LAYER 1

Until nylon, there were only natural fibers: silk, linen, cotton, and wool; and man-made fibers extracted from wood-pulp.  Du Pont nylon, announced in 1938, was an original accomplishment - a fiber made by man entirely from chemicals.  It combines two very desirable properties - strength and durability - even when made into the sheerest of stockings.  It is used in the first layer of the space suit, next to the astronaut, as a lightweight "comfort liner."

Taken from a 1970s DuPont poster.