The present invention is directed to a high surface area fiber and textiles made from the same. In one preferred embodiment the fiber has a middle region with a plurality of projections that define a plurality of channels, which increases the surface area of the fiber. In one preferred embodiment, the fiber has a specific surface area of about 140,000 cm2/g or higher and a denier of about 1.0 to about 2.0. The fiber of the present invention is made using a bicomponent extrusion process using a thermoplastic polymer and a dissolvable sheath.