Editing Microfiber (section)

==History==
Production of ultra-fine fibers (finer than 0.7 [[Denier (unit)|denier]]) dates to the late 1950s, using melt-blown [[spinning (textiles)|spinning]] and flash spinning techniques. Initially, only fine staples of random length could be manufactured and very few applications were found.<ref>Nakajima T, Kajiwara K, McIntyre J E, 1994. [https://books.google.com/books?id=sxUsqJQUKY0C&pg=PA187 ''Advanced Fiber Spinning Technology''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126111020/https://books.google.com/books?id=sxUsqJQUKY0C&pg=PA187&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=0_0 |date=2020-01-26 }}. Woodhead Publishing, pp. 187–188</ref> Then came experiments to produce ultra-fine fibers of a continuous filament: the most promising experiments were made in Japan in the 1960s, by Miyoshi Okamoto, a scientist at Toray Industries.<ref>Kanigel, Robert, 2007. [https://books.google.com/books?id=KMYOFrr41fUC  ''Faux Real: Genuine Leather and 200 Years of Inspired Fakes''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011013039/https://books.google.com/books?id=KMYOFrr41fUC&printsec=frontcover&client=firefox-a&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PPA184,M1 |date=2018-10-11 }}. Joseph Henry Press, pp. 186–192</ref> Okamoto's discoveries and those of Toyohiko Hikota led to many industrial applications, including [[Ultrasuede]], one of the first successful synthetic microfibers, which entered the market in the 1970s. Microfiber's use in the textile industry then expanded. Microfibers were first publicized in the early 1990s, in [[Sweden]], and saw success as a product in [[Europe]] over the course of the decade.