Aside from construction, another main factor that decides a men’s suit’s quality, and the cost is the fabric. Elegant suit fabric means it feels better, holds its shape for longer, and looks much better for its lifespan. It’s no surprise why such fabrics are more expensive than their lower-quality counterparts.
With a lot of different fabrics available in the market, it’s easy for someone to become spoiled for choice when getting a suit! Therefore, this article deals specifically with different suit fabrics types. Whether you buy yours off the rack or made to measure, knowing the different types of suit fabric can be particularly handy.
Suit Fabric Types
Wool
Most common men’s suit fabric, wool, provides a lot of benefits, such as breaths easily, resists wrinkling, flame-resistant and water-resistant, and tailors well. It does not only make you feel good but will also keep you warm during winter and ventilate you during summer.
Linen
Popular summertime fabric, linen, comes from a flax plant, which means it’s also vegan. In addition to being a vegan, linen is one of the oldest fabrics in existence and is also one of the most commonly used. It’s expensive, but it can be justified by its benefits. Linen breathes easily, and even though it wrinkles easily, the wrinkling part is part of the fabric’s charm.
Cotton
Cotton is the fabric of our lives, yet a little tougher to find than wool suits. Less expensive than both wool and linen, high-end quality cotton suits can be pulled off effortlessly in either office environments and celebratory events such as weddings and the likes.
Silk
Nowadays, you’d hardly see a 100% silk suit. That sort of thing is usually limited to prominent people such as the likes of Prince Charles. Silk is more likely to be seen as part of a suit’s fabrication. It is sometimes used in high-end suit linings, but silk should be done only if the customer is keen on a lining’s design.
Mohair
Made from the angora goat's hair, mohair is quite similar to wool. The difference is that it has a little touch of a shine to it than the latter. Mohair is also known for a bite to its hand, which means it is a bit of scratchiness. However, it performs well and is wrinkling-resistant like no other fabric.
Vicuña
Refers to a piece of fabric and llama from which that fabric is harvested, vicuña, is like cashmere on steroids. Lives in the Andes, vicuña is a llama relative that is raised specifically for its coat. Plus, they also produce small amounts of superfine wool that is the warmest and softest in its class.
