Types of Fabrics - What the Material Tells You

The label inside the collar lists four names and three percentages, and none of it says how the garment will behave after an hour of sitting. The fibre decides that: how the cloth holds warmth, how it takes moisture, how it looks after the third wash. It is worth knowing what hides behind the name.

Which materials are natural?

Cotton, linen, wool and silk are the natural materials, everything that comes straight from a plant or an animal. The man made ones split into two separate groups, and that split matters more than the word synthetic suggests.

The first group of naturals is plant fibre. Cotton comes from the seed pod of a shrub, linen from the stem. Both absorb water and both crease, although linen does it far more readily.

The second is animal fibre: sheep wool, merino, mohair from the angora goat, silk from the silkworm. What they share is the ability to trap warm air between the fibres, which is why they heat at very little weight.

The third group is cellulosic. Viscose, lyocell and modal are made from cellulose, that is from wood, but turning a splinter into a fibre takes chemistry. In the hand and in wear they sit closer to cotton than to polyester, as you can read in more detail about lyocell.

The fourth group is the synthetics: polyester, polyamide, acrylic and elastane.

How do natural and man made materials differ?

They differ above all in what they do with moisture. Naturals absorb it, synthetics push it outward, and cellulosics do both while losing strength when wet.

The table shows what follows from that in wear.

Something important follows from that table: a synthetic in the blend is not a fault. Fifteen percent polyamide in an animal fibre sweater reduces felting and adds several seasons to its life. The problem starts higher up, when the synthetic passes half the composition. Wool then stops moving moisture away and the piece only appears to warm. It runs the same way with cellulosics, and viscose falls beautifully until it meets hot water and comes out of the machine a size smaller.

Which fabric works best in autumn?

Knitwear gives the most warmth in autumn, because it heats in proportion to its weight rather than its thickness. A thin, densely knitted piece can be warmer than a fluffy one that looks twice as substantial.

• Wool and merino. A warming layer that needs no volume, so it fits under a piece from the coats without the cushion effect.
• Knit in a higher weight. The base of the whole season, from a jumper to a dress, and the one thing worth buying first.
• Linen at the turn of the seasons. It holds up to the first cold spells as a base layer, because it copes well with warm interiors.
• Viscose under an outer layer. A fluid layer under a knit or a piece from the blazers, adding no volume in the sleeve.

Mohair stands out with an effect you will not find in any other knit. The fine fibres build a characteristic halo on the surface that catches light unevenly and lifts in movement, which gives the piece lightness and a softness you notice at once. The same fibre carries the warmth, so mohair heats more strongly than its weight suggests, and it asks for the care described under washing mohair.

What should you check when choosing a fabric?

Before you look at the composition, squeeze the cloth in your hand and count how many creases stay once you release your fingers. That single movement tells you more than the label, because it shows what will happen after an hour of sitting.

• The crease mark. Good cloth straightens in a few seconds, weak cloth holds the folds for hours.
• The weave against the light. Lift the piece to the window: the more light passes through, the looser the weave and the sooner it will go thin at the elbows.
• The weight in the hand. The same fabric name covers light and dense versions, and you feel the difference the moment you pick it up.
• The seam finish. Bound edges and even stitching reveal how much attention went into the whole piece, not only the cloth.
• The order in the composition. What counts is not the list of names but which one stands first.

Three signals say nothing about quality, though they are often read that way.

• Do not judge by price. The margin depends on the brand and the sales channel, not on the weave.
• Do not trust the phrase one hundred percent natural. Pure cotton in a loose weave wears out faster than a blend with a little polyamide.
• Do not go by softness in the shop. The softening finish comes off in the first wash, and only then do you meet the real hand of the cloth.

Frequently asked questions

Is viscose a natural material?

It is not, although it is made from wood cellulose. The production process is chemical, so viscose formally belongs to the man made materials, even though in wear it resembles cotton.

Which fabric is the warmest?

At the same weight wool heats best, because it traps air between the fibres. You can feel it in shirts with a wool content, which hold off the cold better than heavier cotton.

What does 55 percent wool and 45 percent cotton mean?

Wool makes up more than half the fibres, so it decides both the warmth and the way you wash the piece. Cotton lowers the price and reduces the scratch, though it also weakens the thermal behaviour a little.

Can silk go in the washing machine?

Only on a delicate programme, in cold water and inside a bag. Hand washing is safer, because silk loses strength when wet and stretches easily if you wring it.

Read the label from the first name rather than the last, then squeeze the cloth and let go. Those two moves tell you more about the next three seasons than any description on the hanger.