{"id":72,"date":"2026-05-08T10:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T08:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kipcakvof.com\/de-juiste-stof-kiezen-gids-voor-merken\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T10:15:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T08:15:00","slug":"de-juiste-stof-kiezen-gids-voor-merken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kipcakvof.com\/en\/de-juiste-stof-kiezen-gids-voor-merken\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing the right fabric: a practical guide for brands and designers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Choosing the right fabric is the most underestimated decision in product development. A beautiful design in the wrong fabric feels limp, shrinks after the first wash or stains the skin. In this guide we list the most commonly used textile materials \u2014 with their strengths, their pitfalls and when to best use them.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Cotton: the classic<\/h2>\n<p>Cotton remains the most widely used natural fiber in the world. It breathes, absorbs moisture and is skin-friendly. Almost always the right basis for T-shirts, sweaters and baby clothes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NB:<\/strong> shrinkage of 3% to 8% on the first wash is normal. Ask your producer for one <em>pre-shrunk<\/em> treatment or take this shrinkage into account in the pattern grading.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Subtypes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Combed cotton<\/strong> \u2014 smoother, stronger, premium look<\/li>\n<li><strong>Carded cotton<\/strong> \u2014 cheaper, rougher surface<\/li>\n<li><strong>Organic cotton (GOTS)<\/strong> \u2014 without synthetic pesticides, premium price point<\/li>\n<li><strong>Recycled cotton<\/strong> \u2014 durable, but less fiber length \u2192 often mixed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>2. Polyester: the workhorse<\/h2>\n<p>Polyester is strong, wrinkle-free, colourfast and cheap. Indispensable for sportswear, linings and uniforms. You can solve the sustainability debate by: <strong>recycled polyester (rPET)<\/strong> to choose from PET bottles \u2014 comparable performance, significantly lower CO\u2082 footprint.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Disadvantage:<\/strong> breathes less than natural fibers, can become static and releases microplastics when washed.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Viscose and modal: softness from wood<\/h2>\n<p>Viscose (rayon) and premium modal are semi-synthetic fibers made from wood cellulose. They have the shine of silk and the suppleness of cotton. Ideal for blouses, dresses and linings.<\/p>\n<p>Always choose brands with a sustainability claim <strong>FSC certified wood<\/strong> as a source, or for <strong>Lyocell (Tencel\u00ae)<\/strong> that is produced with a closed solvent cycle.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Wool and merino: performance from nature<\/h2>\n<p>Merino is the aristocracy among wool: thin fiber (17\u201319 microns), non-scratching, thermoregulating and naturally antibacterial. An excellent choice for outdoor, sports and basic luxury collections.<\/p>\n<p>For traditional wool, pay attention to the <strong>Woolmark<\/strong>certification and op <em>mulesing-free<\/em> origin for animal-friendly production.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Linen: the summer herb<\/h2>\n<p>Linen is one of the oldest cultivated textile fibers. Strong, cool, hypoallergenic and becomes more beautiful with age. It wrinkles \u2014 that's not a defect, that's character. Keep this in mind in your brand story.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Technical and performance fabrics<\/h2>\n<p>There are specialized fabrics for sports, workwear and outdoor:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Spandex\/Elastane<\/strong> \u2014 added in 2\u20138% for stretch<\/li>\n<li><strong>Microfiber<\/strong> \u2014 extremely fine polyester, quick-drying<\/li>\n<li><strong>Coolmax\u00ae, Dri-FIT\u00ae<\/strong> \u2014 moisture-wicking synthetic fibers<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cordura\u00ae<\/strong> \u2014 extremely abrasion-resistant nylon for workwear<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The gramme: the measure you need to know<\/h2>\n<p>Fabric is sold per <strong>grams per square meter (g\/m\u00b2)<\/strong>. This is the objective measure of thickness and heaviness. A rough indication:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>120\u2013150 g\/m\u00b2 \u2014 light T-shirt, blouse<\/li>\n<li>160\u2013200 g\/m\u00b2 \u2014 classic T-shirt, polo<\/li>\n<li>240\u2013320 g\/m\u00b2 \u2014 sweater, hoodie<\/li>\n<li>340 gsm and above \u2014 premium oversized hoodie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Checklist for your fabric choice<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>What is the primary use case? (sports \/ casual \/ formal \/ work)<\/li>\n<li>Which season? Summer (\u2264200 g\/m\u00b2) or winter (\u2265280 g\/m\u00b2)<\/li>\n<li>What sustainability claim do you want to make? Ask for certification.<\/li>\n<li>What's your <strong>MOQ<\/strong> and the fabric fits within it<\/li>\n<li>Is the fabric available in all desired colors, or does it require coloring?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><em>Are you unsure between materials? We will be happy to send you a sample package with our most requested qualities. Please contact us.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cotton, polyester, viscose or merino? Discover how to select the right textile fabric based on use, wearing comfort, durability and budget.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[11,15,61,12,13,14],"class_list":["post-72","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-malzeme-kumas","tag-kumas","tag-malzeme","tag-merino","tag-pamuk","tag-polyester","tag-viskon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kipcakvof.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kipcakvof.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kipcakvof.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kipcakvof.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kipcakvof.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kipcakvof.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kipcakvof.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kipcakvof.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kipcakvof.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}