Fabrics & materials

A very fine, fluffy animal-hair fibre from Angora rabbits, prized for softness and warmth but weak alone, usually blended with wool or nylon.

Dampening or steaming a piece, especially a knit, and pinning it to dry in a set shape and dimension to correct distortion before or after construction.

A knitted or woven wool fabric that has been felted through heat, moisture and agitation, producing a dense, non-fraying fabric that needs no seam finishing.

Rigid or semi-rigid strips, of steel, plastic or historically whalebone, inserted into channels to shape and support structured garments such as corsets and strapless bodices.

A very stiff, heavily sized woven or non-woven fabric used to add rigid structure, notably in hat brims, belts and structured bag panels.

A sheer, lightweight plain-weave fabric made from tightly twisted crepe yarns, giving it a slightly rough, airy hand; slippery and prone to fraying when sewn.

An older term for a very lightweight, smooth plain-weave silk lining fabric similar to habotai, now less common due to its delicacy.

A decorative fastening of intricately knotted cord or braid, with a button-like knot and a loop, traditionally used on Chinese-style and Asian-inspired garments.

A sheer, lightweight crepe-weave fabric with a dull, crinkled surface from tightly twisted alternating S and Z yarns, similar to chiffon but with more texture.

A traditional sew-in interfacing woven partly from horsehair, prized in tailoring for the springy, moldable structure it gives to jacket fronts and collars.

Traditional dyeing process using the blue pigment derived from indigo plants, requiring an oxygen-reducing vat; the fabric turns blue as it oxidises after removal from the dye.

An openwork fabric formed by looping, twisting or knotting threads into a patterned net, ranging from delicate Chantilly to heavy guipure; usually underlined or lined.

Tanned animal hide used as a non-woven material for garments and accessories, sewn without seam allowances left to fray and typically glued or clipped rather than pinned.

A sewing machine needle with a wedge-shaped cutting point that pierces leather and vinyl cleanly rather than tearing the material.

Garment or product design approach that uses a single fibre type throughout fabric, thread, and trims so the finished item can be more easily recycled.

A synthetic rubber sandwiched between fabric layers to form a thick, spongy, water-resistant material with body and structure, used in wetsuits and structured garments.

A stiff, lustrous bast fibre from the ramie plant, resistant to bacteria and shrinkage but low in elasticity, often blended with cotton or linen.

A base fabric, usually mesh or knit, with sequins stitched or glued on in rows, requiring seam allowances to be cleared of sequins before stitching.

A fine, strong, slightly elastic natural filament thread with a subtle sheen, traditionally used for hand basting, tailoring and hand-finishing fine fabrics.

A sew-in interfacing, traditionally a wool and hair blend, used in structured jacket construction to shape and support the chest and lapel through pad stitching.

A fine, run-resistant warp-knit fabric with lengthwise ribs on the face and crosswise ribs on the back, common in lingerie and linings.

A layer of fabric cut from the same pattern pieces as the fashion fabric and attached to its wrong side before construction, adding body, opacity or support without showing.

A woven pile fabric with a dense, short, upright pile giving a soft hand and directional sheen; requires special handling to prevent shifting and crushing when sewn.

A film or fabric-like stabiliser that dissolves in water, used to support delicate or openwork stitching such as lace or cutwork until the stitching is complete.