Shiri Gil
July 13, 2024
Is a Hand Feel Enough for Choosing the Right Fabric for Your Product
5 Minutes read
In the world of fashion and textiles, the allure of a fabric often begins with a single touch. For many designers and industry experts, the initial hand feel can tell a lot about a fabric's potential. But is this physical assessment sufficient to make an informed decision about the right fabric for your product? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
While the hand feel of a fabric provides an immediate sense of its texture and softness, it falls short in offering a complete understanding of the material's properties. Here’s why relying solely on hand feel can be misleading:
While experts who have been handling fabrics for years can gain a good sense of a fabric's qualities through hand feel, it doesn't provide critical data about durability, breathability, or how the fabric behaves under different conditions. For instance, a fabric that feels soft and luxurious might not hold up well after repeated washing or might have poor ability to pull moisture away from the skin (moisture-wicking). These are essential aspects that are difficult to distinguish by touch alone, and they can significantly impact the price and behavior of the fabric.
The perception of a fabric’s hand feel is highly subjective. What feels smooth and comfortable to one person might feel too slick or flimsy to another. This subjectivity can lead to inconsistent choices, especially when scaling production for a diverse customer base. Although experts with extensive experience can recognize certain qualities of a fabric, their opinions can still vary, leading to potential inconsistencies in fabric selection.
The Necessity of Comprehensive Fabric Analysis
Fabrics have a range of technical characteristics that are essential for making an informed choice.
Weave\Knit Type: When selecting fabric for a new clothing line, many designers and manufacturers rely heavily on the hand feel of the material. While tactile sensation is undeniably important, understanding the weave or knit type can be equally critical, especially in less obvious ways.
Consider a scenario where a designer is creating an athletic wear line. The designer chooses a fabric based solely on its soft and smooth hand feel, assuming it will be perfect for high-performance activities. However, without recognizing the specific knit type, they might overlook a crucial factor: moisture management.
Two fabrics might feel very similar to the touch but behave very differently when put to the test in real-world conditions. For instance, a plain jersey knit and a mesh knit might both feel soft and comfortable. However, their performance during intense physical activity can differ significantly.
Jersey Knit: This type of knit is typically smooth and stretchy, providing a comfortable fit. However, it might not offer the best moisture-wicking properties, which are crucial for keeping athletes dry and comfortable during workouts.
Mesh Knit: On the other hand, a mesh knit, with its open, airy structure, can provide superior breathability and moisture management. It allows for better airflow and quicker drying times, which are essential for activewear.
By recognizing and understanding the weave or knit type, the designer can make an informed decision that considers not just the initial hand feel but also the fabric's performance characteristics. This ensures the final product meets the specific needs of its intended use, leading to higher customer satisfaction and better overall product performance.
Thread Count (for Wovens) or Courses and Wales (for Knits): Thread count in wovens, such as bedsheets, indicates the fabric's density and (usually) quality. Higher thread counts typically mean a finer, smoother fabric. In knits, the configuration of courses and wales affects the fabric's elasticity and strength. For instance, a higher density of courses and wales can provide better elasticity and durability, making it suitable for activewear.
Yarn and Fabric Weight: The weight of the yarns and the overall fabric weight are also important. Heavier fabrics are generally more durable and can affect the final product's cost. Understanding the weight can help determine the fabric's suitability for different applications, such as heavy-duty workwear versus lightweight summer clothing.
To truly understand a fabric’s suitability for a specific product, a more comprehensive analysis is important.
With a growing emphasis on efficiency, it’s important to look at the environmental impact of fabric production. This includes the sourcing of raw materials, manufacturing processes, and the end-of-life recyclability of the fabric. Therefore, making the process more efficient and precise will reduce the carbon footprint of the fabric production and supply chain.
While a single hand feel may not suffice, swatches have traditionally played a valuable role in the fabric selection process by providing a preliminary assessment of color, texture, and pattern. Swatches are essential tools, but their role can be greatly enhanced with advanced technological tools and data-driven insights.
Instead of waiting days for suppliers to send a large batch of swatches, new tools like fabricDNA streamline the process. fabricDNA empowers professionals by analyzing and testing swatches more efficiently. This technology allows for rapid, precise identification of the most relevant swatches, ensuring you get exactly what you need on the first try. This blend of traditional swatch use with innovative technology significantly boosts efficiency and accuracy in fabric selection.
Leveraging Technology
Advancements in technology have revolutionized fabric selection. Digital platforms and AI-powered tools can analyze fabric properties, suggest what the fabric is good for, where to find suppliers for it, and the fabric price with different suppliers.
As mentioned here, there are tools offering data-driven insights that go way beyond the hand feel. These technologies enhance the traditional fabric selection and sourcing processes by quickly and accurately identifying the fabric one needs and searching for it automatically. This integration helps designers and development teams make more informed decisions efficiently, reducing the reliance on receiving multiple physical swatches and ensuring you get the swatch that truly meets your needs right from the start.
As we embrace the future of fabric sourcing and selection, it’s important to empower hand feel, respecting old methods and experience, and blending tradition with innovation.
