Editing Nylon (section)

== History ==
[[File:Wallace Carothers, in the lab.jpg|thumb|upright|Wallace Carothers]]

=== DuPont and the invention of nylon ===
Researchers at [[DuPont]] began developing cellulose-based fibres, culminating in the synthetic fibre [[rayon]]. DuPont's experience with rayon was an important precursor to its development and marketing of nylon.<ref name="Ndiaye">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PHH3iE2LPCoC&pg=PA236|title=Nylon and bombs : DuPont and the march of modern America|last1=Ndiaye|first1=Pap A.|last2=Forster|first2=Elborg|date=2007|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=9780801884443|location=Baltimore|pages=182|access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref>{{rp|8,64,236}}

DuPont's invention of nylon spanned an eleven-year period, ranging from the initial research program in polymers in 1927 to its announcement in 1938, shortly before the opening of the [[1939 New York World's Fair]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Nylon: A DuPont Invention|last=DuPont|publisher=DuPont International, Public Affairs|year=1988|pages=2–3}}</ref> The project grew from a new organisational structure at DuPont, suggested by [[Charles Stine]] in 1927, in which the chemical department would be composed of several small research teams that would focus on "pioneering research" in chemistry and would "lead to practical applications".<ref name="Ndiaye" />{{rp|92}} Harvard instructor [[Wallace Hume Carothers]] was hired to direct the polymer research group. Initially he was allowed to focus on pure research, building on and testing the theories of German chemist [[Hermann Staudinger]].<ref name="Kativa"/> He was very successful, as research he undertook greatly improved the knowledge of polymers and contributed to the science.<ref name="Meikle">{{cite book|last1=Meikle|first1=Jeffrey L.|title=American plastic: A cultural history|date=1995|publisher=Rutgers University Press|location=New Brunswick, NJ|isbn=0813522358|edition=1. ppb. print|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u_1ePU4GEGAC&pg=PA1927}}</ref>

Nylon was the first commercially successful synthetic [[thermoplastic]] polymer.<ref name="PlasticsCHF">{{cite web|url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/science-of-plastics|title=Science of Plastics|website=[[Science History Institute]]|date=2016-07-18|access-date=26 March 2018}}</ref> DuPont began its research project in 1927.<ref name=":1" />
The first nylon, [[nylon 66]], was synthesised on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Hume Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the [[DuPont Experimental Station]].<ref name="ACS">{{cite web|last1=American Chemical Society National Historic Chemical Landmarks|title=Foundations of Polymer Science: Wallace Hume Carothers and the Development of Nylon|url=http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/carotherspolymers.html|website=ACS Chemistry for Life|access-date=27 January 2015}}</ref><ref name="Carothers">{{cite web|title=Wallace Hume Carothers|url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/wallace-hume-carothers|website=[[Science History Institute]]|date=June 2016|access-date=20 March 2018}}</ref> In response to Carothers' work, [[Paul Schlack]] at [[IG Farben]] developed [[nylon 6|nylon&nbsp;6]], a different molecule based on [[caprolactam]], on January 29, 1938.<ref name="McIntyre">{{cite book|last1=McIntyre|first1=J. E.|title=Synthetic fibres: nylon, polyester, acrylic, polyolefin|date=2005|publisher=Woodhead|location=Cambridge |isbn=9780849325922|page=10|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zpMw7kB3EWQC&pg=PA10|access-date=5 July 2017}}</ref>{{rp|10}}<ref name="Travis">{{cite book|last1=Travis|first1=Anthony S.|title=Determinants in the evolution of the European chemical industry: 1900-1939: new technologies, political frameworks, markets and companies|date=1998|publisher=Kluwer Acad. Publ.|location=Dordrecht|isbn=9780792348900|page=115|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gvP7CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA115|access-date=5 July 2017}}</ref>

In the spring of 1930, Carothers and his team had already synthesised two new polymers. One was [[neoprene]], a synthetic rubber greatly used during World War II.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chlorine.americanchemistry.com/Science-Center/Chlorine-Compound-of-the-Month-Library/Neoprene-The-First-Synthetic-Rubber/|title=Neoprene: The First Synthetic Rubber|website=chlorine.americanchemistry.com|access-date=2018-12-06|archive-date=2020-09-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926141526/https://chlorine.americanchemistry.com/Science-Center/Chlorine-Compound-of-the-Month-Library/Neoprene-The-First-Synthetic-Rubber/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The other was a white elastic but strong paste that would later become nylon. After these discoveries, Carothers' team was made to shift its research from a more pure research approach investigating general polymerisation to a more practically focused goal of finding "one chemical combination that would lend itself to industrial applications".<ref name="Ndiaye" />{{rp|94}}

It was not until the beginning of 1935 that a polymer called "polymer 6-6" was finally produced. Carothers' coworker, [[Washington University in St. Louis|Washington University]] alumnus [[Julian W. Hill]] had used a [[Drawing (manufacturing)#Plastic drawing|cold drawing]] method to produce a [[polyester]] in 1930.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/carotherspolymers.html|title=Wallace Carothers and the Development of Nylon - Landmark|website=American Chemical Society|language=en|access-date=2019-08-14}}</ref> This cold drawing method was later used by Carothers in 1935 to fully develop nylon.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/01/us/julian-w-hill-nylon-s-discoverer-dies-at-91.html|title=Julian W. Hill, Nylon's Discoverer, Dies at 91|last=Stout|first=David|date=1996-02-01|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-08-14|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The first example of nylon (nylon 6.6) was produced on February 28, 1935, at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station.<ref name=ACS/> It had all the desired properties of elasticity and strength. However, it also required a complex manufacturing process that would become the basis of industrial production in the future. DuPont obtained a patent for the polymer in September 1938,<ref name="US 2130523"/> and quickly achieved a monopoly of the fibre.<ref name="Meikle" /> Carothers died 16 months before the announcement of nylon, therefore he was never able to see his success.<ref name=":1" /> The name "Nylon" came from the a modification of ''norun'' (no run) into a unique name that could be used to market the product but was not trademarked.<ref name="Myers">{{Cite book|last=Myers|first=Richard L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0AnJU-hralEC|title=The 100 Most Important Chemical Compounds: A Reference Guide|date=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-33758-1|language=en|pages=20–23|access-date=21 November 2015|archive-date=17 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617093705/https://books.google.com/books?id=0AnJU-hralEC|url-status=live}}</ref>

Nylon was first used commercially in a nylon-[[bristle]]d [[toothbrush]] in 1938,<ref name="AOGHS"/><ref name="Nicholson">{{cite magazine|last1=Nicholson|first1=Joseph L.|last2=Leighton|first2=George R.|title=Plastics Come of Age|url=https://archive.org/stream/harpersmagazine185junalde/harpersmagazine185junalde_djvu.txt|access-date=5 July 2017|magazine=Harper's Magazine|pages=300–307|date=August 1942}}</ref> followed more famously in women's [[stocking]]s or "nylons" which were shown at the 1939 New York World's Fair and first sold commercially in 1940,<ref name="Wolfe2008">{{cite journal|date=October 3, 2008 |title=Nylon: A Revolution in Textiles|url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/nylon-a-revolution-in-textiles|journal=Distillations Magazine |publisher=Science History Institute |last1=Wolfe|first1=Audra J.|access-date=20 March 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180321130329/https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/nylon-a-revolution-in-textiles |archive-date= March 21, 2018  }}</ref> whereupon they became an instant commercial success with 64 million pairs sold during their first year on the market. During World War II, almost all nylon production was diverted to the military for use in [[parachutes]] and [[parachute cord]]. Wartime uses of nylon and other [[plastics]] greatly increased the market for the new materials.<ref name="Conflicts">{{cite web|title=The History and Future of Plastics|url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics|work=Conflicts in Chemistry: The Case of Plastics |publisher=Science History Institute |access-date=20 March 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320170600/https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics |archive-date=20 March 2018 }}</ref>

The production of nylon required interdepartmental collaboration between three departments at DuPont: the Department of Chemical Research, the Ammonia Department, and the Department of Rayon.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Nylon and Bombs: DuPont and the March of Modern America |isbn=9781421403342 |date=2007 |url=https://dokumen.pub/nylon-and-bombs-dupont-and-the-march-of-modern-america-9781421403342-9780801884443.html |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=Dokumen.PUB |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808110540/https://dokumen.pub/nylon-and-bombs-dupont-and-the-march-of-modern-america-9781421403342-9780801884443.html |archive-date=2022-08-08 |last1=Ndiaye |first1=Pap A. |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press+ORM }}</ref> Some of the key ingredients of nylon had to be produced using [[high pressure chemistry]], the main area of expertise of the Ammonia Department. Nylon was considered a "godsend to the Ammonia Department",<ref name="Ndiaye" /> which had been in financial difficulties. The reactants of nylon soon constituted half of the Ammonia Department's sales and helped them come out of the period of the [[Great Depression]] by creating jobs and revenue at DuPont.<ref name="Ndiaye" />

DuPont's nylon project demonstrated the importance of [[chemical engineering]] in industry, helped create jobs, and furthered the advancement of chemical engineering techniques. In fact, it developed a chemical plant that provided 1800 jobs and used the latest technologies of the time, which are still used as a model for chemical plants today.<ref name="Ndiaye" /> The ability to acquire a large number of chemists and engineers quickly was a huge contribution to the success of DuPont's nylon project.<ref name="Ndiaye" />{{rp|100–101}} The first nylon plant was located at Seaford, Delaware, beginning commercial production on December 15, 1939. On October 26, 1995, the Seaford plant was designated a [[National Historic Chemical Landmark]] by the [[American Chemical Society]].<ref name="Landmark">{{cite web|title=A National Historic Chemical Landmark: The First Nylon Plant|url=https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/carotherspolymers/first-nylon-plant-historical-resource.pdf |first1=John F. |last1=McAllister |date=Oct 26, 1995 |website=American Chemical Society|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref>

=== Early marketing strategies ===

An important part of nylon's popularity stems from DuPont's marketing strategy. DuPont promoted the fibre to increase demand before the product was available to the general market. Nylon's commercial announcement occurred on October 27, 1938, at the final session of the ''[[New York Herald Tribune|Herald Tribune]]''{{'}}s yearly "Forum on Current Problems", on the site of the approaching New York City world's fair.<ref name="Kativa">{{cite journal|last1=Kativa|first1=Hillary|title=Synthetic Threads|journal=Distillations|date=2016|volume=2|issue=3|pages=16–21|url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/synthetic-threads|access-date=20 March 2018}}</ref><ref name="Meikle" />{{rp|141}} The "first man-made organic textile fibre" which was derived from "coal, water and air" and promised to be "as strong as steel, as fine as the spider's web" was received enthusiastically by the audience, many of them middle-class women, and made the headlines of most newspapers.<ref name="Meikle" />{{rp|141}} Nylon was introduced as part of "The world of tomorrow" at the 1939 New York World's Fair<ref name="Blakinger">{{cite news|last1=Blakinger|first1=Keri |title=A look back at some of the coolest attractions at the 1939 World's Fair|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/back-attractions-1939-world-fair-article-1.2619155|access-date=20 June 2017|work=New York Daily News|date=April 30, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170912053601/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/back-attractions-1939-world-fair-article-1.2619155 |archive-date= Sep 12, 2017 }}</ref> and was featured at DuPont's "Wonder World of Chemistry" at the [[Golden Gate International Exposition]] in San Francisco in 1939.<ref name="Kativa"/><ref name="Sundberg">{{cite book|last1=Sundberg|first1=Richard J.|title=The Chemical Century: Molecular Manipulation and Its Impact on the 20th Century|date=2017|publisher=Apple Academic Press, Incorporated|isbn=9781771883665|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D9eRDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT216}}</ref> Actual [[Fully fashioned stockings|nylon stockings]] were not shipped to selected stores in the national market until May 15, 1940. However, a limited number were released for sale in Delaware before that.<ref name="Meikle" />{{rp|145–146}} The first public sale of nylon stockings occurred on October 24, 1939, in Wilmington, Delaware. 4,000 pairs of stockings were available, all of which were sold within three hours.<ref name="Kativa"/>

Another added bonus to the campaign was that it meant reducing silk imports from Japan, an argument that won over many wary customers. Nylon was even mentioned by [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|President Roosevelt]]'s cabinet, which addressed its "vast and interesting economic possibilities" five days after the material was formally announced.<ref name="Meikle" />

However, the early excitement over nylon also caused problems. It fueled unreasonable expectations that nylon would be better than silk, a miracle fabric as strong as steel that would last forever and never run.<ref name="Meikle" />{{rp|145–147}}<ref name="Wolfe2008"/> Realizing the danger of claims such as "New Hosiery Held Strong as Steel" and "No More Runs", DuPont scaled back the terms of the original announcement, especially those stating that nylon would possess the strength of steel.<ref name="Meikle" />

Also, DuPont executives marketing nylon as a revolutionary man-made material did not at first realise that some consumers experienced a sense of unease and distrust, even fear, towards synthetic fabrics.<ref name="Meikle" />{{rp|126–128}} A particularly damaging news story, drawing on DuPont's 1938 patent for the new polymer, suggested that one method of producing nylon might be to use [[cadaverine]] (pentamethylenediamine),{{efn|Actually the most common nylon polymers are made from hexamethylenediamine, with one more CH<sub>2</sub> group than cadaverine.}} a chemical extracted from corpses. Although scientists asserted that cadaverine was also extracted by heating coal, the public often refused to listen. A woman confronted one of the lead scientists at DuPont and refused to accept that the rumour was not true.<ref name="Meikle" />{{rp|146–147}}

DuPont changed its campaign strategy, emphasizing that nylon was made from "coal, air and water", and started focusing on the personal and aesthetic aspects of nylon, rather than its intrinsic qualities.<ref name="Meikle" />{{rp|146–147}} Nylon was thus domesticated,<ref name="Meikle"/>{{rp|151–152}} and attention shifted to the material and consumer aspect of the fibre with slogans like "If it's nylon, it's prettier, and oh! How fast it dries!".<ref name="Ndiaye" />{{rp|2}}

=== Production of nylon fabric ===
[[File:NMA.0028271, Fashion Photo by Erik Liljeroth 1954.jpg|thumb|upright|Nylon stockings being inspected in [[Malmö]], Sweden, in 1954]]

After nylon's nationwide release in 1940, its production ramped up significantly. In that year alone, 1300 tons of the fabric were produced, marking a remarkable start for this innovative material.[8]: 100  The demand for nylon surged, particularly for nylon stockings, which became an instant sensation. During their first year on the market, an astounding 64 million pairs of nylon stockings were sold, reflecting the fabric's rapid integration into daily life and fashion.[8]: 101  Such was the success of nylon that in 1941, just a year after its launch, a second plant was opened in Martinsville, Virginia, to meet the growing demand and ensure a steady supply of this popular fabric. This expansion underscored the profound impact nylon had on the textile industry and its rapid rise to prominence as a versatile and sought-after material.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=It Happened in Delaware|last=Colbert|first=Judy|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2013|isbn=978-0-7627-9577-2|pages=60}}</ref>

[[File:Particolare di calza di nylon.jpg|left|thumb|Close-up photograph of the knitted nylon fabric used in stockings]]

[[File:Nylon fibre SEM.tif|left|thumb|Nylon fibres visualised using [[scanning electron microscopy]]]]

While nylon was marketed as the durable and indestructible material of the people, it was sold at about one-and-a-half times the price of [[silk]] stockings ($4.27 per pound of nylon versus $2.79 per pound of silk).<ref name="Ndiaye" />{{rp|101}} Sales of nylon stockings were strong in part due to changes in women's fashion. As Lauren Olds explains: "by 1939 [hemlines] had inched back up to the knee, closing the decade just as it started off". The shorter skirts were accompanied by a demand for stockings that offered fuller coverage without the use of garters to hold them up.<ref name="Olds">{{cite journal|last1=Olds|first1=Lauren|title=World War II and Fashion: The Birth of the New Look|journal=Constructing the Past|date=2001|volume=2|issue=1|page=Article 6|url=http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1062&context=constructing|access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref>

However, as of February 11, 1942, nylon production was redirected from being a consumer material to one used by the military.<ref name="Kativa" /> DuPont's production of nylon stockings and other lingerie stopped, and most manufactured nylon was used to make parachutes and tents for [[World War II]].<ref name="Krier">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-10-27-vw-227-story.html|title=How Nylon Changed the World : 50 Years Ago Today, It Reshaped the Way We Live--and Think|last=Krier|first=Beth Ann|date=27 October 1988|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Although nylon stockings already made before the war could be purchased, they were generally sold on the black market for as high as $20.<ref name=":0" />

Once the war ended, the return of nylon was awaited with great anticipation. Although DuPont projected yearly production of 360 million pairs of stockings, there were delays in converting back to consumer rather than wartime production.<ref name="Kativa" /> In 1946, the demand for nylon stockings could not be satisfied, which led to the [[nylon riots]]. In one instance, an estimated 40,000 people lined up in Pittsburgh to buy 13,000 pairs of nylons.<ref name="Wolfe2008"/> In the meantime, women cut up nylon tents and parachutes left from the war in order to make blouses and wedding dresses.<ref>{{cite web|title=Parachute Wedding Dress, 1947|url=http://newsdesk.si.edu/snapshot/parachute-wedding-dress|website=Smithsonian National Museum of American History|access-date=20 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|journal=Woman's Home Companion|date=1948|publisher=Crowell-Collier Publishing Company|volume=75|page=155}}</ref> Between the end of the war and 1952, production of stockings and lingerie used 80% of the world's nylon. DuPont put focus on catering to the civilian demand, and continually expanded its production.

=== Introduction of nylon blends ===

As pure nylon hosiery was sold in a wider market, problems became apparent. Nylon stockings were found to be fragile, in the sense that the thread often tended to unravel lengthwise, creating 'runs'.<ref name="Ndiaye" />{{rp|101}} People also reported that pure nylon textiles could be uncomfortable due to nylon's lack of absorbency.<ref>{{cite book|author=Reader's Digest|title=New complete guide to sewing: step-by-step techniques for making clothes and home accessories|date=2002|publisher=Reader's Digest|location=London|page=19|isbn=9780762104208|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v1ZVvZTdZRMC&pg=PA19|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref> Moisture stayed inside the fabric near the skin under hot or moist conditions instead of being "wicked" away.<ref>{{cite journal|title=How to buy a trail bed|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_98DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA70|access-date=26 June 2017|journal=Backpacker|volume=5|number=3|page=70|date=June 1977}}</ref> Nylon fabric could also be itchy and tended to cling and sometimes spark as a result of static electrical charge built up by friction.<ref name="Mendelson">{{cite book|last1=Mendelson|first1=Cheryl|title=Home comforts : the art and science of keeping house|date=2005|publisher=Scribner|location=New York|isbn=978-0743272865|url=https://archive.org/details/homecomfortsarts0000mend|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/homecomfortsarts0000mend/page/224 224]|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref><ref name="Shaeffer">{{cite book|last1=Shaeffer|first1=Claire|title=Claire Shaeffer's fabric sewing guide.|date=2008|publisher=Krause Publications|location=Cincinnati, Ohio|isbn=978-0896895362|pages=[https://archive.org/details/claireshaeffersf0000shae/page/88 88]–90|edition=2nd|url=https://archive.org/details/claireshaeffersf0000shae|url-access=registration}}</ref> Also, under some conditions, nylon could degrade, perforating or shredding stockings.<ref name="Meikle"/>{{rp|p=147}} Scientists explained this as [[Polymer degradation#Hydrolysis|acid hydrolysis]] resulting from [[air pollution]], attributing it to London smog in 1952, as well as poor air quality in New York and Los Angeles.<ref name="Cheremisinoff">{{cite book|last1=Cheremisinoff|first1=Nicholas P.|title=Handbook of air pollution prevention and control|url=https://archive.org/details/handbookairpollu00cher_913|url-access=limited|date=2002|publisher=Butterworth-Heinemann|location=Amsterdam|isbn=9780080507927|page=[https://archive.org/details/handbookairpollu00cher_913/page/n79 65]}}</ref><ref name="Stern">{{cite book|editor-last1=Stern|editor-first1=Arthur C.|title=Air pollution and its effects|date=1970|publisher=Academic press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-12-666551-2|page=72|edition=2nd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=07FA4WIBkf8C&pg=PA72|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref><ref name="Garte">{{cite book|last1=Garte|first1=Seymour|title=Where we stand : a surprising look at the real state of our planet|date=2008|publisher=AMACOM|location=New York|isbn=978-0814409107|page=[https://archive.org/details/wherewestandsurp0000gart/page/60 60]|url=https://archive.org/details/wherewestandsurp0000gart|url-access=registration|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Campbell |first1=Dean J. |last2=Wright |first2=Emily A. |last3=Dayisi |first3=Mardhia O. |last4=Hoehn |first4=Michael R. |last5=Kennedy |first5=Branden F. |last6=Maxfield |first6=Brian M. |title=Classroom Illustrations of Acidic Air Pollution Using Nylon Fabric |journal=Journal of Chemical Education |date=1 April 2011 |volume=88 |issue=4 |pages=387–391 |doi=10.1021/ed100604a|bibcode=2011JChEd..88..387C }}</ref>

The solution found to problems with pure nylon fabric was to blend nylon with other existing fibres or polymers such as [[cotton]], [[polyester]], and [[spandex]]. This led to the development of a wide array of blended fabrics. The new nylon blends retained the desirable properties of nylon (elasticity, durability, ability to be dyed) and kept clothes prices low and affordable.<ref name="Krier" />{{rp|2}} As of 1950, the New York Quartermaster Procurement Agency (NYQMPA), which developed and tested textiles for the [[United States Army|Army]] and [[United States Navy|Navy]], had committed to developing a wool-nylon blend. They were not the only ones to introduce blends of both natural and synthetic fibres. ''America's Textile Reporter'' referred to 1951 as the "Year of the blending of the fibres".<ref name="Haggard">{{cite journal|last1=Haggard|first1=John V.|title=Chapter III: Collaborative Procurement of Textiles|journal=Procurement of Clothing and Textiles, 1945-53|date=16 May 1957|volume=2|issue=3|pages=79–84|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Pw6alchdDkC&pg=PA79}}</ref> Fabric blends included mixes like "Bunara" (wool-rabbit-nylon) and "Casmet" (wool-nylon-fur).<ref name="Handley"/> In Britain, in November 1951, the inaugural address of the 198th session of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce focused on the blending of textiles.<ref name="GOODALE">{{cite journal|last1=Goodale|first1=Ernest W.|title=The Blending & Mixture of Textile Fibres & Yarns|journal=Journal of the Royal Society of Arts|date=16 November 1951|volume=100|issue=4860|pages=4–15|jstor=41368063}}</ref>

DuPont's Fabric Development Department cleverly targeted French fashion designers, supplying them with fabric samples. In 1955, designers such as [[Coco Chanel]], [[Jean Patou]], and [[Christian Dior]] showed gowns created with DuPont fibres, and fashion photographer [[Horst P. Horst]] was hired to document their use of DuPont fabrics.<ref name="Wolfe2008"/> ''American Fabrics'' credited blends with providing "creative possibilities and new ideas for fashions which had been hitherto undreamed of."<ref name="Handley">{{cite book|last1=Handley|first1=Susannah|title=Nylon: The Story of a Fashion Revolution|date=1999|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore, MD|isbn=978-0756771720|page=68|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2YAYdk30VyIC&pg=PA68|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref>

=== Etymology ===

DuPont went through an extensive process to generate names for its new product.<ref name="Meikle" />{{rp|138–139}} In 1940, John W. Eckelberry of DuPont stated that the letters "nyl" were arbitrary, and the "on" was copied from the suffixes of other fibres such as [[cotton]] and [[rayon]]. A later publication by DuPont (''Context'', vol.&nbsp;7, no.&nbsp;2, 1978) explained that the name was originally intended to be "No-Run" ("run" meaning "unravel") but was modified to avoid making such an unjustified claim. Since the products were not really run-proof, the vowels were swapped to produce "nuron", which was changed to "nilon" "to make it sound less like a nerve tonic". For clarity in pronunciation, the "i" was changed to "y".<ref name="Wolfe2008" /><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=znFmBZ2D8rEC&pg=PA224 |title=The Origins and Development of the English Language |last=Algeo |first=John |publisher=Cengage |year=2009 |isbn=9781428231450 |volume=6 |page=224 |author-link=John Algeo}}</ref>

A persistent [[urban legend]] exists that the name is derived from "New York" and "London"; however, no organisation in London was ever involved in the research and production of nylon.<ref>{{cite book |title=Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends |first=David |last=Wilton |page=88 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-199-74083-3}}</ref>

=== Longer-term popularity ===
Nylon’s popularity soared in the 1940s and 1950s due to its durability and sheerness. In the 1970s, it became more popular due to its flexibility and price.

In spite of oil shortages in the 1970s, consumption of nylon textiles continued to grow by 7.5% per year between the 1960s and 1980s.<ref name="Wilson">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qc8mDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA246 |title=Petrocultures: Oil, Politics, Culture |last1=Wilson |first1=Sheena |last2=Carlson |first2=Adam |last3=Szeman |first3=Imre |date=2017 |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal, Quebec |pages=246 |isbn=9780773550391 |author-link3=Imre Szeman |access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref> Overall production of synthetic fibres, however, dropped from 63% of the worlds textile production in 1965, to 45% of the world's textile production in early 1970s.<ref name="Wilson" /> The appeal of "new" technologies wore off, and nylon fabric "was going out of style in the 1970s".<ref name="Ndiaye" /> Also, consumers became concerned about environmental costs throughout the production cycle: obtaining the raw materials (oil), energy use during production, waste produced during creation of the fibre, and eventual waste disposal of materials that were not biodegradable.<ref name="Wilson" /> 
Synthetic fibres have not dominated the market since the 1950s and 1960s. {{As of|2020}}, the worldwide production of nylon is estimated at 8.9 million tons.<ref name="Businesswire">{{cite news |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730005398/en/Global-Nylon-Market-Analysis-and-Outlook-2020-2027---Nylon-6-Volumes-Will-Reach-5.3-Million-Tons-by-2027-Despite-COVID-19---ResearchAndMarkets.com |title=Global Nylon Market Analysis and Outlook 2020-2027 - Nylon 6}}</ref>

Although pure nylon has many flaws and is now rarely used, its derivatives have greatly influenced and contributed to society. From scientific discoveries relating to the production of plastics and polymerisation, to economic impact during the depression and the changing of women's fashion, nylon was a revolutionary product.<ref name="Wolfe2008" /> The [[Lunar Flag Assembly]], the first flag planted on the moon in a symbolic gesture of celebration, was made of nylon. The flag itself cost $5.50 but had to have a specially designed flagpole with a horizontal bar so that it would appear to "fly".<ref name="Welsh">{{Cite news |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-flags-moon-faded-white-2016-5?r=US&IR=T |title=The American Flags on the Moon Have All Turned White |last=Welsh |first=Jennifer |date=21 May 2016 |work=Business Insider |access-date=14 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="Platoff">{{cite web |url=https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/flag/flag.htm |title=NASA Contractor Report 188251 Where No Flag Has Gone Before: Political and Technical Aspects of Placing a Flag on the Moon |last1=Platoff |first1=Anne M. |date=1993 |website=NASA |access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref> One historian describes nylon as "an object of desire", comparing the invention to Coca-Cola in the eyes of 20th century consumers.<ref name="Ndiaye" />