05 Clothing Design/Fabrication/Illustration

05.3 Fabrication/Assembly Construction

05.3.3 Product Quality Assurance

Mehta, P.V. (1992). An introduction to quality control for the apparel industry. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc. ISBN 0-8247-8679-3, 268 pages, $45.00.

Reviewed by Gail Goodyear, California State University, Chico

Managing quality requires both technical and strategic management expertise; however, these areas are usually presented separately using either a scientific or managerial approach. Mehta's objective was to integrate textile properties, apparel construction features, and principles of quality management into a reference appropriate for apparel quality control laboratories. This excellent reference is also well suited for use in an apparel or textile product evaluation course taken by students with knowledge of textile, apparel design, and construction terminology. This reviewer recommends this text be used in tandem with the AATCC Technical Manual and ASTM Annual Book of Standards (vols, 7.01 & 7.02) for an upper division or graduate level apparel production or textile evaluation course. This text provides the context in which the procedural details provided in AATCC and ASTM manuals may be employed.
This book is one of 36 books offered in an American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) series. Although ASQC is listed on the jacket cover, Marcel Dekker, Inc. is solely responsible for its distribution.
The 14 chapters of this book portray the evaluation of apparel quality as a business strategy rather than just a manufacturing step. Topics addressed are: quality as a managerial strategy; design of a quality control program; processes of quality control (e.g., inspection, sampling, testing); evaluation of textile properties (e.g., hand, color, flammability); communicating quality (e.g., labeling, Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award); cost of quality; and product liability. This book is written from a United States industry perspective; however, the importance of global trade is reflected in the incorporation of ISO 9000 standards; the summary of care labeling requirements for the U.S., Canada, Britain, and Japan; and the discussion of Textile Apparel Linkage Council efforts to address apparel imports. This text contains a manageable amount of material for a semester class focused on achieving a foundation in evaluating apparel quality.
Technicians and students will appreciate the organization of the book: chapters are short and segmented for easy reading, important points are easily identified, and bibliographic citations represent a range of sources. Although the bibliographic citations provided at the end of each chapter are thorough, the chapters on textile properties would allow the professor to require further research by students. Readers will notice the detail, accuracy, and suitability of illustrations more than variability in graphic style.
Mehta's style of presenting information is among the strengths of this text. In addition to clearly stating facts and making his points, he allows the reader to draw conclusions or make applications appropriate for specific manufacturing situations. Further, he thoroughly describes content and resources. For example, rather than just reporting that fabric grading systems exist, he reports how the systems have been compared, as well as the suitability and application of each. Overall, the text reflects Mehta's thorough understanding of the integration of quality concepts and processes used in the apparel industry. This text is highly recommended for the library of those involved in the continuous improvement of manufactured apparel products.

Mahall, K. Quality assessment of textiles: Damage detection by microscopy. Berlin: Springer-Verlang, ISBN 0-387-57390-9, 227 pages, $99.00.

Reviewed by Chris Ladisch, Purdue University

Mahall's book is both fascinating reading and a visual delight. It describes and illustrates almost 200 types of damage, which can occur in fibrous material during production and storage. The practical examples of damaged textiles are drawn from the author's 40 years employment in the industry.
Tracking the source of quality problems in textiles is often very difficult due to the multi-stage, multi-company nature of their production. Mahall is not intimidated by this complexity and deals with defects, which arise during fiber, yarn, fabric dyeing, finishing, garment assembly and storage. The book is richly illustrated with over 300 photographs of textile defects.
The analytical methods used to identify the defect center around microscopy. Many of the methods require only a good quality conventional light microscope, preferable equipped with a camera. Detailed recipes and instructions are given for preparation and use of reagents if they are needed for sample preparation prior to microscopic analysis. Advantages and pitfalls of the experimental methods are also given, as well as photographs and descriptions of practical examples of damage a specific method can detect. The author's technique of creating a 3-D imprint of damaged areas is both unique and useful.
This book, while intended for practical experts in textile microscopy and quality assessment, is a valuable resource for anyone interested in textile defects. It is extremely well organized; the highly detailed eight page table of contents is a model other books should follow. A bibliography is included but most citations are in German. Students in advanced textile courses will find this book to be an excellent resource for laboratory project ideas.