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| Sixties Synthetic Knit Barbie |
Natural plant fibers such as cotton, linen and hemp have a long history too.
In 1880 or so, Joseph Swan invented a synthetic fiber using cellulose as a base. Other cellulose-based fibers (rayon and viscose) were developed in the following decades. In the early 1930's, Wallace Hume Carothers invented nylon. And then, in 1941, John Rex Whinfield and James Tennant Dickson invented the first polyester fiber.
The synthetic fiber industry grew quickly. Crimplene was very popular. It was available in many knits and colours and popular with both men and women. It was a dream to sew with and had a beautiful hand but did not breathe so fell out of fashion as lighter fabrics were patented.
Crimplene was the signature fabric of the A-line dresses that helped define the mod sixties. I wore a blue one with a dog-eared collar in a school photo. It wasn't mine and I didn't have permission to borrow it but it was such a pretty dress. Nevertheless, when I took that dress, I was completely ignoring one of my cardinal rules, "If it is not yours, don't touch it."
Barbie is wearing a garment made of a synthetic knit from the sixties. It is very flattering and it actually is her dress.
