A seasoned shopper would know the difference fabrics make and what sets apart quality clothing from average ones. Fabrics play a significant role in the longevity and durability of your clothing items. It also determines what kind of care your clothing needs.
Whether you’re shopping for ready-to-wear items from a boutique or designing your own, being fabric conscious goes a long way. This includes understanding the properties and qualities of different fabrics and their suitability for certain types of clothing. For example, fabrics like moisture-wicking cotton, spandex and other cotton blends would be better suited for sportswear or gym wear.
You can choose from an assortment of natural fibres like linen, cashmere, organic cotton, silk, hemp and bamboo fabrics for a luxurious feel. For a more synthetic option, consider fabrics like polyester, nylon and blended fabrics. With so many options, how do you go about choosing the right fabric for your clothes?
In this article, we walk you through a few factors you need to consider when it comes to selecting fabrics.
1. The Purpose of Your Garment
Whether you’re sewing your garment or selecting a ready-made one, the end-use or utility of your garment is an important factor to consider. This includes considering the frequency of wear, its maintenance and care, and your activity level.
For example, consider using interfacing fabrics for garments that require structure or reinforcement, like blazers, dress shirts, or fitted dresses. Brands like Realm Wholesale offer quality interfacing options that help maintain shape without compromising comfort or breathability. This can be an important consideration for formal wear or workwear garments.
Natural fabrics like cotton and linen can make for lightweight clothing that’s best suited for spring and summer seasons. While fabrics like silk, cashmere, chiffon, organza and taffeta would make for luxurious evening/formal wear attire.
By taking into account the utility and purpose of your garment, you’d be able to choose a fabric that’s high-quality, weather appropriate and functional.
2. Fabric Weight
Clothes can feel light and airy or stiff and heavy. A lot of this feeling is attributed to the weight of the fabric. How do you gauge fabric weight? Most fabrics come with labels indicating grams per meter (GSM). Lightweight fabrics will typically weigh between 30-150 gsm, while medium to heavier fabrics will weigh between 150-300 gsm and upwards.
For example, you can make high-quality blazers and waistcoats with fabrics like suiting twill, wool, tweed, or corduroy. These typically have 150-300 gsm and make for structured silhouettes. For a more airy feel, you can choose fabrics that are lightweight and flowy. These fabrics can be used to make dreamy dresses, blouses and shirts. While they may need lining because of being lightweight and sheer, they’re super comfortable and drape beautifully. Chiffon, georgette and voile are some examples of lightweight fabrics.
You can always test out a fabric’s weight and suitability for your intended clothing by doing a drape test. Simply hang the fabric over a hanger or your arm to see how it falls. Heavier drapes will have defined folds while lighter fabrics will float.
3. Maintenance
While all fabrics require care, some need more maintenance than others. This means you’ll have to put in more time and effort into the upkeep of your clothing items. For example, natural fabrics like cotton, linen, bamboo, or hemp are great for your body and skin, do not cause allergic reactions and are biodegradable. However, they also need more care, like hand-washing them in cold water or using a low-wash cycle with gentle detergents.
Synthetic fabrics, on the other hand, are low-maintenance, durable, and wrinkle-resistant. These also have moisture-wicking properties and are easier to maintain. For this reason, they’re also cheaper, making them a budget-friendly fabric option for a variety of clothing.
To make the best of both fabric properties, consider using blends that utilise the durability of synthetics while providing the comfort of natural fabrics. These can be easier to maintain without compromising on fabric quality or durability.
4. Budget
Fashion trends and quality can greatly influence the pricing of fabrics. This also includes considering how labour-intensive the fabric sourcing process is and the amount of fibre content. Understanding this can help you make smart fabric choices that are both high quality and budget-friendly.
For example, fabric blends are often good value for money, offering durability, comfort and decent quality while still being affordable. Exclusive and premium fabrics like mulberry silk, guanaco wool and dhaka muslin can offer you luxurious quality but at high prices.
Choosing fabrics that originate from countries with high production standards is a good way to ensure high fabric quality. While these may cost more than standard fabric options, they’re priced reasonably and are likely to be more sustainable and ethically produced.
Selecting quality fabrics can largely affect your budget when choosing wardrobe staples or when the finish and feel of the item matter. This might be something worth prioritising in your budget when selecting a fabric for your clothes.
Conclusion
Fabrics can make or break your clothing item’s quality. For this reason, it’s important to be fabric conscious and understand their role in making your clothes comfortable, stylish yet functional. Whether it’s gauging their weight and drape or assessing their fibre content, choosing quality fabrics will help you create wardrobe staples that will be sustainable.
We hope this article has been insightful and informative in making smart fabric choices for your clothing.
*This is a collaborative post
