What is a fiber? Natural, man-made and synthetic

A fiber is the smallest hair-like unit of a textile, far longer than it is thick and flexible enough to be twisted into yarn. Fibers come in two big families: natural fibers grown by plants or animals (cotton, linen, wool, silk), and man-made fibers formed in a factory. Man-made fibers split again into two kinds. Regenerated cellulose fibers, such as viscose, are made by dissolving plant cellulose and re-forming it. Synthetic fibers, such as polyester and nylon, are built from petrochemicals. Fibers are also either staple (short lengths that must be spun) or filament (one continuous strand). Almost every property you feel in a finished uniform starts here.