Why fabric decisions matter more than logo placement
Customers can feel a garment before they can read the label. A 400 gsm heavyweight fleece feels premium the moment they touch it; a 180 gsm tee falls apart after three washes. Fabric choice is the difference between a brand people rebuy from and one they don't.
The fabric types most streetwear and fashion brands use
- French terry (280–380 gsm) — the workhorse for premium hoodies and crewnecks.
- Heavyweight fleece (400–500 gsm) — for luxury or boxy oversized hoodies.
- Cotton jersey (180–260 gsm) — the standard for tees; heavier weights feel more premium.
- Interlock and pique — for polos, retro tees, and cleaner-hand pieces.
- Twill and canvas — for jackets, cargos, and workwear.
- Denim (10–14 oz) — for jeans, jackets, and denim shirts.
- Ripstop and nylon — for outerwear and technical pieces.
What you actually need to spec
- GSM (grams per square metre) — the weight of the fabric.
- Composition — e.g. 100% cotton, 80/20 cotton/poly, cotton/spandex.
- Knit or weave structure — French terry, jersey, twill.
- Colour or Pantone reference for dye lots.
- Finish — brushed, enzyme washed, garment washed, pigment dyed.
Sourcing yourself vs sourcing through a partner
You can source fabric yourself from mills and trade shows. It works — if you have industry contacts, minimum order budget for fabric rolls, warehousing, and the time to chase samples across time zones.
For most founders and even mid-sized brands, sourcing through a full-service manufacturer is faster and cheaper. The manufacturer already has mill relationships, buys fabric in aggregated volume, and can pull swatches in your target GSM within days.
How Fateh Wear sources fabric for you
Tell us the hand-feel, weight, and use case — 'premium heavyweight hoodie, 400 gsm, brushed interior, boxy fit' — and we pull swatches from our mill network. You approve the swatch, we cut and sew your sample from the same lot, you approve the sample, we go to bulk.
No mill hunting, no minimum fabric rolls, no warehousing. Fabric handled as part of the production package.