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Indigo dyeing is far from thriving in Nigeria and therefore youths in Kano metropolis includingtraditionalindigo dyers of “Kofar Mata” follow the trend of dyeing textiles with synthetic vat dyes andchemicals.Currently, competition with the Chinese and high cost of chemicals are likely to render over 30,000dyersand traders jobless. The aim of the research is to determine the challenges and prospects of vat dyeingoccupation in Kano metropolis, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was administered among1387dyersselected purposively together with focus group discussions with dyers and vendors from‘Kantin-Kwari’cloth market. Findings revealed that among the challenges faced by the dyers, lack of capital, highcost ofproduction, low patronage and competition with imported textiles are more prevalent. The dyers believedthat the venture/occupation was lucrative before the 3 rd quarter of 2015 basically because the Country’seconomy was better and there was little or no competition with the Chinese in the dyeing business asat thatperiod. Most of the dyers can dye over 20000 yards (> 18288 m) of fabric weekly as at then but thenumberhas reduced to not more than 400 yards (not >365.76 m) at present due to the current economy andforeigncompetition. The dyers believe that government can help revive the dyeing occupation especiallybyimproving the economy and banning importation of coloured textiles which will otherwise subject themtothe same fate as traditional indigo dyers.

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Entrepreneurship in fashion Industry is a substantial issue, since the fashion business is facing challenges of competition in the fashion market. The challenges of struggling to provide adequate services and delightful fashion products has caused setback in the fashion Industry. Researchers explain that 70% are manual production with the use of cardboard, scissors and tape rule that is time wasting and most times are poorly executed. Most of the business enterprises expected profit in the business but impatience drives most out of the business, due to low patronage of a particular products. The Paper therefore recommends the use of 3D Fashion equipment to improve the entrepreneurship fashion industries in particular and Textiles family at large

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A novel structured sorbent blend pillow was developed using acetylated jute and coir fibres blendedwithnatural kapok fibres. The acetylation of the jute and coir portion was carried out with acetic anhydrideusing N-Bromosuccinimide as catalyst under mild condition in a solvent free system. The results showsthatthe acetylation increases the oil sorption capacity of the blend sorbent to 1.5 times higher withacleaningef iciency of about 90% when compared with synthetic sorbent polypropylene fibre as a control sample. Onthe other hand, the total replacement of polypropylene portion of the blend with natural unmodifiedkapokfibres increases the oil sorption capacities of the blend 10 times higher in the first cycle withcleaningef iciency of 95%. Therefore, jute, coir, and kapok fibres that are abundant as wastes are good for useasoilsorbent-active materials regardless of whether they are modified or unmodified to enhancetheiroleopholicity. Hence, can be used to substitute non-biodegradable materials in oil spill clean-up exercise

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Since the 1930s synthetic dyes and chemicals are being used in Nigeria where occupational dyers in Kano metropolis followed suit. Exposure to these chemicals may likely endanger the dyers depending on safety practices performed on the job and health effects may be exerted directly at the site of application (affecting workers) and/or later in the life cycle (affecting the consumers of the dyed articles). The aim of this paper is to assess chemical exposure, potential hazards, and safety practices related to occupational dyers in Kano metropolis. A structured questionnaire was administered among 1387 dyers and further information was obtained through focus group discussion and observation. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics (frequency and average) using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) software. Findings revealed that health workers enlightened many dyers on chemical toxicity. Most of the dyers use adequate protection to avoid dermal contact but may be vulnerable to the effects of oral and inhalation exposure to chemicals, extreme heat, as well as musculo-skeletal illnesses. The dyers experienced symptoms related to occupational exposure to vat dyes and hydros and also suffered caustic soda burns in the past. The study recommends that relevant government agencies/ministries should test the toxicity of chemicals coming into the state, impose the provision of material safety data sheet by wholesale and retail colour vendors and make the use of complete personal protective equipment by the dyers mandatory.

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This study forms an important basis on which a natural dye was extracted from Eucalyptus bark, obtained at federal university Dutse, Jigawa state at different extraction conditions. The dye was extracted at different temperatures with various stirring time. For the extraction process, the effect of stirring was sporadic and the dye extract obtained at boiling after soaking overnight have the maximum colour strength. The dyeing condition was optimized by dyeing four more samples of cotton fabrics at various temperature viz 40 o C, 60 o C, 80 o C, and 100 o C respectively. Maximum colour strength was obtained at 100 °C which is the optimized dyeing temperature. The optimum sodium sulphate concentration required for best degree of exhaustion was obtained, by dyeing six more samples at the optimized temperature (100 °C) for 60 minutes each with 0 g/L, 20 g/L, 40 g/L, 60 g/L, 80 g/L, 100 g/L sodium sulphate respectively, it was found that the dyeing at 100 g/L yields the maximum colour strength. To obtain the optimum dyeing time, 6 more samples were dyed at the optimized dyeing temperature and electrolyte concentration for 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 60 minutes, 80 minutes, 100 minutes, and 120 minutes, respectively. The dye extract from the optimized conditions was used to dye cotton fabric, by direct dyeing method, in an attempt to attain desirable fastness properties by comparing the fastness properties of dyeing with different dyeing techniques

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This paper examines the garment engineering industry in Lagos, Nigeria, highlighting its role as a source of employment, income, and foreign exchange. However, the industry faces challenges due to the increasing demand for short-lived, trendy clothing driven by technological advancements and changing social norms. The study focuses on how garment producers’ socio-cultural values and economic motivations influence product development within the industry. Conducted in ten urban areas of Lagos, the research involved 847 producers and employed a mix of data collection methods, including interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups. The study found that while producers are mostly well-educated women (66.7%) entering the field due to financial reasons, their skills and access to resources limit product development. Despite moderate knowledge and some informal training, expensive equipment and materials hinder innovation. Interestingly, social and economic factors like communication and business models significantly influence success. The findings suggest an average level of product development performance within the Lagos garment engineering industry. The study recommends making resources more affordable and establishing a government-supported training center to improve the industry’s overall performance.

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The research investigated effects of alkaline treatment and particle size on physical and mechanical properties of melon-husk (MH) filled expandable polystyrene composites. In the process, MH particulate material size of 75 µm, 150 µm, 300 µm, and 600 µm were prepared and modified with alkaline (1%, 2 %, and 3 %,) based on weight volume fraction. The modified fillers, Melonhusk-cellulose (MHC) were analyzed using FTIR after which were subsequently compounded with expandable polystyrene at filler loading to matrix ratio of 25/75 % on a two roll mill compounding machine. The compounded material was passed through a molding and compression machine and after which was cut into dimensions required for analysis and characterization of samples. The result showed that composite prepared with 75 µm particle size and treated with 1 % alkaline has better physical and mechanical properties. The average density and water absorption of the composite was found to be 0.75 gcm-3 and 0.78 % respectively. The tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and elongation at break of the composite were measured and found to be 34.87 MPa, 0.4478 GPa and 8.369 % respectively. The composite had flexural strength and modulus of 56.716 MPa and 2.958 GPa respectively

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This study investigated the position of the textile and garment sector in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic which has caused economic loss to all industries across the world through necessary measures observed to stop its spread. In this study, 150 questionnaires were produced for north-central, north-west, and northeast for data collection. The study’s results revealed that a high number of respondents from north-central, northwest, and northeast indicated that textiles have assisted greatly in curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the same vein, most respondents from north-central, north-west, and north-east strongly agreed that garment producers have contributed greatly by producing face masks to mitigate the spread of the virus. Our results also revealed that most of the respondents indicated that they provided the face masks they wore in fighting the spread of the virus for themselves compared to those who indicated that their face masks were provided by government, non-governmental organizations and others. In addition, the results showed that high number of the respondents in the three geographical zones indicated that they wore their face masks all the time and most time, while few respondents indicated that they wore their face masks for less time while others did not wear at all. Moreover, the results further revealed that most respondents from the three zones indicated that they did not feel comfortable when they wore face masks, while only a few respondents indicated that they were comfortable with their face masks. It is therefore worthy to note that the face mask which is a product of the textile and garment sector played a very prominent role during the era of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Africa is considered as the cradle of civilization, in view of its inventiveness in arts, science and technology. The visual art of native Africa, includes such media as sculpture, painting, pottery, rock art, textiles, masks, personal decoration, and jewelry. The premise of this article is to assess the possibility of using CorelDraw as software for illustration, graphic design, information visualization and pattern drafting. Its versatility as a vector-based imaging tool warrants the use of lines, shapes and colours to create exquisite 2-dimensional designs for application in different areas of industrial design like textiles, ceramics and graphics. For instance, the role colour plays in the ceramic and textile industries are vital to the appreciation of their value in any crafted product