**6. References**

Brown, R. (1993). *Air Filtration: An Integrated Approach to the Theory and Applications of Fibrous Filters*, Pergamon Press.

**9** 

*Turkey* 

**Sensorial Comfort of Textile Materials** 

*1Ege University, Emel Akn Vocational Training School, Izmir, 2Ege University, Textile Engineering Department, Izmir,* 

Gonca Özçelik Kayseri1, Nilgün Özdil2 and Gamze Süpüren Mengüç1

Sensorial evaluation plays an important role for identification of materials in addition to technical specification. Textiles differs from each other with their technical structures in that it must have sufficient strength, performance characteristics and at the same time it has to be flexible, elastic, easy to pleat and shape, comfortable in aesthetic and sensorial aspects.

In order to find a method for the sensational evaluation of textiles, the concept of "fabric hand" is commonly used (Mäkinen et al., 2005). Understanding and measuring consumer preferences have opened up an important field of interest in recent researches in textile industry known as "handle" or in a broader sense "skin sensational wear comfort" or "tactile comfort" (Bensaid et al., 2006; Das & Ishtiaque, 2004) which refers to the total sensations experienced when a fabric is touched or manipulated in the fingers. Since fabric handle is based on people's subjective preferences, obviously it can mean different things to different people and consumers having different backgrounds. The preferences for certain fabric types are diverse and, in extreme cases, even opposite (Pan et al., 1988). Hand influences consumers' preferences and their perception of the usefulness of the product, and consequently retailer's saleability of the apparel. This fabric property is critical to manufacturers, garment designers, and merchandisers in developing and selecting textile materials, especially the textiles intended for use in apparel (Kim & Slaten, 1999; as cited in

**1. Introduction** 

Pan & Yen, 1992; as cited in Pan et al., 1993).

cited in Thorndike & Varley, 1961)

In the literature, handle is defined in several ways as given in the following:

personal preferences (Bakar, 2004; as cited in Peirce, 1930)

impulses which are sent to the brain (Dhinakaran et al., 2007).

(Bishop, 1996; as cited in The Textile Institute, 1995)





Hutten, I. (2007). *Handbook of nonwoven filter media*, Elsevier.


URL: *http://www.intechopen.com/books/show/title/woven-fabric-engineering*

