Bi-elastic textiles: fabric that has elastic stretch both sideways and lengthways.

Mono-elastic textiles: fabric that has elastic stretch in one direction only, either sideways or lengthways.

Net structure: a design with holes of varying size in the knitted mesh, resulting in a net-like structure. This technique is often used for office furniture.

Spacer fabric: fabrics with a 3D structure. These are made from two separate fabric webs joined by rigid spacer threads. This is why spacer fabrics are also called 3D textiles.

3D knitted shoe uppers: these are contoured shoe uppers made in one piece, with only one seam around the sole.

Quilting effect: this is a special effect that gives the knitted fabric an appearance of volume. It can be applied fully or partially, according to your wishes.

Transparency: a transparent yet robust textile surface is created by inserting transparent monofilaments.

Conductive fabrics: special, “smart” fabrics made from conductive materials used in a highly flexible and diverse range of knitted products. These are becoming increasingly popular in the automotive and industrial sectors.

Monofilament: also called wire. This is yarn made from a single filament, generally with a diameter of 0.1 mm, and which can (in theory) be produced in an unlimited length. When produced in short lengths, these filaments are referred to as “bristles”.

Polyamide: A synthetic base material with excellent properties (stable, resistant to wear and tear) that offers many possibilities for different types of processing. This means that polyamide fibres can be made to have a lot of different characteristics. Some well-known examples are nylon, Kevlar, Perlon and Antron.

Glass fibre: an extremely thin fibre made from glass as a base material; it is obtained from molten glass and can be processed in a vast variety of ways.

Wire: metal that has been fashioned into a long, thin and pliant form. The metals most commonly used for this are iron, copper, brass, aluminium, silver, gold and stainless steel, as well as a wide variety of copper alloys. Although magnesium can also be made into wire (e.g. for the automotive or aviation industries).

Polyester: a synthetic fibre made from petroleum which is produced through melt spinning, and which can be made in different gauges depending on the manufacturing process. Polyester is very dense due to its extremely small pores, which makes it a favourite material for waterproof and dirt-repellent clothing.

Polypropylene: similar to polyester, polypropylene is a thermoplastic synthetic material. Its stand-out features are its low weight and density and its abrasion-resistance. Its other properties include the capacity to repel water and drain off sweat.

Gimp thread: familiar from traditional manufacturing, these threads, consisting mainly of polyester, are used around buttonholes to provide added reinforcement and stability. They can also be incorporated into the mesh.