Textile Chemistry is a fascinating niche in the scientific world. Textiles are regarded as utilitarian but few outside the field understand the complexities involved in the creation of fibers, coloring them, or giving them more desirable properties than they otherwise would have. For much of recent history, the earliest use of a technology has been in textiles. Thus there is a rich foundation of knowledge that academic and industrial textile chemists can build on, go back and explore, or apply to non-textile areas. Hence a series of themes that this paper explores, with examples from personal experience.