"Simulated fibers" refer to a class of functional fibers whose structures and properties closely resemble those of natural fibers, achieved through special processing or the modification of synthetic fibers. This category includes fibers that mimic cotton, silk, wool, and linen. The technological evolution of cotton-like fibers has progressed from merely imitating appearance to replicating performance and, finally, incorporating specific functionalities; this has resulted in product lines characterized by ease of dyeing, high moisture regain, hydrophilicity, and fine-denier structures. Raw materials for wool-like fibers primarily include polyester, acrylic, nylon, and viscose; technologies in this area not only replicate the physical form of wool but also surpass it in performance, extending to products that mimic rabbit fur and fox fur. Silk-like fibers are made from materials such as polyester and polyamide; they overcome the drawbacks of natural silk-such as high cost, susceptibility to wrinkling, and color fading-while offering a soft hand-feel and excellent wrinkle recovery comparable to the real thing.
Taking polyester as an example, silk-like polyester fabrics retain the inherent advantages of polyester while mitigating its shortcomings, thereby imbuing the products with characteristics typical of natural silk. Commercially available silk-like polyester fabrics include varieties such as georgette, crepe de chine, spun silk-style fabrics, and brocade. These fabrics are soft to the touch and comfortable to wear; compared to natural silk fabrics, they are lighter, softer, and more crisp, as well as more durable and easier to wash. Wool-like polyester fabrics achieve their specific balance of stiffness, softness, and bulkiness through the careful selection of fiber fineness, crimp, cross-sectional shape, and blend ratios. Natural linen fiber is a hollow, specially shaped fiber with a pentagonal or hexagonal cross-section. Early linen-like polyester products primarily featured kidney-shaped or dumbbell-shaped cross-sections. In recent years, the international market has seen a proliferation of polyester products with a linen-like feel; these are not only realistic in appearance but also vibrant in color and comfortable to wear.
