How does a clothing brand choose its fabrics?
When we buy a new clothing item, we want it to look luxurious and hold its shape and feel for years. Achieving this depends on the fabric’s construction. Fiber content, yarn type, thread density, weave, tensile strength, elongation, seam slippage, shrinkage, pilling, color fastness, abrasion resistance - these technical qualities are carefully tested and documented by reputable fabric mills. Such docs answer essential questions like:
- Will the fabric pill or thin out in high-friction areas?
- Will it fade or shrink after washing and dry cleaning?
- Will it deform under tension such as “bagging knees” or the “fabric weakens around the seams, causing gaps” when worn?
The variety of fabrics is endless. How to choose when the sketch of the future model only indicates the seasonal range of fabric. Cotton? Wool? Viscose? Polyester?
Conceptually, the choice happens well before that - when the manufacturer defines the brand’s values, the real value of future products, and selects the range of fabric classes for clothing. This guides their fabric choices, based mainly on two factors:
1. Price category (low-cost, mid-value, high-end)
2. Fiber origin (synthetic, regenerated cellulosic, natural)
More and more brands also weigh a third factor:
3. Responsible Manufacturing: (Basic Responsibility level, Standard Responsibility level, Full-Compliance Manufacturing).
The Real Value vs. the Price of a garment
We choose items for many reasons: emotional connection, a certain social role, a great fit, or simply to fill a gap in our wardrobe — and rarely stop to consider which elements make up their price. These elements can include:
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design
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fabric
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precise cut
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marketing
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complexity of details
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production level and quality
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principles of sustainability, including fair working conditions and wages
Real value and price are not the same. For example, a shopper sees two identical items from different brands in a store. Does that mean their prices are structured the same way? No. Just because two items share the same price doesn’t mean their value is built the same way. And those stories can be surprisingly different. They seem equal, but inside they hold completely different worlds.
Balancing the cost structure of a product is a true art, involving the harmonious allocation of expenses across three key areas:
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In favor of the product:
The largest share of the cost goes to the product’s quality features — expensive fabrics, original design, precise cut, and hand finishing.
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In favor of the people who make it:
A significant part of the price may cover high sustainability standards: using small factories with transparent processes, ensuring fair working conditions and proper wages throughout the entire production chain.
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In favor of the brand image:
A large portion of the cost is often spent on large-scale advertising campaigns, active media presence, promotion, and maintaining the brand’s status.
There is always some imbalance in the price structure, and over time it will inevitably show in the product’s real value when worn.
The real value of a garment reveals itself over time after the buying. It’s about feeling comfortable wearing it for long hours and moving freely. It’s as if you hardly notice you’re wearing it and don’t count the minutes until you can take it off. With regular wear, the fabric holds its shape, stays dense, doesn’t thin out in high-friction areas, doesn’t pill, and doesn’t develop bagging in high-stress areas. The color keeps its original depth after care. The piece continues to look just as perfect years later as it did on the day you bought it.
To have our expectations met when experiencing the true value of a garment, it’s important to consider how much the brand’s values align with our own. When they do, there’s a good chance the item will truly deliver what we expect from it.
