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ANTIQUES PEEK by Jessica Kosinski
ANTIQUES PEEK

The Silk Replacement

here are many different types of textiles was a major concern for
on the market today, but few have had DuPont, especially since
Tas big an impact as nylon. Today, its marketing campaign
many different items are made using nylon. touted nylon as being
They include sleeping bags, umbrellas, ropes, an extremely strong
fishing nets, and, of course, clothing, although material. The discovery
the original nylon and the nylon we know that nylon could be
today are a bit different. Let’s take a peek at stabilized and fortified
how this amazing fabric was developed and by mixing it with other
how it has evolved to its current status. textiles, such as cotton,
saved it from becoming
A Predecessor to Nylon lost to history and turned
One big initial purpose for nylon was as a it into a lasting textile.
substitute for silk hosiery. That is why many WWII Paratroopers
make their landing
types of hosiery today are known simply as The Decline of Nylon vintage nylon
nylons, even though they are often made doubt. For those reasons, people were not The biggest problem snow suit
using a blend of materials, such as nylon and introduced to nylon for years after it was with nylon is one of its main components is
spandex. Prior to nylon hitting the public initially produced. petroleum. That means it is not environmen-
market, there was another alternative to silk. The second birth of nylon was the intro- tally-friendly at all. Since the 1970s, there has
It was called Rayon. Rayon is semi-synthetic. duction of what later became known as nylon been more of a push towards biodegradable
That means it has some basis in organic com- material to the public. That occurred in 1938. materials, so there has been a steady decline in
pounds but also has man-made elements. Although, it had a much bigger and more nylon use in items marketed to the public.
Nylon is entirely synthetic. It was marketed as Although, plenty of those
being superior and easily produced. widespread impact when it items do still exist. Today, sci-
was displayed at the 1939 entific and industrial uses for
World’s Fair in New York. In nylon are much more com-
both years, it was used almost
1938 the arrival of nylons exclusively to make women’s mon than nylon-based tex-
in New York tiles. For example, nylon is
hosiery. Through-out that commonly used to make
period, its name was still up for toothbrushes. It is also a com-
debate. At one point, DuPont ponent used to produce some
wanted to name it “no-run,” hair combs. Another com-
but test subjects all reported Wallace H. mon use forcertain types of
their hosiery did indeed devel- Carothers who, nylon is in the production of
op runs. with his team, car parts and machinery.
The third birth of nylon was created Nylon
as a component in military gear Nylon Fabrics
after the start of World War II Still in Use Today
in 1941. At that time, the Despite the decline in nylon use as a tex-
hosiery suddenly disappeared from the market. tile, there are still some ways it is used in fab-
Instead, DuPont focused its nylon production rics. It is most commonly mixed with cotton,
almost totally on assisting soldiers in combat. polyester, or other textiles to create light,
Japanese silk was inaccessible during the war, breathable, moisture wicking material. In
which led to shortages of essential military other words, it is mainly used to make active
materials. That is when nylon parachutes were wear. If you are a runner, you probably own
born, among other military supplies. In some a jogging suit made, at least in part, from
The Three Births of Nylon circles, it is said that nylon allowed the Allies nylon. The next time you go for a run or use
Nylon actually had three different birth to win the war. Today, nylon is still used in any of the many household products you
periods. It was initially created by the DuPont parachute production, which has expanded to probably have containing nylon, take a
company in the 1920s. However, it was not include civilian parachute and hot air balloon moment
marketed to the public at that time. DuPont making. Although nylon hosiery became Nylon Hot Air Balloons to reflect
kept trying to perfect its formula for several popular again after the war, military uses on the
years before that occurred. The company also proved how versatile nylon was. Soon, it was unique
had some delays created while trying to name also being used to make all sorts of other items and wind-
the product. They selected other names for it marketed to the public. ing path it
that caused copyright infringement issues. has taken
There were also name choices that created Stabilization and Fortification of Nylon to get to
general confusion. For example, at one point Early nylon had several problems. It didn’t where it is
they selected “nilon” as the name, but nobody wick moisture away well. Nylon hosiery also today.
could decide how it would be pronounced. developed runs quite often. Sometimes, the
Switching the “i” to a “y” left less room for substance would even fall apart totally. That

Jessica Kosinski has been a freelance researcher and writer since 2001. She developed a passion for 1980s pre-1980s TV and films as a kid, and she has never grown out of it. Recently, she turned that
passion into a retro TV and film blog. Follow along with her at https://medium.com/@jkos_writing, as she dives deep into the characters, actors, quirks, and trivia that brought us some of the greatest
films and shows in TV history and also discusses some of the more obscure films and shows most of us may have forgotten.

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