The professionals at the American Institute for Conservation offer these guidelines for taking care of clothing and fabrics.  Since prehistoric times, textiles have played a rich part in the lives and traditions of people of all cultures. They have been constructed using myriad materials and techniques, and they have been made from natural fibers such as cotton, flax, silk or wool or from man-made fibers such as rayon, nylon, and polyester. Textiles can be simple in structure and composition, or they can be composite objects incorporating many materials like quills, beads, metals, paints, bones, shells, feathers, and leathers.