If you are in the fashion designing industry, it means that you have to look into many aspects of the fabric. Good quality fabrics will set a benchmark for your brand and make you stand apart from others. The quality of the fabric is of various types such as knitted, woven, printed, dyed etc. choosing the fabric is the first step for a fashion designer. Next comes designing. We list below the different types of fabrics and their suppliers.
The basics of fabric construction – When you design an attire, two things have to be kept in mind namely: how the fabric is constructed and what type of fabric is best suitable for the product that you want to design. The two common types of fabric construction are knits and woven.
Knitted fabric – Examples of knitted fabrics are linen, silk, wool, polyester, cotton, and cotton mix. Knitted fabrics are mostly lightweight and easy to maintain. They do not require much care and are very comfortable to be worn. Also, they make for a popular fabric choice because it does not wrinkle easily. Knitted fabrics are used mostly in making undergarments, tops and bottoms due to its soft and comfortable texture. Since they are stretchable, they are also used to in making clothes for active uses such as sports, gym wear, running wear, etc.
Woven fabric – When two or more yarn sets are interlaced at ninety degrees to each other woven fabrics are constructed. A machine called handloom or power loom is used for its construction. Woven fabrics are characterized a being highly durable, resistant to abrasion and opaque. The more the thread count, the better is the quality and strength of the fabric. These are most often used in designing denim and formal pants, shirts and jackets.
Types of fabric suppliers – When you start a clothing line, the first and most crucial step is to find trustworthy fabric manufacturers who provide the best quality fabric. They should also be able to meet your order size and deliver it to you in time.
Based on their mode of operation, and the kind of fabric that they have, fabric suppliers are divided into three types:
- Fabric mills – Fabric or textile mills give made to offer fabrics and usually have a large number of minimum order requirements.
- Converter – It is a company that buys unfinished or raw products from the textile mills. Then they begin to give finishing to the fabric by dying, printing and washing the fabric before it is sold.
- Jobbers – These suppliers carry leftover fabrics from mills and converters, which are usually limited in stock. Most often, they sell it at low prices and do not have the fabric that is sold out, in the same colour, print and design.
You must choose fabrics that suit your business. We hope the above information will give you a better idea of the different types of fabrics and the sourcing process. You must research well to get the best fabric manufacturers in India who provide the topmost quality in fabrics.