The Textile Value Chain: From Fiber to Finished Garment

A garment is the end of a chain, not a single act of making. The textile value chain is the set of activities by which each part of the industry adds value, converting a raw article step by step into a finished product. Knowing the chain tells you who does what, where value (and margin) is created, and, critically, whether a supplier is set up as a composite or non-composite unit.

The value-adding stages

Spinning

Yarn production: the fiber is drawn out, twisted, and wound onto a bobbin. This is the step that turns loose fiber into a usable strand.

Weaving

Fabric production by interlacing two distinct sets of yarn at right angles to each other. Produces woven fabric (stable, low-stretch).

Knitting

Fabric production by the interlooping of yarns, loops drawn through loops. Produces knit fabric (stretchy, flexible).

Wet processing

Processing applied to textiles in liquid form, involving chemical action that converts greige (grey) goods into a finished product. This covers dyeing, printing, and finishing.

Cut & Sew

The garment-making system in which shaped component pieces are cut from fabric and stitched together into a garment.