The textile industry is comprised of yarn and fabric manufacturers; suppliers in the cotton, wool, and man-made fiber sectors; dyers, printers, and finishers; and the machinery and textile chemical industries.

The textile industry utilizes many different types of fabrics, but all of them can be broken down into two major categories, natural and synthetic. Natural fabrics are those that occur naturally from things like animals (sheep, silkworms, alpacas) and plants (cotton and flax). Synthetic fabrics are those that are created in a lab and are man-made. Some examples of synthetic fabrics include rayon, spandex, polyester, and nylon.