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ScotlandFashion & Textile Technology

Textile Industry and Society

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How are textiles cared for and labelled, and what information must a label give the consumer by law?

Care of textiles and labelling: international textile care symbols (washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, professional cleaning) and mandatory labelling requirements (fibre content, nightwear flammability, furniture fire safety), and how correct care extends a product's life.
An SQA Higher Fashion and Textile Technology answer on care of textiles and labelling, covering the international care symbols for washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and dry cleaning, the mandatory labelling requirements such as fibre content and nightwear and furniture safety, and how correct care extends product life.
12 min answer →

What ethical, social and economic issues surround how fashion and textiles are made, and how can the industry respond?

Ethical, social and economic issues in the textile industry: working conditions and pay in the global supply chain, child labour, fair trade, ethical sourcing, the economic role of the industry, and inclusive and culturally aware design.
An SQA Higher Fashion and Textile Technology answer on ethical, social and economic issues in the textile industry, covering working conditions and pay, child labour, fair trade and ethical sourcing, the economic role of the industry, and inclusive culturally aware design.
12 min answer →

How is technology changing textiles, and what can smart and technical fabrics do that ordinary fabrics cannot?

Technological developments in textiles: smart textiles (reactive and responsive materials such as thermochromic, phase-change and conductive textiles) and technical textiles (high-performance fabrics for sport, medicine, protection and industry), and the impact of technology on manufacture.
An SQA Higher Fashion and Textile Technology answer on technological developments, explaining smart textiles such as thermochromic, phase-change and conductive fabrics, technical textiles for sport, medicine and protection, and how technology has changed textile manufacture.
12 min answer →

What is the environmental impact of textiles, and how can the industry and consumers make fashion more sustainable?

Sustainability and the environmental impact of textiles: the impact of the textile life cycle (resources, water, energy, pollution, waste), fast fashion, and ways to reduce impact (reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, sustainable fibres and the circular economy).
An SQA Higher Fashion and Textile Technology answer on sustainability, covering the environmental impact of the textile life cycle, the problem of fast fashion, and ways to reduce impact through reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, sustainable fibres and the circular economy.
13 min answer →