Uses For Nylon Include Suits For British Women Climbers

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 28002, 23 June 1956, Page 2

Uses For Nylon Include Suits For British Women Climbers

(United Kingdom Information Service)

WELLINGTON. June 22. Four Britisn women, a housewife, a nurse, a geologist, ‘and a chemist, fire this summer climbing the Himalayas—in nylon, writes Margaret Reekie. As they explore unnamed peaks from their camp on the Bara Shigri glacier they will be wearing feminine versions of the suits chosen ty the men on the British section cf the Commonwealth Trans-Aniarcti Expedition, gaily coloured parkas and trousers, geranium red and lime green, made of the nylon-and-cotton mixture cloth first used by the British climbers who conquered Mount Everest. These suits are lined with white nylon fur fabric which can be reversed and worn outside when snow is falling as the furry surface sheds the flakes.

Nylon for snow may seem a siffcprising idea, but it is only one of many instances of the rapid development of this remarkably versatile man-made fabric. The first nylon yarn to be produced in Britain came through the spinneret on a January night in 1941. Since for five years the entire production of nylon was concentrated on vitally necessary parachute cloth and glider tow’-ropes. normal development for clothing and industrial uses could not begin until the autumn of 1945. The large and very complex plant which has now made Britain the second largest producer of nylon yarns in the world took several years to build, so the present very extensive spread of nylon, now used for more than 200 different purposes, has been achieved in rather less than eight years. Housewives now take it for granteo that nylon clothes for the family will save them hours of darning and ironing. Business men travel the world with one wash-over-night nylon shirt. In the home, nylon is appearing for sheets carpets, and upholstery fabrics. In the air, nylon tyrecord stands the enormous _ load qt modern jet aircraft, makes air-mail bags and transport nets for helicopters. Nylon goes to sea in ropes, flags, fishing nets and spinnakers and

ij ur iriuLioTi o ervice ) goes to work in over a hundred different ways, from the overalls used in atomic establishments to conveyer belting in coal mines. One of the newest nylon developments is a remarkable knitted nylon upholstery fabric. It looks like velvet but laboratory tests have shown that it can stand more than a hundred times as much rubbing as standard fabrics. This extra wear promises interesting developments for carpets: various types of carpets, some entirely nylon and some a mixture of nylon with other fibres, are now being tested in the busiest rooms of hotels. Sheets and Bedcovers Nylon sheets are proving a boon to busy households as they can be washed at home, dried quickly and. put bhck on the bed without ironing They are made in knitted nylon tabncs with a luxurious silky feel, thoroughly porous so that they are comfortable in either hot or cold weather.

As a final touch of luxury a designer of modern furniture has just produced some delightful bedcovers made of nylon fur fabric, lined with satin. These match the bedroom chairs and stools which ' he covers with the same cloth in deep pastei colours and also in a special fabric shaded to look like sapphire mink. For clothing, nylon has a new look this year in the many thicker, non transparent fabrics which have been developed for dresses and suits. Sheath-like frocks are shown in nylon jerseys with cable or basket-weaye patterns and there are country suits in a nylon boucle that looks like fine tweed. Summer dresses are made in printed nylon shantung, a cloth that has proved very popular overseas because it resists creasing so well. Nylon Velvet

Nylon velvet, which Britain was the first country in the world to produce, is now made with an improved waterrepellent finish in colours as brilliant as a stained glass window. Another traditional fabric which has now achieved new and very desirable qualities with this modern synthetic yarn is lace, for nylon lace is practically untearable. does not shrink and needs no ironing. The latest designs from Nottingham, the historic centre of the British lace-making industry, are heavy nylon guipures and two-colour dress laces, lovely for ball gowns. This season’s brides are wearing crisp nylon net veils and floating dresses in flock-printed nylon with delicate lace-like patterns. The “stretch” nylon, already famous in cling-fit stockings, is now being used for ruched blouses, so elastic that only two sizes are needed to cover all fittings For men one of the latest ideas is an evening dress shirt designed with a fine nylon marcella front and a porous jersey back and sleeves designed to keep the wearer cool. For snorts and casual wear men can be cool and comfortable in very lightweight caps made of proofed nylon poplin. As a signpost to the future, perhaps the most significant development of all is the recent production of a series of “textured” nylon yarns, for this work has shown that it is'" possible to ~ive nylon new and unexpected qualities by special methods of processing. All these yarns feel softer and warmer than standard nylon and some of them are more absorbent than some natural fibres, a useful point for such goods as socks and underwear. Now that it has been found that even what appeared to be the limitations of nylon can be overcome by special techniques, there seems to be no limit to its future development.