To help you understand how a fabric feels, looks, and behaves without touching it, we have added detailed information about all our fabrics on our website. Here, you’ll find the information you need to choose the right fabric for your shirt.
Below we will explain the different terms used in our information.
Composition
A fabric can be made from many different materials, and for shirts, cotton is the most common. However, cotton comes in a range of qualities depending on the plant, where it is grown, and other factors. One of the main indicators of cotton quality is fibre, or staple, length. The longer the staple, the smoother, softer, and more comfortable the fabric becomes. Below are some examples of materials we use for shirts:
| Name |
Staple length |
Description |
| 100% Cotton |
15-40 mm |
Fabrics marked as 100% Cotton may contain fibres from different breeds of the cotton plant. Therefore, the staple length shown here is approximate. |
| 100% Long staple cotton |
> 30 mm |
Our long staple cotton fabrics are of high quality fibres that can originate from different growers all over the world. |
| 100% Egyptian cotton |
> 40 mm |
Egyptian cotton is one of the most well-known cotton types in the world. Known for its long staple fibres and high quality, it is an excellent choice for shirts. |
| 100% Linen |
< 1400 mm |
Linen has extremely long fibre lengths and is a very strong material, especially when wet. |
Yarn
When choosing a fabric, the yarn has a major impact on how the garment feels and performs. Yarns come in one-ply or two-ply constructions, meaning they are made from either a single yarn or two yarns twisted together. Two-ply yarns generally give a garment greater comfort and a smoother, silkier feel. Fabric manufacturers often use two-ply yarn in the warp, which runs along the length of the fabric, and one-ply yarn in the weft, which runs across it.
The thickness of the yarns used in our fabrics is defined using the Ne system, which measures how many 840-yard lengths make up one English pound. A higher number therefore means a finer yarn. However, a two-ply 100s yarn has the same thickness as a one-ply 50s yarn.
Some examples:
| Yarn |
Description |
| Warp 80/2, Weft 80/2 |
Means that both warp and weft contains two-ply threads that are 80 Ne thick (equal thickness to a one-ply 40s). |
| Warp 100/2, Weft 50/1 |
Means that the warp has a two-fold 100 Ne yarn and the weft has a one-ply 50 Ne yarn, both are the same thickness. |
Colour information
Displaying colours accurately on a computer screen is very difficult, and most screens differ significantly from one another. For example, a colour that appears brown on one screen might look olive green on another. When photographing our fabrics, we use colour-calibrated equipment to make the colours appear as true to life as possible. To help avoid matching errors, we also provide information about the colours in each fabric. These colours are shown in small boxes, each with a text label. If you are still unsure about a colour, we recommend ordering a sample to make sure the fabric suits you.
Weaving information
Fabrics are woven with many different weaving techniques. We have distinguished some of the more important ones and categorized our fabrics accordingly.
| Weave |
Description |
| Plain weave |
Plain weaves are the most simple of all the weaves. Same size warp and weft threads are woven together one by one. |
| Poplin |
Poplin is a tightly woven fabric that, like plain weaves, is constructed with warp and weft threads of the same thickness. The difference is that poplin warp yarns are packed much more tightly, often at roughly twice the density of the weft yarns. |
| Oxford |
Oxford is often a heavier cloth than poplin. It is a soft, durable fabric woven in a basket weave, with two warp yarns woven in parallel and a heavier, softly spun filling yarn in the weft. When made with a dyed warp and white weft, it is called oxford chambray. |
| Pinpoint oxford |
Pinpoint, or Pinpoint Oxford, is a variation of the oxford cloth. The yarns are finer making it a subtle mix of poplin and oxford. |
| Fil-à-fil |
Fil-à-fil fabric is woven with threads in two different colours giving it an irregular effect. It is a thin and comfortable material suitable for solid colour shirts. |
| Twill |
Twill is a weaving method that creates a diagonal pattern in the fabric. These fabrics are generally softer and thus more wrinkle resistant, however not wrinkle free, than plain weaves. |
| Herringbone |
Herringbone is a variation of the Twill weave, the only difference being that the pattern produced resembles the bones of a fish. |
| Dobby |
A dobby weave is a more complex weave construction used to create texture in the fabric. Dobby weaves often combine different yarn sizes and weaving techniques, such as small twill stripes on a plain weave or a zig-zag pattern. |
| Flannel |
Flannel is woven with either a plain or twill weave. It is made from loosely spun yarns, giving it a soft feel and insulating properties. |
| Seersucker |
Seersucker is a thin cotton fabric, often striped or checked, in which the yarns are woven in a special way to create its characteristic uneven or puckered texture. The word comes from India, from the Persian words "shir" and "shakar," meaning "milk and sugar," likely referring to the contrast between the smoothness of milk and the rough texture of sugar. The fabric is often used for summer clothing, as well as sportswear and casual wear. |
| Satin |
Satin is somewhat more shiny that the average twill fabric. Its luster provides a more exclusive impression. |
Treatments
Our fabrics are sanforized to minimize shrinkage after washing. Many fabrics also have a chemical treatment, such as softener or easy care for easier ironing. This is indicated next to each fabric.
Weight
The weight of the fabric is a way of measuring both the thickness of the fabric and how densely it is woven. Many of our fabrics have exact weight information available, from about 50 to 200 g/m2, but some only have a grading of 1-5.
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