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The fabric journal

Read the material.
Develop the garment.

Clear buying guidance for knitted dyed fabrics, ready-to-wear development and the process from cotton to colour.

Explore garment applications ↗

The application library

One material decision.
Many possibilities.

Explore ten collections and 500 garment-specific guides on fabric selection, weight, colour, care and production briefs.

The reading room

Find your next
fabric decision.

28 connected guides: fourteen garment application articles, eight process videos and six textile foundations. Search by garment, process or buying question.

28 guides

AI-generated grey heather T-shirt beside a loose jersey cutting

T-shirts & tops

Build a T-shirt range around fabric decisions, not weight alone

Separate core, fitted and streetwear material briefs; compare actual catalogue records and the source planning targets.

Read the guide ↗
AI-generated concept of a royal-blue piqué polo shirt inspired by the real fabric reference

Polos & uniforms

Source a polo as a coordinated fabric-and-component brief

Connect the piqué body, collar, placket, trims and decoration without confusing a fabric quotation with a garment offer.

Read the guide ↗
AI-generated ivory hoodie beside a loopback fabric swatch

Sweatshirts & lounge

Plan a hoodie and sweatshirt capsule without confusing fleece routes

Compare loopback, unbrushed and brushed records, then coordinate hood, pocket, rib and garment approvals.

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AI-generated concept of a red jersey wrap dress inspired by the real fabric reference

Dresses & ribwear

Develop a knit dress with drape, coverage and pattern working together

A practical route through long panels, opening construction, movement, coverage and a controlled sewn sample.

Read the guide ↗
Orange knitted fabric draped in soft folds

Colour & process

Garment dyeing and dyed fabric: write the right manufacturing brief

Identify the colour-development stage and the responsible partners before assigning a catalogue article to a garment-dye plan.

Read the guide ↗
Coloured fabric sample swatches arranged on a dark surface

Activewear

An activewear fabric match needs more than a performance label

Compare the source legging target with PF-121 and turn performance expectations into specific development questions.

Read the guide ↗
Worker examining fabric at an illuminated inspection machine

Kids & development

Prepare a baby and children’s knit-fabric brief with the product scope clear

Keep age, construction, components, source alternatives and destination review visible in the material handover.

Read the guide ↗
Stacks of pink, green and blue printed fabric panels

T-shirts & tops

Give a graphic T-shirt a fabric-and-artwork approval plan

Connect the substrate, artwork revision, placement and decorated trial rather than approving a mockup alone.

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Blue knitted fabric in the existing material archive

T-shirts & tops

Develop long-sleeve jersey tops as their own sampling programme

Keep lighter and heavyweight targets separate, then review sleeves, cuffs, layering and the accepted garment record.

Read the guide ↗
AI-generated front-view concept of racerback top

T-shirts & tops

Build a tank-top brief around openings, binding and fabric identity

Separate the source cotton, racerback and poly-viscose targets; connect body fabric with the complete opening construction.

Read the guide ↗
Laboratory equipment

Activewear

A sports-bra fabric enquiry starts with the complete support system

Keep construction, material targets, component review and evidence for finished-product claims distinct.

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Worker beside circular knitting equipment

Dresses & ribwear

Coordinate rib bodies, neckbands and cuffs without assuming they are one material

Distinguish body and trim roles, read the recorded rib routes and retain the accepted material combination.

Read the guide ↗
Fibre sliver and preparation equipment from the existing archive

Materials & evidence

Keep organic and recycled material targets connected to evidence

Connect the intended claim with the actual proposal and required supporting documents without inventing certification.

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Fan of coloured knitted fabric swatches

Materials & evidence

Compare cotton, viscose-elastane and modal-elastane jersey through the garment

Choose the sample question first, then compare actual composition, weight, construction and garment results.

Read the guide ↗
Yarn sliver in the existing production archive

Process & buying

Before the knitting machine: write a yarn-aware fabric brief

Turn a garment idea into a fabric enquiry with clear material requirements.

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Circular knitting machines on the existing mill floor

Process & buying

Read the knit structure before you choose the silhouette

Compare constructions against the silhouette, surface and sample questions that matter.

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Blue fabric rolls in the existing mill archive

Process & buying

GSM and usable width: the fabric costing conversation

Put weight, usable width and garment consumption on the same costing sheet.

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Colour evaluation equipment in the existing laboratory archive

Process & buying

Review a lab dip without losing the colour brief

Keep targets, submissions and approval comments connected throughout development.

Read the guide ↗
Wide view of dyeing equipment

Process & buying

From approved colour to a controlled bulk-fabric handover

Connect the approved colour to the bulk order, component review and release record.

Read the guide ↗
Red fabric passing through finishing equipment

Process & buying

Approve the finish with the care routine in view

Review hand, intended care and a representative garment before committing to the finish.

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Packed fabric

Process & buying

Keep roll identity intact from receiving to the cutting table

Keep material identifiers useful when fabric moves from receiving to cutting.

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Fabric handling and folding in the existing mill archive

Process & buying

What a sewn sample should answer before a fabric order

Give each sewn sample a specific decision to resolve before ordering fabric.

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Rows of fibre cans and preparation machinery

Textile foundations

From Cotton to Yarn: What Knitted Fabric Buyers Should Specify

A practical introduction to cotton preparation, yarn terminology and the questions that make fabric quotations easier to compare.

Read the guide ↗
A fan of knitted fabric swatches in several colours

Textile foundations

Jersey, Rib or Interlock? Choosing a Knit Structure

Choose a construction by how the garment should fit, move and look, then validate that choice with a representative sample.

Read the guide ↗
Fabric colour swatches arranged in a fan

Textile foundations

From Lab Dip to Bulk: A Clearer Colour Approval Process

Clear colour references and documented approvals help buyers and suppliers discuss the same shade at every stage.

Read the guide ↗
A wide red fabric sheet moving through mill machinery

Textile foundations

Finishing and Shrinkage: What to Agree Before Bulk Fabric

Go beyond “pre-shrunk” and “soft finish” with measurable requirements, representative samples and an agreed care procedure.

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Blue fabric rolled and folded on a shelf

Textile foundations

Choosing Fabric GSM and Composition for Your Garment

Use GSM as one part of a complete fabric brief, alongside composition, construction, width, finish and end use.

Read the guide ↗
An operator examining fabric on an illuminated inspection table

Textile foundations

From Fabric Sample to Finished Garment: A Buyer’s Checklist

A practical sequence for turning an approved fabric swatch into a documented garment and bulk-production specification.

Read the guide ↗

Before you contact the mill

Start with the requirements you know. Bring a reference sample for the details still to be developed.

What should I include in a wholesale fabric enquiry?

Include the end use, construction, composition, finished GSM, usable width, colours and estimated quantity by colour. Add your destination market, required timing and any tests or documentation you need. If you have a reference sample, describe which qualities should be matched.

How do I choose between jersey, rib and interlock?

Start with the garment’s fit, silhouette and use. Compare representative samples for appearance, handle and performance, then validate the preferred construction in a sewn sample. Our construction guide explains the main distinctions.

Can I approve fabric colour from a screen?

Treat on-screen colours as illustrative. Agree a physical reference, relevant viewing conditions and any instrumental assessment with the supplier before colour approval.

Is GSM enough to specify a knitted fabric?

No. Include composition, construction, finished width, colour, finish and performance requirements. GSM describes mass per area, not the complete behaviour of the material.

From shortlist to quotation

Bring the details.
We’ll talk fabric.

A useful first conversation starts with your garment, your colours and your quantities.

Build your fabric quoteDiscuss your requirements ↗Download a fabric brief · CSV ↗
01

The fabric

End use, article or construction, composition, finished weight and usable width.

02

The colour & quantity

ALK codes, a textile reference or your sample, with kilograms for each colour.

03

The destination

Delivery country, requested timing and any required tests or documents.

Sampling, lab-dip approval and commercial terms are agreed before production. Garment making is a separate step.