Typical fabrics used in garments

There are many options when it comes to garment fabric. These range from various forms of cotton for traditional comfort and feel to high-performance polyester to fashion-forward blends. There’s a garment out there that suits your needs … we can help you find it!

Cotton

Cotton is a soft, natural fiber. Garments made from cotton typically come in many colors. Basic cotton garments are usually the least expensive option. However, cotton is also more prone to wrinkling and shrinking than other fabrics. Other variations of cotton include ringspun cotton and Pima cotton which are softer than basic cotton but cost more.

Polyester

Polyester is a man-made fiber. Garments made from polyester may not have as many color options as cotton, but they do not shrink and they resist stretching and wrinkling. So, they keep their shape better than cotton garments. Polyester garments are typically more expensive than cotton ones. Some polyester garments will have coatings to help with moisture-wicking and even have anti-bacterial properties to reduce odors. Because of these properties, performance gear uses polyester.

Blends

There are many options for blended fabrics. Most blends consist of a mix of cotton and polyester. Other blends will add other fabrics such as rayon or Lycra depending on the need. Rayon is silk-like which gives the garment a smooth feel. Lycra provides some stretch to the garment. Due to the garment being blended, they tend to hold their shape better than 100% cotton garments. Blends can also be much lighter in weight than their cotton counterparts. Many fashion garments are now blends such as tri-blends (cotton/polyester/rayon).