Most of the time I try giving priority to the blogs you ask for, so it’s been a while since I have been postponing this special post. Textile technology and how different fabrics are built are one of my passions. I fell in love with the subject during fashion school and this is something that walks along product development. Understanding different types of fabric is more important than you think. Fabrics do not only determine the aesthetic of your garments, but also the construction.
It is easy to create a sketch that mixes soft pure silk with natural leather details but, in reality, the construction of the garment might not come out as you expected. We all know that nothing is impossible, but it does not mean that the quality or the structure of the garment will turn out perfect, which simply means that your goal (aka sketch) cannot be achieved.
Mixing fabrics can be tricky. Especially when you are looking at a garment in a sketch. Let’s face it, creativity can go wild when on a piece of paper, but turning clothes into reality and mixing different fabrics is a different story.
So, to try to explain the different types of materials and why certain fabrics do not go very well together, let’s look into them one by one.
1. Woven
A lot of people ask me what exactly woven fabrics are. Long story short, polyester, cotton, linen, silk, and any type of fabric that has no stretch or is done in a knitting machine.
Ok ok, I am certainly overreacting here when I said “no stretch”. We all know that certain kinds of cotton, silks, or even sequins can be stretched - especially non-natural materials made out of polyester mixed with spandex.
But regardless of the stretching capability, woven fabrics will never be as stretchy or flexible as knit. A good example to illustrate this is sportswear.
Sportswear is done mainly in knit materials exactly because of their stretch and flexibility, while woven materials tend to be used in everything else - from ready-to-wear to high-end garments.
Depending on the woven material, it can be as soft and delicate as pure silk, or as rough and stiff just like pure linen. And that is why you need to be careful when choosing wovens. In terms of construction, it is quite impossible to achieve a loose and delicate fit when mixing very soft materials (like silk) with a heavy fabric like leather.
For example, in a sketch, a silky, backless dress tied around the neck with a leather accent on the bottom of the skirt might look beautiful. But, in reality, the leather material is too heavy and will keep pulling the dress down, so the fit you created on a sketch will not meet your expectations in real life. A little piece of advice here, using fake leather, which is way lighter and softer, might be a great alternative to try to achieve the fit you are looking for.
2. Knits
As I said, knits are mostly used in sportswear. They are kind of the designer's wonderland when we are talking about women's workout clothes…
Yoga pants, cropped tops, biker shorts, sports bras… all of these goodies are done in a knit material, BUT the fun fact is that knit fabrics are not only for sports clothes.
Socks, cashmere, cable knits, sweaters… basically anything that is created by interlocking a yarn (or two, or three…) together with needles.
An easy way to see what knit fabrics are is by looking at the garment. Usually, seamless garments (like a lot of women's yoga pants) or socks, are good examples of seamless garments. How is it made? The machine needs to be set up with the yarn colors, the measurements, and the patterns, so it comes out of the machine ready - or in most cases ready but, sometimes, depending on the garment, some finishing details are needed, like hem stitching.
Knit fabrics are mostly soft. Especially if we are talking about cashmere and other sweater materials. BUT, some knit fabrics can be strong and hold everything together, the main reason why they are well used in sportswear. Another good example of knits that are strong and help hold everything together is the SKIMS brand by Kim Kardashian - body shapers and underwear garments.
Even though some knits can be really strong, they never tend to have a good, structured shape. So it is important to keep that in mind when trying to mix this type of fabric with other materials. Poly and spandex fabrics that are normally used for body shapers are great when it comes to well-structured body dresses or other garments that are shaped to the body and they are a great option to mix with non-stretching fabrics - such as leather.
3. Leather
My all-time favorite! Now, leather is pretty self-explanatory. We all know that this material is strong, stiff, very well-structured, and expensive… BUT the truth is that some leathers can be soft and not so well structured as well. Lamb skin and python skin are great examples of strength, but not so rough just like most leathers.
Another way of avoiding real leather prices or stiffness is to use fake leather. Which we all know does not have the same durability/quality, but it certainly is softer and easier to match with other materials. Especially delicate, light, and soft fabrics.
Experience leads to perfection, we all know that, but it is also important to learn how things work before jumping into new experiences. Starting a fashion brand is no different, especially if we are talking about designing a new collection and choosing materials. It might not seem like it, but when you do not know how to mix the right fabrics, things can turn out to be a disaster. As I said, nothing is impossible and if mixing opposite materials is what you want, go for it! Just remember that the construction of the garment needs to be coherent with what the garment is made of.
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