Kinds of Fabrics and Their Features

Fabrics are of different kinds and fall in different categories. Fabric comes in two kinds – natural and man-made. As the name suggests natural fabric comes from nature. Its sources are silkworm cocoons, animal coats and different part of a plant, i.e., seeds, leaves and stems. The category of natural fabric holds a long list of its kind.

Cotton – Used mostly in summer, cotton is soft and comfortable. Did you happen to know that cotton is the most breathable fabric? It absorbs moisture, which makes it breathable.

Silk – Silk is the smoothest and highly preferred fabric. It is also the strongest natural fiber. One of its many features is that it can be easily dyed because of its high absorbency. Due to its ability to absorb moisture, it is also great for summer. It does not wrinkle or loses its shape.

Wool – The thing that keeps us alive even in harsh winter otherwise we crumble to death. Wool also absorbs and releases which makes it breathable. It is warm because of being an insulator. It does not catch dirt easily, so there is no need to wash it every time you wear it. It is strong and cannot be torn easily. It is also dirt and flame resistant. Wool is strongest when it is dry.

Denim – It weighs heavy. Denim is high in fashion. Denim jacket, pants, and jeans are more preferred by people. It is made from tightly woven cloth and like most of the fabric is also breathable. It lasts longer than regular cotton. Denim due to its thickness demands to be ironed at a high temperature to get rid of all the fold marks and creases.

Velvet – You can call velvet a subdivision of fabric because it does come out of something directly, but is made of different fabrics like rayon, cotton, silk to name a few. It is thick and warm and is of great comfort in winter. It is also durable. Velvet requires special care and proper handling. And remember that not all of them can be washed in the washing machine. It is better to check the instructions first.

Besides these, other natural fabrics are leather, terry cloth, linen, corduroy, etc.

Synthetic fabrics

The fiber of synthetic fabric either comes directly from inorganic materials or organic materials combined with chemicals. Its fiber comes from glass, ceramic, carbon, etc.

Nylon – Nylon is quite strong. Because it is stretchable in nature nylon regain its shape and is also durable. The fibers in nylon are smooth which makes it easy to dry. It also weighs less than other fibers. Unlike natural fabric, it does not absorb moisture which makes it unbreathable. It will cause sweat and is not good for summers.

Polyester – This synthetic fabric is also strong and stretchable. Polyester cannot absorb moisture except for microfiber. It also does not get wrinkled.

Other synthetic fibers are spandex, rayon, acetate, acrylic, polar fleece etc.