Finding The Best Clothing Fabric: A Guide

Finding the best clothing fabric to flesh out your initial clothing line designs can be tricky, especially for emerging fashion designers. There are many options to choose from, many with the added bonus of being entirely sustainable.

What’s the best clothing fabric to turn fashion design sketches into tangible products? And which is the least sustainable option?

Apparel Fabric To Consider

Aside from deciding which fabric gels most with your personal style, it’s essential to consider the impact your fashion line may have on the environment.

For nearly 20 years, The Evans Group has had a firm focus on sustainable apparel. As such, our designers, seamstresses, and production staff are all familiar with various fabric options.

With that in mind, let’s look at some different types of fabric to consider for your next clothing line.

Flannel

Are you looking to design something that will keep you warm in the winter months? Flannel is a fantastic fabric choice. Once the iconic look for any outdoorsman, flannel is a stylish choice for everyone. Evoking 1990s grunge and that classic outdoorsy look, flannel is a fabric that has numerous benefits (and looks).

Flannel is a classic mix of synthetic fibers, wool, and cotton. Flannel used to be either yarn or wool, but the fabric evolved over the years into a stylish, versatile option for any apparel line.

Spandex

Spandex is a synthetic elastic material found everywhere. Whether it’s those stylish skinny jeans or a summer swimsuit, spandex is a fantastic fabric if you need to inject some flexibility into a clothing line.

Weaving together cotton and spandex can create soft, elastic clothing that leaves an impression.

Linen

We love linen. Linen is a classic, consistent fabric synonymous with comfort during sweltering weather.

This natural fiber is well-known for its breathability, versatility, and durability. Linen products are perfect for people who often have bad allergic reactions to other fabrics. With its ability to keep cool in the warm months, and its durability, linen is an ancient yet fantastic fabric choice for any clothing line.

Additionally, linen is a natural material, making it pass the TEG sustainability grade!

Nylon

A synthetic fabric known for being silky smooth, nylon has played an essential role in fashion.

However, nylon isn’t entirely eco-friendly. Creating nylon requires extensive chemical use, along with creating significant air pollution. While nylon has been a favorite of fashion designers throughout the years, it has some massive downsides.

Silk

On the opposite end of the spectrum, silk is a smooth, natural fabric with ancient origins. Silk has been a favorite in fashion for centuries, using the silk from moth caterpillars and mulberry silkworms.

Some benefits of silk are its durability, anti-wrinkle properties, and outright beauty. However, silk is synonymous with luxury clothing brands and can leave new designers with limited resources out in the cold.

Unlike linen, silk is highly vulnerable to the sun and extreme weather conditions.

What Is The Best Clothing Fabric?

Determining the best clothing fabric is entirely subjective. For example, a designer focusing on sustainable fabric may choose something like organic cotton. For them, organic cotton checks all the boxes. It’s clean, breathable, and biodegradable.

To sum up, at The Evans Group (TEG), design experts will help designers choose which fabric fits their project’s goals.

What Is The Least Sustainable Clothing Fabric?

On the other hand, you may have designers willing to use polyester to create their apparel. Unfortunately, polyester is one of the least sustainable fabrics around.

Using plastic and high energy to produce polyester quickly becomes a massive problem for both the fashion industry and the environment.

From a new designer’s perspective, the short-term benefits of polyester are apparent: it’s cheap, lightweight, and doesn’t wrinkle.

However, those familiar with fast fashion will recognize that polyester apparel often ends up in massive landfills. In short, it’s not biodegradable. In short, avoid fabrics like polyester at all costs.

Choosing Fabric To Build Apparel With TEG

As a premier Los Angeles clothing manufacturer, TEG aims to help both established and emerging fashion designers to land the fabric they need.

Through an intensive creative planning process (complete with fashion mood boards), the TEG team will walk through the entire clothing manufacturing process with you.

Firstly, after designing apparel, a fashion tech pack will make its way to the Los Angeles pattern maker. Secondly, these fashion experts use the blueprint to bring 2D designs to life.

Once you decide if your fabric drapes the right way on a mannequin, it’s time to produce. After multiple quality assurance checks throughout the entire process, your bespoke fashion line is realized.

Whether linen, flannel, silk, or spandex, the clothing experts at The Evans Group know how to take swatches and turn them into your following successful apparel line.

Get In Contact With TEG

Have any questions? Furthermore, do you want to learn about the entire garment manufacturing process? Are you curious about the different roles on the team or how much it’ll take to start a clothing line?

Get in contact with the experts at The Evans Group. Fill out the forms below and start designing couture today.