Clothing and Textiles · Lesson 1

Careers and work ethics, functions of clothing, Nigerian traditional dress and wardrobe planning for the family

WAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

WAEC: Career opportunities (career types, requirements); Work ethics (meaning, components, importance); Clothing (concept, wardrobe for family members); Wardrobe planning (concept, importance, factors, benefits). Extends he8.1 and he8.11.

NECO: Career opportunities (career types, requirements); Work ethics (meaning, components, importance); Clothing (concept, wardrobe for family members); Wardrobe planning (concept, importance, factors, benefits). Extends he8.1 and he8.11.

What you will learn

Define clothing, textiles, fibre, yarn, fabric and fashion.
State reasons for studying Clothing and Textiles and describe the WAEC papers.
Describe careers and their requirements.
Explain work ethics, its components and benefits.
Explain the functions of clothing with Nigerian examples.
Describe Nigerian traditional textiles and attire.
State clothing needs of each family member.
Plan a wardrobe and allocate a clothing budget.

Key points

Clothing and Textiles studies fabrics and clothes from fibre to business.
WAEC: three papers plus coursework assessed by a visiting examiner.
Careers in production, design, science, business, education, media.
Requirements: knowledge, skills, qualifications, personal qualities.
Work ethics: integrity, punctuality, reliability, respect, diligence.
Work ethics benefit worker, customer, business and nation.
Clothing: protection, modesty, adornment, identification, communication.
Aso-oke (Iseyin), akwete (Abia), adire (Abeokuta), Kano dye pits.
Layette for babies; self-help and growth features for children.
Plan wardrobes: inventory, sort, needs, budget, acquire, evaluate.

Start here: Meaning and scope of Clothing and Textiles

Clothing and Textiles is the branch of Home Economics that studies the materials from which clothes and household articles are made, how those articles are designed, constructed, selected, worn, cared for and sold, and how they affect the wellbeing of individuals, families and the economy. Textiles refers to fibres, yarns and fabrics and everything made from them, including curtains, bedsheets and towels. Clothing refers to all articles worn on the body, including garments, headwear, footwear and accessories.

Basic terms

Fibre: the smallest hair-like unit from which yarn is made, for example a single cotton fibre from the boll.
Yarn: a continuous strand made by twisting fibres together, used for weaving, knitting or sewing.
Fabric (cloth): a flat, flexible sheet made by interlacing, interlooping or bonding yarns or fibres.
Garment: a single article of clothing such as a buba, skirt, shirt or kaftan.
Apparel: clothing in general, especially as an industry.
Fashion: the style that is popular at a given time and place; style is the distinctive form of a garment, such as an A-line skirt or a mandarin collar.

Reasons for studying Clothing and Textiles

To choose, buy and care for clothes wisely so that the family budget goes further.
To acquire practical sewing skills that lead to self-employment; a trained tailor or fashion designer can start with one machine.
To understand fibres and fabrics, so that a person can predict how a fabric will behave when washed, ironed or worn in heat.
To appreciate and preserve Nigerian textile heritage: aso-oke from Iseyin and Oyo, akwete from Abia, adire from Abeokuta and Ibadan, and the indigo dye pits of Kano.
To develop creativity and an eye for design, colour and proportion.
To build good grooming and self-confidence.
To prepare for further study in fashion design, textile science and Home Economics education.

The WAEC examination

Clothing and Textiles is examined by WAEC (and NECO) in three papers. Paper 1 has sixty multiple-choice questions in one hour for 60 marks. Paper 2 has six short-structured essay questions, of which you answer four in one hour thirty minutes for 60 marks. Papers 1 and 2 are written in one sitting. Paper 3 has two parts: a practical test lasting two hours thirty minutes, with thirty minutes of preparation, conducted by a visiting examiner; and assessment of your coursework articles and their pattern pieces, worth 20 marks. Paper 3 carries 100 marks in total.

Because Paper 3 is practical and the coursework is assessed, you must keep your coursework articles clean, labelled and stored with their patterns from the start of SS1. Every lesson in this course connects theory to what you will actually sew or do in the practical.

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Practice questions

1. Work ethics in a fashion house includes

punctuality and honesty
copying customers’ designs secretly
keeping leftover fabric without permission
promising unrealistic dates

Show answer

A: punctuality and honesty
Ethics = honest, reliable conduct.

2. Which is a protective function of clothing?

showing membership of a club
attracting attention
expressing mood
shielding the body from sun and injury

Show answer

D: shielding the body from sun and injury
Protection is a physical need.

3. Aso-oke is traditionally woven by the

Tiv
Kanuri
Yoruba
Efik

Show answer

C: Yoruba
Iseyin and Oyo are major centres.

4. Akwete cloth comes from

Benue State
Abia State
Kano State
Oyo State

Show answer

B: Abia State
Akwete town, Ukwa East, Abia.

5. The first step in wardrobe planning is to

take an inventory of existing clothes
buy new clothes
set a fashion trend
visit a tailor

Show answer

A: take an inventory of existing clothes
Know what you have before buying.

Key words

Textiles: Fibres, yarns, fabrics and articles made from them.
Fibre: Smallest hair-like unit of a textile.
Yarn: Continuous strand of twisted fibres.
Fabric: Flat sheet made from yarns or fibres.
Apparel: Clothing in general.
Fashion: Style popular at a given time.
Style: Distinctive form of a garment.
Work ethics: Moral principles guiding how one works.
Integrity: Honesty and firm moral principles.
Layette: Complete clothing and bedding set for a newborn.
Wardrobe: All the clothes and accessories one owns.
Inventory: List of items owned and their condition.

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