This programme looks at the multitude of industries involved with textile manufacture and use, and establishes how vital the textile industry is to the global economy. Various finishing techniques to different fabrics are explored, showing how treating them in different ways can change and enhance certain properties. The programme then looks at the testing of fabrics – in a school and a commercial laboratory -which properties are commonly tested for, and why it is important to continually test them. The programme examines ways in which the environmental impact of textile manufacture and use can be reduced and how the fashion industry has reflected the development of textiles over time.