Sewing fabrics for the fashion and apparel industry come in a wide and diverse range. Whether it’s for the fashion runway, casual and formal wear, bridal wear, or sportswear, there are hundreds of textile materials to help fashion designers, garment producers, and sewing enthusiasts.
Fabric collections for fashion and apparel include lace, satin, cotton, voile, velvet, tulle, and embellished fabrics. They come plain and patterned, with each type possessing varying textures and qualities.
For sewing enthusiasts and those involved in apparel projects, there is a choice of high-quality luxury fabrics, middle-of-the-road types, affordable ones, and cheaper versions. With any of these, you can create any style or design outfits and fashion accessories from scratch. Fabric manufacturers produce millions of yards of textiles daily while stockists, both online and in local fabric stores have materials to serve every apparel requirement.
Top Sewing Fabrics for Fashion and Apparel
Today, there are hundreds of popular designer sewing fabrics for fashion and apparel in the fashion and style industry. While many are produced with natural fibres, others are made through a blend of two or three different fibre blends. Some of the top sewing fabrics and other textiles used in the industry include:
- Sheer fabrics
- Lace fabrics
- Stretch fabrics
- Printed fabrics
- Sequins fabric
- Linen
- Nylon
- Silk fabrics
- Cotton fabrics
- Velvet fabrics
- Novelty fabrics
Sheer textiles
Sheer material is a fabric that you can see through. It is soft and silky and ideal for making flowing and stylish garments. It is made from various natural fibres like cotton and silk, or man-made fibres like nylon, viscose, polyester and rayon. Examples of sheer sewing fabrics include organza, chiffon, crushed sheer voile, sheer prints, and tulle.
Lace materials
Lace is luxurious and of course, timeless. There are stretch laces, embellished laces, guipure laces, and embroidered laces. French lace, Swiss lace, English lace, and Italian lace. And then there is Chantilly lace, mesh lace, metallic lace and fancy lace. Lace is commonly used as sewing fabrics for adults’ and children’s clothing, bridal wear, formal wear, and all occasion wears. Depending on the type, its fabric construction is anything from heavy to lightweight.
Stretch fabrics
The variety of stretch materials is endless and its sewing possibilities are never-ending. From cotton jersey to mesh stretch, knit fabrics, stretch broadcloth and stretch velvet fabrics, they are commonly used for t-shirts, body-con dresses, swimwear, and leggings. Stretch fabrics are made with a blend of natural and synthetic fibres like spandex, lycra, and elastane.
Prints
There are a zillion types of printed fabrics and they come in so many amazing patterns. With printed fabrics, a sewing enthusiast’s creativity can hit the sky. The variety of prints on many different types of fabrics includes African prints, plaid, charmeuse prints, sheer prints and canvas prints. Their patterns are from soft and muted to bold and vibrant. The best quality prints are those whose colours are bonded with the fabric’s fibre.
Sequined fabrics
Sequined textiles are true luxury fabrics that come in a variety of patterns, colours, shapes, and styles. They are glitzy and sparkling and are great for both apparel and fashion accessories. They also make great tops, dresses, evening wear, and special occasion wear. Sequin fabrics come in a variety of designs that include mermaid sequins, circle sequins, piano and square, and two-tone types.
Linen
Everyone loves linen fabrics. It is durable and long-lasting and is made from natural flax fibres. Because linen is a highly absorbent fabric, it can be worn even in hot and humid conditions. It comes in a variety of colours, weaves, and textures and is used extensively in the fashion and apparel industry. Linen is also used for a variety of purposes asides from the clothing industry. These include textile-based home furnishings, as well as lamp shades and linen.
Nylon
Nylon is a thin silky fabric that is another popular fabric used for apparel, lingerie, outdoor gear, and home décor items too. It is a synthetic man-made material that is durable and weather resistant. Nylon has similar properties to polyester but is more expensive because of its production process. Nylon fabrics come in an assortment of categories which include nylon netting, tulle, metallic, lame, and stretch.
Silk
Silk is one of the most luxurious of textiles. Pure silk fabrics are made from some of the finest silk fibres derived from silkworm cocoons. There is some variety of silk fibres depending on the worm that produces it. Charmeuse silk is a luxury fabric and is one of the most expensive of all silk fabrics. Others are chiffon, silk dupioni, silk embroidery fabric, and silk Shantung, which features a slight stiffness that adds structure to the material. Silk is often used to make stylish clothing, ball gowns, bridal wear, suits, and special occasion garments.
Cotton
100% Cotton fabrics are the top choice of designers in the apparel industry. The other popular categories include denim, cotton blends, cotton broadcloth, cotton duck canvas, cotton lace fabric, cotton twill, terry cloth, muslin, and cotton voile. Cotton fabrics come in both solids and prints and are used extensively to produce clothing, fashion accessories, sportswear, lingerie, t-shirts, and socks. One great quality that cotton fibres have is that they can be woven to create other fabric types like chambray, velvet, flannel, corduroy, brocade, and jersey.
Velvet
Velvet is a luxury fabric that was traditionally constructed entirely from silk fibres, but this pure velvet is rare and very costly. Today, most velvet of choice is made from cotton, mohair, or wool but the downside of these types is that the fabrics often result in a less lustrous look. Being one of the softest and smoothest to the touch, this high-quality fabric has a touch of elegance. It can be used in a variety of ways; for instance, in clothing apparel, footwear, ladies’ handbags, jackets, and many more. It is one of the most preferred fabrics of fashion designers.
Novelty fabrics
Novelty fabrics have the most assorted collections and can be used in so many ways with endless design possibilities. Fabrics that fall under the category of novelty textiles include lame, faux fur, corded materials, brushed cotton, metallic fabrics, and beaded and sequin fabrics. They are typically designed with quirky patterns, unique textures, animal prints, famous characters, and photo images. Novelty fabrics are used extensively for fashion and apparel, fashion accessories, sewing fabrics for casual wear, sporty wear, and much more.