What fabrics do you work in?

The cloth, before the cut.

A library of the twelve materials our five ranges list: six fibres, five weaves and one dyeing method. Each entry gives the hand, the structure, the common use, the value addition it takes and the garments it suits. Weights, counts and finishes are confirmed against the programme.

An aisle of power looms in Donear's weaving shed, greige fabric on the beams — Donear's weaving shed: power looms with greige fabric on the beams. Photograph: Donear, one of the mills we work with.

01The library

Showing 12 of 12 materials

Fibres06

What the yarn is spun from.

A fibre is the raw material. Cotton and linen come from plants, viscose and rayon are regenerated from wood pulp, polyester and elastane are made synthetically. The same fibre can be woven in many ways.

No. 01FibreNatural cellulose fibre, from the seed hair of the cotton plant

Cotton

A fibre, not a weave: poplin, cambric, voile and twill are very often woven from it.

Application: Everyday wovens where comfort against the skin comes first.
Hand feel: Soft, matte and breathable; absorbs moisture well and creases unless finished.
Structure: Short staple fibres spun into yarn and woven in almost every construction, from fine plain weaves to twills.
Common use: Shirting, children's frocks and tops, shorts, skirts and kurtis.
Available value addition: Hand embroidery
Kaht work
Computerised embroidery
Piece printing
A stable, absorbent ground that takes embroidery and printing well.
Suitable product types: GirlsFrocks, Dresses, Tops, Skirts
BoysCheckered shirts, Cut and sew, Shorts
EthnicKurtis, Tunics, Co-ord sets
MensSolid shirts, Striped shirts, Full-sleeve shirts, Formal shirts, Cotton trousers, Kurtas

In current production · 21 styles cut in cotton

Browse them in girlswear and boyswear.

No. 02FibreRegenerated cellulose fibre, made from wood pulp

Viscose

The most common kind of rayon; usually woven as a light plain weave or crepe.

Application: Printed garments that should fall softly rather than stand away from the body.
Hand feel: Soft, smooth and cool, with a fluid drape; weaker when wet, so it needs careful handling and finishing.
Structure: Cellulose dissolved and extruded into smooth fibres, spun into yarn and woven light.
Common use: Printed frocks, tops, pants, kurtis and resort shirts.
Available value addition: Hand embroidery
Kaht work
Computerised embroidery
Piece printing
Takes dye and print with clear colour; light grounds are usually backed for dense embroidery.
Suitable product types: GirlsFrocks, Tops, Shorts, Pants, Jumpsuits
BoysPrinted shirts, Cuban collar shirts
EthnicKurtis, Fusion tops, Ethnic dresses

In current production · 12 styles cut in viscose

Browse them in girlswear and boyswear.

No. 03FibreRegenerated cellulose fibre

Rayon

Rayon is the umbrella name for regenerated cellulose; viscose is its most common type, and the trade often uses the two names for the same cloth.

Application: Fluid prints for shirts, kurtis and dresses.
Hand feel: Silky, cool and drapey, with good depth of colour in prints.
Structure: Regenerated cellulose fibres, most often woven as a soft plain weave (challis) or a crepe.
Common use: Cuban and resort shirts, kurtis, dresses and skirts.
Available value addition: Hand embroidery
Kaht work
Computerised embroidery
Piece printing
Prints with rich colour; embroidery on a soft ground needs backing to stay flat.
Suitable product types: GirlsSkirts, Frocks, Dresses
BoysCuban collar shirts, Printed shirts
LadiesDresses, Tops, Kurtis, Co-ord sets
EthnicKurtis, Tunics, Ethnic dresses, Co-ord sets
MensKurtas, Co-ord sets

In current production · 4 styles cut in rayon

Browse them in girlswear and boyswear.

No. 04FibreSynthetic fibre

Polyester

Used alone or blended with cotton or viscose, in woven and knitted cloths.

Application: Crisp prints and shapes that keep their form through wear.
Hand feel: Smooth and resilient; resists creasing and dries quickly, but breathes less than cotton.
Structure: Strong, smooth synthetic yarns; holds a pressed shape and a pleat.
Common use: Printed shirts and frocks, and blends for shirting.
Available value addition: Hand embroidery
Computerised embroidery
Piece printing
Holds a sharp print; embroidery sits cleanly on its smooth face.
Suitable product types: GirlsFrocks, Dresses
BoysCuban collar shirts, Camp collar shirts, Printed shirts

In current production · 15 styles cut in polyester

Browse them in girlswear and boyswear.

Weave draftSchematic, not to scale

Plain weave with slubbed flax yarns

No. 05FibreNatural bast fibre, from the flax plant

Linen

Most often a plain weave; the slubs in its yarn give it texture.

Application: Warm-weather shirts and relaxed sets.
Hand feel: Crisp, cool and very breathable; softens with wear and creases readily.
Structure: Long, strong flax fibres with natural slubs, usually plain woven.
Common use: Shirts, co-ord sets, dresses and trousers.
Available value addition: Hand embroidery
Computerised embroidery
Piece printing
Its slubbed surface suits open embroidery and placed prints.
Suitable product types: LadiesCo-ord sets, Dresses, Tops
MensLinen shirts, Co-ord sets

No. 06FibreElastane (spandex)

Lycra

Lycra is the trade name most often used for elastane, which is blended in small proportions with other fibres rather than used alone.

Application: Fitted shapes that need ease of movement.
Hand feel: Adds stretch and recovery; the cloth keeps the hand of its main fibre.
Structure: A highly elastic synthetic fibre, core-spun or blended into cotton, viscose or polyester yarns.
Common use: Fitted tops, trousers and stretch woven dresses.
Available value addition: Computerised embroidery
Piece printing
Stretch grounds are stabilised for embroidery so the stitch does not pucker when the cloth moves.
Suitable product types: LadiesTops, Dresses, Skirts

Weaves05

How the yarn is interlaced.

A weave is a construction, not a material. Poplin, cambric and voile are plain weaves that differ in yarn and density, georgette is a crepe of highly twisted yarns, and a twill steps its interlacing to form diagonal lines. Each can be made in more than one fibre.

Weave draftSchematic, not to scale

Plain weave: fine warp set close over a heavier weft

No. 07WeavePlain weave

Poplin

A construction, usually in cotton or cotton blends.

Application: Clean, structured shirts, blouses and dresses.
Hand feel: Crisp, smooth and light, with a slight sheen.
Structure: A tight plain weave with fine warp yarns packed closely over a slightly heavier weft, giving a faint crosswise rib.
Common use: Shirts, blouses, dresses and frocks.
Available value addition: Hand embroidery
Computerised embroidery
Piece printing
A smooth, firm face for fine embroidery and sharp prints.
Suitable product types: GirlsFrocks, Dresses, Tops
LadiesTops, Blouses, Dresses
MensSolid shirts, Striped shirts, Formal shirts

Weave draftSchematic, not to scale

Plain weave: fine yarns, set close and even

No. 08WeavePlain weave

Cambric

A fine, closely woven plain weave, traditionally in cotton or linen.

Application: Light kurtis, tops and children's wear that need a smooth face.
Hand feel: Light, soft and smooth; cool in warm weather.
Structure: Fine yarns set close in a plain weave, often calendered for a light surface lustre.
Common use: Kurtis, tops, children's dresses and linings.
Available value addition: Hand embroidery
Kaht work
Computerised embroidery
Piece printing
Its fine, even surface shows embroidery and print detail clearly.
Suitable product types: GirlsTops, Frocks, Dresses
LadiesKurtis, Tops
EthnicKurtis, Tunics, Co-ord sets

Weave draftSchematic, not to scale

Plain weave of crepe yarns: S-twist and Z-twist (shaded) wefts alternate

No. 09WeaveCrepe, from highly twisted yarns

Georgette

Originally silk; today most often polyester or viscose.

Application: Flowing dresses, blouses and kurtis where drape and movement lead.
Hand feel: Light, sheer and springy, with a fluid drape; usually lined or layered.
Structure: A sheer plain weave of alternating S- and Z-twist crepe yarns, giving a slightly grainy, crinkled surface.
Common use: Dresses, blouses, tunics and kurtis.
Available value addition: Hand embroidery
Kaht work
Computerised embroidery
Piece printing
A sheer ground: embroidery is usually stabilised or backed so it does not pucker.
Suitable product types: LadiesDresses, Blouses, Tunics
EthnicKurtis, Ethnic dresses, Fusion tops

Weave draftSchematic, not to scale

Plain weave: fine yarns set apart, so the cloth is semi-sheer

No. 10WeavePlain weave

Voile

Usually cotton or cotton blends, woven from fine, high-twist yarns.

Application: Summer tops and blouses; layered or lined in dresses.
Hand feel: Soft, airy and semi-transparent; very breathable.
Structure: A light, semi-sheer plain weave of fine, highly twisted yarns.
Common use: Blouses, tops, kurtis and summer dresses.
Available value addition: Hand embroidery
Computerised embroidery
Piece printing
Light enough to need a stabiliser under embroidery; prints read softly.
Suitable product types: LadiesBlouses, Tops, Kurtis

No. 11WeaveTwill weave

Twill

A weave, made in cotton, blends and synthetics; denim and drill are twills.

Application: Hard-wearing bottoms, structured shirts and outer layers.
Hand feel: Firm and durable, yet drapes well; hides marks better than a plain weave.
Structure: The weft passes over and under two or more warp yarns in a stepped sequence, forming diagonal lines (wales).
Common use: Trousers, shorts, shackets and heavier shirts.
Available value addition: Hand embroidery
Computerised embroidery
Piece printing
A firm ground for embroidery; the diagonal wale shows through light prints.
Suitable product types: BoysShorts
LadiesSkirts, Co-ord sets
MensCotton trousers, Shackets

Dyeing method01

When the colour goes in.

Yarn-dyed cloth is coloured before it is woven, so a check or a stripe runs through the cloth instead of sitting on its surface like a print.

A colourist at Donear studying a wall of fabric shade cards, the references dyed colours are matched to. Photograph: Donear.

Weave draftSchematic, not to scale

Dyed yarns in warp and weft: the check is woven in

No. 12Dyeing methodColoured before weaving

Yarn-dyed

Describes when colour is added, not the fibre or the weave: the yarns are dyed first, then woven into the pattern.

Application: Checks and stripes for shirting.
Hand feel: Depends on the base cloth; the pattern shows on both faces and its edges stay crisp.
Structure: Dyed yarns woven into checks, stripes, ginghams and chambrays, so the pattern runs through the cloth.
Common use: Checked and striped shirts, ginghams and chambray.
Available value addition: Hand embroidery
Computerised embroidery
The pattern is woven in, so embroidery is the usual addition rather than print.
Suitable product types: BoysCheckered shirts
LadiesTops, Dresses
MensStriped shirts, Full-sleeve shirts, Formal shirts

02Fabric vendors

The mills we work with.

Woven fabric is made at mills. These are the fabric vendors we work with.

01NK Textiles
02Wintry
03SLT
04Donear

Inside Donear’s mill · photographs used with Donear’s permission

A power loom at Donear, one of our fabric mills, weaving fabric onto the cloth beam — A power loom weaving fabric onto the cloth beam.

Grey fabric running through a finishing machine at Donear — Grey fabric running through a finishing machine.

Name the cloth. We will source it.

Tell us the fabric, the hand and the look you want, or send a swatch. Fabric is matched on the sample before any bulk metre is cut.

Request a quotation info@anmolgarments.in