An Overview of Speciality fiber in India

Animal fibers are fibers obtained from the hair or fur of animals, and are used in textile production to create a wide range of products such as clothing, carpets, and upholstery. Animal fibers are protein based, the complex material which most of animal body is made of. The most common animal fibers used in textile production are wool, alpaca, mohair, cashmere, camel hair, llama, angora, yak, qiviut, and vicuna. The term ‘specialty fiber’ denotes animal fibers used in textiles other than the wool grown by sheep. These fibers include cashmere, mohair, qiviut (musk ox), alpaca, llama, vicuna, guanaco, Bactrian camel, yak, bison, and angora (rabbit), which are generally acknowledged to have special properties of softness, smoothness, and lustre, when compared with sheep wool.