Types of suit fabrics
Ever hear the expression, “The suit makes the man, or woman.” Well have you wondered what makes a suit? We are going to cover what types of suit fabrics make up those beautiful and elegant suits that business men and other professionals have adorned for years. There are many different fabrics out there so pay close attention and find the right one for you. If you are not sure a general rule of thumb is to go for natural wool fabrics.
Natural Fibers
Things that fall under this category are wool, linen, silk, cashmere, cotton, polyester and microFibers. These fabrics are all found in nature and are either grown or harvested. That is what classifies them as natural, being that they come from source and are not manufactured. Not being manufactured just means that they are already a fiber and that there is no creation process to turn them into a usable fiber. It does take some work to get these natural fibers into a workable fabric, but it is not the same as creating the fibers themselves.
Wool
Wool is the best suiting fabric available today. This is a natural fiber that is harvested from sheep and other animals such as goat (Cashmere and Mohair). It can be a light weight and durable material, but has a high tendency to wrinkle. This is probably one of the most versatile fabrics out there right now. It can be dyed almost any color, holds that color well, and breathes well on top of that.
Ways of Processing Wool Yarns
There are two main ways to process the wools into wool yarns. These are worsted and woolen.
| Worsted Yarn: |
This is when the wool fibers are tightly spun into a smoothly twisted yarn before it is weaved or knitted. It then goes through a second process called combing that removes the unwanted short fibers leaving only the long fibers therefore making it smooth and durable, perfect for suits. |
| Woolen Yarn: |
Woolen spun yarn is not tightly spun. It is softer and fluffy and is best for knitting and sweaters. |
Wool Grades and Quality
Different grades of wool are for different application and purposes. This is dependant on the fiber length, fineness, and combinations of other properties such as how it is woven to achieve the end result.
| Virgin Wool |
This is the wool taken straight from the animal without being woven or any processing done to it. |
| Tropical Wool |
Is a plain weave, 2 ply worsted wool that is light weight wool and is usually used in warmer climate. Can crease quite easily because of its light weight therefore is not durable as the heavier worsted wools. |
| Worsted Wool |
One of the best kinds of wool is called Worsted wool. It is not only the strongest but it is also the most comfortable and durable material that is on the market and has been the star material for suits and elegant clothing for a long, long, and yes I said long time. |
| Thread counts |
When you hear the terms Super 100's, Super 110's, Super 120's, Super 150's up to Super 200’s. This basically means how fine the wool fibers are, the higher the count means the more fibers you can get in a square inch cloth and the finer the fabric is overall. The measurement used are measured in microns, so for a Super 100’s the fiber used must be finer than 18 micron, and for a Super 150s the fiber used must be finer than 15 micron. A super 150s suit maybe finer, lighter, more comfortable and expensive to wear but it will not be durable as a super 100s. |
| Flannel |
Heavy weight wool cloth made using the worsted yarn method that is durable but yet soft and is best use for winter. Flannel fabrics are sometimes are mixed with other materials such as cotton or synthetic fibers. |
| Tweed |
Heavy weight wool cloth made using the woolen yarn method. It is rough but soft and durable. Best used for outdoor and winter wear. |
| Gabardine |
This is a type of Twill fabric that is tightly woven made from worsted wool. It is smooth on one side and is looks and feels ribbed on the other side. Gabardine fabric holds its shape well and does not crease easily. |
| Merino Wool |
This is one of the best wool around today becuase it has long length and very fine fibers making it one of the finest and softest wool. In addition due to its long fiber length it is very durable, perfect for making suits both for warm and cold climate. |
Non Sheep Wools
Mohair: Mohair is a soft, silky and shiny fabric made from Angora goats. It is medium weight, warm and durable.
Cashmere: Cashmere is a soft and supple material that comes from the Cashmere goat. This is a very expensive material but is well worth the price for its fine feel and look. It is durable but easy to wrinkle and costly to maintain. It is one of the favored natural fibers to have a suit made of.
Other Natural Fibers
Cotton: Cotton is also a very versatile fiber. It grows on a plant and is harvested making it a natural fiber as well. It can be dyed just about any color, but is found in nature to be white. This fiber is easy to work with and very durable, again depending how it is woven. It a very light weight material and breathes extremely well. It allows air to escape keeping the body cool and is best suited for high temperature zones.
Linen: The last but surely not the least of natural fibers in linen. Made from the flax plant it is a favorite of the tropical islanders and those who live in high temperature zones. It is very light weight, but easily stainable and very easily wrinkled. Not a best choice for someone who has never owned a suit before. It breathes very well and makes it easy to stay cool in high temperatures while wearing this kind of suit.
Non-natural Fibers:
Polyester: Polyester refers to a polymer based product, which in easier terms means that it is made of plastic. This petroleum based product is strong, durable, and can hold up under pressure. It does not wrinkle easily, but also does not breathe well as it traps heat close to the body. This is one of the most common synthetic fibers on the market today. It is synthetic because, again it is man made and not harvested or grown. It will commonly be found mixed in with natural materials to strengthen them and make them less likely to wrinkle easily.
MicroFibers: Is another synthetic fine fiber that is more breathable than Polyester. It is one of the cheapest fabrics out there but not of high quality (you get what you pay for).
Wool mixed/blend: Meaning Wool fiber mixed with other types of fabrics such as cashmere, cotton or even synthetic fibers to save cost. Again anything mixed with non-natural fibers will not be of good quality as natural fibers.
Conclusion
After looking at these different fibers it is important to think of what kind of climate you live in and how often the suit is used before purchasing a suit made of any of these fibers or even a mixture thereof. There are many different types of fabrics out there so give it some good thought before you choose your bespoke suit.
Comments
bespoke suit
The content of your blog is very informative.thanks for giving knowledge about suit fabric.it really helps in choosing right material for the suit.
Regards,
requisiteclothing
Nice Collection of material
Nice Collection of material history and properties of material, people can know what material is fit for him for Tailoring. Thanks for sharing.
alterationsboutique
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