it is used mainly during warm season and its low conductivity keeps the skin warm during winter. Silk is widely used in making lingerie, ties, blouses, formal dresses, parachutes, comforter filling, and among others.

Wool, which is largely produced in Australia followed by New Zealand, is a textile fiber obtained from the hairs of animals such as sheep, goats, camel and rabbits. Wool is primarily used in the production of blankets, horse rugs and saddles, carpets and in some heavy machineries and radio speakers. It is also used as a cloth diaper covers because of its hydrophobic characteristics that repel water and the interior of the wool is used as a covering for wet diapers because of its ability to attract water thus the outer portion remain dry. Today, wool remains the most versatile such that its quality has never been duplicated by man-made or synthetic fiber.

Although in the recent years, fibers have been synthetically-made but the quality of natural fibers have never been surmounted or equaled. Natural or artificial, the competition has brought a positive effect to the consumers as they are given an option to choose from.

Apparel for college sports has become more and more sophisticated. No longer does one rely on just plain sports apparel, there are also other more technologically advanced sportswear that provides better fit and more comfort for the wearer. A wide selection of different fabrics is now available and used in a number of apparel for college sports that make use of current technology to enable the wearer to excel more and enhance performance by taking out the uncomfortability out of the equation. Comfort is everything when it comes to sports on the college level. New technologies have made it possible for a new generation of college sports apparel to be made available in the sports apparel market that anyone can check out.

There is a huge market for college sports apparel that allows more fabric breathability to the wearer. It is an accepted fact that the human body needs to perspire in order to maintain a highly efficient heating system. Our body needs to sweat in order to regulate the right body temperature for any type of performance. But if this perspiration is not allowed to dry, it can build up and chill the body from inside the clothing aside from experiencing that uncomfortable wet feeling.

The breathability of a fabric in any college sports apparel is an important factor in protection and comfortability. New fabric design technology has allowed sports apparel manufacturers to develop sportswear that allows air to ventilate effectively in and out of the fabric that allows accumulated perspiration to evaporate faster. Some fabrics also help keep out the perspiration on the outside by providing a special shield that help keep out moisture to ensure a dry feeling even after long periods of exertion.

There is also a number of special college sports apparel that offer different types of water permeability properties for use in a variety of conditions. There are sports apparel choices that can effectively make every wearer feel comfortable and dry especially in rainy conditions. There are waterproofed as well as water resistant apparel now available.