History
The process was devised in 1844 by John Mercer of Great Harwood, Lancashire, UK, who treated cotton fibres with sodium hydroxide. The treatment caused the fibres to swell, which in Mercer's version of the process shrank the overall fabric size and made it stronger and easier to dye. The process did not become popular, however, until H. A. Lowe improved it into its modern form in 1890. By holding the cotton during treatment to prevent it from shrinking, Lowe found that the fibre gained a lustrous appearance.
Read more about this topic: Mercerised Cotton
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—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)