Login

Country

Cart

Your cart is empty
Fabric Types For Female Appearl

56 Types Of Fabric For Women Clothing

I write complete list of fabric types For Women Clothing. I give definitions, uses, and I add types or history where that helps. The last line links back to the first idea because a good fabric choice always starts with purpose and ends with performance.

List of fabric types:

  • Silk

  • 80g raw silk

  • Ramen Silk

  • Wool

  • Merino Wool

  • Organza

  • Silk organza

  • Net

  • Crepe

  • Lawn

  • Cotton

  • Pima Cotton

  • Supima Cotton

  • Cotton Fleece

  • Organic Cotton

  • Karandi

  • Chiffon

  • Tissue

  • Velvet

  • Linen

  • Canvas

  • Cashmere

  • Chenille

  • Corduroy

  • Slubbed Fabric

  • Crêpe

  • Damask

  • Georgette

  • Gingham

  • Jersey

  • Lace

  • Leather

  • Modal

  • Muslin

  • Polyester

  • Satin

  • Spandex (Lycra/Elastane)

  • Suede

  • Taffeta

  • Toile

  • Tweed

  • Twill

  • Viscose

  • Terry Cloth

  • Sherpa

  • Faux Fur

  • Denim

  • French Terry

  • Pique

  • Chambray

  • Neoprene

  • Poplin

  • Calico

  • Flannel

  • Oxford

  • Felt

Silk

Silk is a fine filament-based fabric valued for drape and sheen.
Designers use it for dresses, blouses, saris, and occasion wear.
It is produced from silkworm cocoons, primarily Bombyx mori.
Key types include charmeuse, habotai, dupioni, and satin weaves.
Sericulture dates back over 4,000 years in China.

80g raw silk

80g raw silk refers to a lightweight plain-weave silk around 80 g/m².
I use it for summer blouses, scarves, and soft linings.
It is woven from silk filaments; weight targets breathability and drape.
Weights relate to GSM or momme in silk trading guidance.
Merchants standardize weight so buyers match fabric to use.

Ramen Silk

Ramen silk is a trade term used by retailers for a slightly stiff, dyeable silk with good fall.
It suits dresses, shirts, and trousers that need structure and clean lines.
It is described as an Indian tussar-silk based fabric, finished for breathability.
Vendors position it as a local alternative to pricier imported silks. 
Naming is commercial rather than historical.

Wool

Wool is a crimped, insulating fabric known for warmth and resilience.
I pick it for coats, suits, knitwear, and winter dresses.
It comes from sheep fleece; fiber scales help moisture management.
Types include worsted, woolen, flannel, and felted finishes.
History tracks from pastoral cultures to modern mills.

Merino Wool

Merino wool is a fine-grade wool with soft hand and low itch.
It serves base layers, sweaters, and travel wear.
It is sourced from Merino sheep; micron counts often sit near 17–21.
Common variants include jersey knits and ultrafine suiting.
Merino rose through Australian and New Zealand breeding programs.

Organza

Organza is a crisp, sheer plain-weave fabric with a firm hand.
It shapes gowns, overlays, and couture volume control.
It is woven from silk or polyester filaments.
Types include stiffer nylon organza and softer silk organza.
It evolved from Chinese filament weaving into European couture.

Silk organza

Silk organza names organza woven strictly from silk filaments.
I use it for bridal layers and structured ruffles with lightness.
It is reeled silk in a high-twist, open plain weave.
Variants include double-width bridal and embroidered organza.
Its couture status grew in mid-20th-century fashion houses.

Net

Net is an open-mesh fabric with geometric holes.
It builds veils, dupattas, overlays, and dancewear.
It is made from nylon, polyester, or silk.
Types include bobbinet, fishnet, and hexagonal tulle.
Net making expanded with mechanized lacemaking.

Crepe

Crepe is a fabric with pebbled surface from high-twist yarns.
I use it for dresses that need fluid movement and matte depth.
It is made from silk, polyester, or wool with S/Z twist balance.
Types include crepe de chine and marocain.
Crepe gained popularity in 1920s daywear.

Lawn

Lawn is a fine, smooth plain-weave, usually cotton.
Designers choose it for summer suits, kurtas, and tunics.
It is made from combed cotton or cotton blends.
Types include Swiss lawn and printed lawn.
Colonial trade spread lawn from Europe to South Asia.

Cotton

Cotton is a staple cellulose fabric known for comfort and breathability.
I rely on it for everyday dresses, shirts, and separates.
It is made from Gossypium seed fibers, spun and woven or knitted.
Types include combed, carded, and mercerized grades.
Cotton powered global mills from the 18th century onward.

Pima Cotton

Pima cotton is extra-long staple cotton with higher strength.
It supports crisp shirting and premium tees.
It is grown mainly in the Americas from G. barbadense.

Supima Cotton

Supima is the licensed U.S. ELS subset of Pima.
I pick it for luxury knit tops and bedsheets.
It is 100% American-grown ELS cotton with certified supply.

Cotton Fleece

Cotton fleece is a brushed knit with soft pile on the back.
It works for hoodies, joggers, and cozy loungewear.
It uses cotton yarns; blends may add polyester for recovery.

Organic Cotton

Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides by standard.
I use it where low-impact inputs matter.
It is the same fiber class as cotton, certified by schemes like GOTS.

Karandi

Karandi is a winter-suitable South Asian fabric with a rustic, thick hand.
It dresses formal suits and embroidered sets in Pakistan.
Sources describe it as cotton-based, sometimes marketed near “raw silk” aesthetics.
It is woven with heavier yarns for warmth and durability.
Retail literature links its name to fine weaving traditions. 

Chiffon

Chiffon is a lightweight, sheer plain weave with slight grit from twist.
It builds airy dupattas, layers, and evening dresses.
It is made from silk or polyester filaments.
Types include silk chiffon and poly chiffon.
It rose in early 20th-century Paris fashion.

Tissue

Tissue is a lightweight silk or organza base interlaced with metallic yarns for glow.
I reach for it in sarees, festive dupattas, and formal tops.
It is made from silk or organza with zari or metallic polyester in the weft.
Banarasi tissue is the best-known subtype in South Asia.
Its craft history ties to Varanasi weaving guilds.

Velvet

Velvet is a pile fabric with dense upright fibers and rich depth.
It elevates jackets, evening dresses, and festive sets.
It is woven from silk, rayon, or polyester with a cut-pile.
Types include silk velvet, devoré, and stretch velvet.
Velvet workshops flourished in Renaissance Italy.

Linen

Linen is a bast-fiber fabric prized for cool touch and strength.
I use it for summer dresses, suits, and shirts.
It is made from flax stalk fibers.
Types include Irish linen and handkerchief linen.
Linen dates to ancient Egypt and Mediterranean trade.

Canvas

Canvas is a firm plain weave built for strength.
It serves outerwear, bags, and utility skirts.
It is made from cotton or linen, sometimes blended with poly.
Types include duck canvas and waxed canvas.
Sailmaking traditions shaped its properties.

Cashmere

Cashmere is a fine undercoat fiber from cashmere goats.
It fits luxury sweaters, scarves, and refined coats.
It is dehaired goat down with very low micron counts.
Grades vary by origin and processing.
Nomadic herders in Central Asia started this trade.

Chenille

Chenille is a soft, caterpillar-pile effect fabric from fuzzy yarns.
Designers use it for cozy tops and cardigans.
It is made by weaving or knitting with chenille yarns.
Types include cotton chenille and synthetic blends.
It spread with modern yarn engineering.

Corduroy

Corduroy is a cut-pile fabric with longitudinal wales.
It suits trousers, skirts, and jackets with texture.
It is cotton-based, woven then sheared into ridges.
Counts include pinwale and wide-wale.
Industrial looms popularized it in the 19th century.

Slubbed Fabric

Slubbed fabric features intentional thick-thin yarn texture.
I use it to add surface interest to simple silhouettes.
It is made from cotton, linen, silk, or blends.
Types include slub jersey and slub chambray.
Early hand-spun yarns inspired the look.

Crêpe

Crêpe is the French-spelled family related to crepe.
It delivers matte, springy drape for dresses and blouses.
It is produced with high-twist yarns in silk, wool, or synthetics.
Subtypes mirror crepe de chine and georgette styles.
Fashion houses adopted it for day-to-night wear.

Damask

Damask is a reversible jacquard with pattern from weave contrast.
I use it for statement jackets and occasion skirts.
It is made from silk, cotton, or viscose.
Types include single and double damask.
Origins trace to Damascus trade routes.

Georgette

Georgette is a sheer, crêpe-textured fabric with bounce.
It works for tiered dresses and ruffled sleeves.
It is made from silk or polyester with high twist.
Variants include stretch georgette.
It is named after French dressmaker Georgette de la Plante.

Gingham

Gingham is a balanced plain weave with check patterns.
It gives crisp shirts, dresses, and aprons.
It is cotton or cotton-blend yarn-dyed cloth.
Checks include micro, medium, and picnic scale.
It spread from Southeast Asian trade into Europe.

Jersey

Jersey is a single-knit fabric with natural stretch.
I rely on it for tees, dresses, and soft separates.
It is cotton, viscose, wool, or polyester knit.
Types include single jersey and interlock.
It was named after the Channel Island jersey trade.

Lace

Lace is an openwork fabric forming motifs without full ground.
It trims blouses, sleeves, and bridal layers.
It is made by knitting, crocheting, or machine-making from silk, cotton, or nylon.
Types include chantilly, guipure, and corded lace.
Bobbin lace traditions shaped European styles.

Leather

Leather is tanned animal hide shaped for durability.
Designers use it for jackets, skirts, and accessories.
It comes from cow, sheep, goat, and more.
Finishes include aniline, nubuck, and patent.
Tanning moved from vegetable methods to chrome in the 19th century.

Modal

Modal is a high-wet-modulus rayon noted for softness.
It builds drapey tees and loungewear.
It is made from beechwood cellulose via regenerated processes.
Types include micro-modal knits.
It was developed to improve rayon’s wet strength.

Muslin

Muslin is a plain-weave cotton with soft hand.
I use it for toiles, linings, and breezy dresses.
It is made from carded or combed cotton.
Grades range from cheesecloth to fine muslin.
Bengal muslins were famed for fineness.

Polyester

Polyester is a durable, easy-care synthetic fabric.
It suits dresses, blouses, linings, and blends.
It is polymerized from petrochemical monomers.
Types include microfiber and recycled PET versions.
It rose with mid-20th-century polymer science.

Satin

Satin is a weave that gives a smooth, lustrous face.
I use it for occasion dresses and bias-cut skirts.
It is woven from silk, polyester, or acetate filaments.
Types include charmeuse and duchess satin.
Weave origins date to medieval trade hubs.

Spandex (Lycra/Elastane)

Spandex is an elastic fiber adding stretch and recovery.
It supports body-skimming dresses and sportswear.
It is made from segmented polyurethane chemistry.
Blends range from 2% to 20% content.
Commercial adoption began in the 1960s.

Suede

Suede is the soft, napped underside of split leather.
It works for skirts, jackets, and trims.
It is produced from animal hides with a sanded surface.
Variants include goat suede and synthetic microsuede.
It entered fashion via glove-making crafts.

Taffeta

Taffeta is a crisp, smooth plain weave with paper-like rustle.
It shapes fit-and-flare dresses and formal skirts.
It is woven from silk or synthetic filaments.
Types include shot taffeta and moiré finishes.
Historic luxury mills popularized it in evening wear.

Toile

Toile is a plain-weave cloth often printed with scenic motifs.
It suits dresses, tops, and light jackets with story prints.
It is cotton or linen base cloth.
Types include toile de Jouy and monochrome repeats.
French printworks set the classic look.

Tweed

Tweed is a textured woolen, often heathered or speckled.
I use it for jackets, skirts, and suits.
It is made from carded wool in twill or plain variations.
Types include Harris and Donegal tweed.
It grew from British Isles countryside wear.

Twill

Twill is a diagonal-rib weave known for durability.
It supports suiting, chinos, and robust dresses.
It is made from cotton, wool, silk, or blends.
Types include herringbone and gabardine.
Twill structures dominate workwear history.

Viscose

Viscose is a regenerated cellulose fabric with soft drape.
It serves dresses, blouses, and linings.
It is made by dissolving wood pulp and regenerating fibers.
Types include high-tenacity and filament viscose.
It is the earliest commercial rayon.

Terry Cloth

Terry cloth is a loop-pile fabric with high absorbency.
I use it for resort dresses, cover-ups, and robes.
It is made from cotton or cotton-rich blends.
Types include french terry and full terry.
Turkey and France refined loop-pile weaving.

Sherpa

Sherpa is a knit or pile fabric with fluffy face and smooth back that mimics shearling.
It lines jackets, hoodies, and winter accessories.
It is typically polyester or acrylic with pile construction.
Modern definitions note synthetic composition and sheepskin-like look. 
The term shifted from original shearling to synthetic fleece in mass market. 

Faux Fur

Faux fur is a plush pile fabric imitating animal fur.
It delivers statement coats and trims without animal hides.
It is knitted or woven from polyester or acrylic.
Types include long-pile and shearling-effect.
Post-1960s advances made it widely available.

Denim

Denim is a sturdy cotton twill with indigo warp.
I use it for jeans, dresses, and jackets.
It is made from ring-spun or open-end cotton yarns.
Types include raw, stretch, and selvedge.
American mills scaled it for workwear, then fashion.

French Terry

French terry is a knit with smooth face and looped back.
It supports sweat dresses and lounge sets.
It is made from cotton or cotton-poly blends.
Variations include lightweight and heavy loop.
Sportswear brands pushed it to daily wear.

Pique

Pique is a textured knit or woven with waffle or cord effects.
It works for polos, dresses, and structured tops.
It is made from cotton or blends.
Types include honeycomb and cord pique.
Its tennis heritage drove the polo shirt.

Chambray

Chambray is a plain weave with colored warp and white weft.
I cut it for shirts, shirt-dresses, and light skirts.
It is cotton or lyocell-blend cloth.
Types include indigo and pastel chambrays.
It offers denim look with lighter weight.

Neoprene

Neoprene is a synthetic rubber fabric with body and bounce.
It sculpts modern dresses and statement skirts.
It is made from polychloroprene foam laminated to knit.
Types include scuba and lightweight neoprene.
Diving gear tech led to fashion adoption.

Poplin

Poplin is a fine, ribbed plain weave with smooth surface.
It suits shirts, dresses, and uniforms.
It is cotton, polyester, or silk blend.
Types include stretch poplin.
European mills formalized its specs.

Calico

Calico is a plain-weave, unbleached or printed cotton.
I use it for casual dresses and sampling.
It is made from cotton with simple prints or greige finish.
Variants include block-printed calicoes.
Calico trade linked India and Britain.

Flannel

Flannel is a soft, brushed fabric with gentle nap.
It warms shirts, dresses, and pajamas.
It is made from cotton or wool.
Types include yarn-dyed tartan flannel.
Welsh mills shaped its spread.

Oxford

Oxford is a basket-weave shirting with subtle texture.
It builds shirts and shirt-dresses with structure.
It is cotton or cotton-blend yarn-dyed cloth.
Types include pinpoint and royal oxford.
It became the campus standard in the 20th century.

Felt

Felt is a nonwoven fabric formed by matting fibers under heat, moisture, and pressure.
It forms hats, trims, and craft details.
It is made from wool or synthetic fibers.
Types include wool felt and needle-punched felt.
It predates woven textiles in archaeological records.

Got it. Here’s a tight, factual expansion of those questions, with numbers where they help and authoritative sources cited.

What are the Natural fabrics?

Natural fabrics come from plants or animals: cotton, linen, silk, wool, cashmere, hemp, jute, and leather. Typical moisture regain at standard test atmosphere: cotton ~8.5%, linen ~12.4%, silk ~11%, wool ~16%; higher regain links to better vapor buffering next to skin. 

Plant fibers are cellulose; animal fibers are protein. This chemical difference drives dye classes and care. Use when breathability and thermal comfort matter; protein fibers insulate well due to crimp and scale structure in wool. That baseline makes the contrast with manufactured fibers clear next.

What are the Synthetic fabrics?

Synthetics are polymers made from monomers through industrial chemistry. Common examples: polyester, nylon, acrylic, elastane, and neoprene. ISO 2076 lists the generic names used for these fiber families. 

Typical moisture regain is low: polyester ~0.4%, nylon ~4%, acrylic ~1.5%. Low regain means fast dry but more static without finishes. 
Designers use them for durability, wrinkle resistance, stretch, and precise yarn engineering. BISFA and ISO standards underpin the naming and test language the trade relies on. 
Semi-synthetics sit between natural and synthetic and follow next.

What are the Semi-synthetic and special fabrics?

Semi-synthetics are regenerated cellulose fibers: viscose, modal, lyocell. They start as wood pulp and are regenerated into filaments. Modal is the higher wet-modulus subset within rayon families. 
Moisture regain tends to be high for comfort and drape: viscose ~11%, modal often ~13% range. 

Acetate and triacetate are related cellulosics with different chemistry and lower regain.
When the goal is specific hand or silhouette rather than fiber chemistry, blends are the tool, which leads to the next answer.

What are the Blended fabrics?

Blends mix fibers to balance strength, comfort, cost, or care. Typical apparel ratios: 65/35 polyester cotton for easier care; 98/2 cotton elastane for stretch; 90/10 wool nylon for abrasion resistance.

Trade practice and standards such as ISO 1833 govern how blend percentages are verified. Blend design links directly to structure, so weave choice comes next.

What are the Woven fabric types?

Three basics: plain, twill, satin. Plain includes lawn and poplin; twill includes denim, gabardine, herringbone; satin includes charmeuse and duchess. These three cover most constructions; jacquard and dobby add pattern through loom control. Structure affects drape and sheen, which cues the role of nonwovens for support parts and insulation.

5) What are the Non-Woven fabric types?

Nonwovens are engineered webs bonded by mechanical, chemical, or thermal means, not woven or knitted. Apparel-relevant examples: needle-punched felt, fusible interlinings, insulation battings, spunbond and meltblown layers. EDANA’s definition is the industry reference for this class. Special purpose constructions often sit here, which ties to specialty fabrics.

What are the Specialty fabrics?

Specialty refers to function-led materials such as sherpa for warmth, neoprene for sculpted body, faux fur for high loft, and metallic tissue for festive shine. Sherpa and faux fur rely on pile height and fiber type to set warmth-to-weight. Neoprene uses polychloroprene foam laminated to knits. These families connect to a subset people often ask about next.

What are the fuzzy fabrics?

Fuzzy fabrics have nap or pile: sherpa, faux fur, velvet, chenille, flannel, and brushed fleece. The surface increases air trapping and perceived warmth; fiber chemistry and pile length govern weight and care. Since sherpa appears several times, here is the precise definition.

What is the sherpa fabric?

Sherpa is a knit or pile fabric with a fluffy face and smooth back that imitates shearling; common fibers are polyester or acrylic. Trade and reference sources describe modern sherpa as synthetic, used for linings and shells in cold-weather clothing. That texture signals comfort, which links with the next question on softness.

Is soft fabrics used in women clothing?

Yes. Soft fabrics are used in women clothing where low friction and skin comfort matter: tees and base layers in cotton or modal, lounge sets in modal, dresses in viscose or silk, and casual layers in brushed fleece.

High moisture-regain fibers buffer humidity at the skin, which supports comfort in warm and mixed climates. Standards and test vocabulary for regain and conditioning frame these choices in production.
When movement becomes the design goal, drape metrics guide selection.

How flowy fabric used for women dresses?

Flowy fabric is used to achieve low drape coefficient and clean swing in bias-cut gowns, tiered maxis, circle skirts, and gathered blouses. Typical picks include silk crepe, georgette, viscose challis, and lightweight lawn in the 60 to 120 gsm range; lower drape coefficient indicates more flow. The Cusick drape method and the drape coefficient are standard references in testing.