Animal hides, such as leather, provided the first material for the making of clothing; they came in one large, supple piece that could be cut to any shape and sewn together with thin leather strips. However, its hides were not ideal for all purposes or all climates. After thousands of years, early civilizations began to construct clothing from natural fibers (both animal and vegetable), thus creating the first textiles.

It is difficult to pinpoint the emergence of textiles, since the materials used decay easily. However, it is probable that the weaving of textiles was inspired by the weaving of mats, baskets, and other vessels. While these objects--dating as far back as 6500 b.c.--were made primarily from reeds and grasses, there soon began the use of other natural fibers for the creation of clothing.

The four most important clothing fibers were flax, wool, cotton, and silk. Flax fibers...