until very recently it was possible to use only natural materials of various kinds for the making of clothing. both plants and animals supply these natural materials.

　　from plants we get cotton and linen. from animals we get such materials as wool, silk, leather, and furs. modern man now has cloth which is made synthetically. in 1884 the first artificial fiber was made, called artificial silk, rayon, nylon and dacron are best-known products developed later.