Types of clothing fabrics

In the world of clothing, fabrics are diverse and constantly evolving. However, generally speaking, high-quality, high-end fabrics all share several characteristics: comfortable wear, breathability, drape, luxurious appearance, and soft touch.

Modern clothing worn in formal social settings often uses high-quality blended fabrics. Pure cotton, wool, silk, and linen natural fabrics, due to their inherent drawbacks such as wrinkling and deformation, have become common fabrics and are less used in high-end garments. Blended fabrics combine the breathability and softness of natural fabrics with the durability, drape, luster, and bright colors of synthetic fabrics. A large number of high-quality blended fabrics are developed each year. Sometimes, wearing pure leather garments is also acceptable. Generally, clothing fabrics are divided into two major categories:

Woven fabrics: Mainly used for outerwear and shirts.

Knitted fabrics: Used for underwear and sportswear, but due to technological advancements, knitted fabrics are also developing towards thickness and crispness, gradually leading to the externalization of knitted underwear and knitted fabrics being used in woven styles to supplement outerwear.

With the improvement of modern people's quality of life, their demands for clothing are also increasing. It's no longer just about style and design, but also whether the fabric is comfortable and environmentally friendly.

Data from Zhiyan Research Center shows that rising cotton prices have increased the cost of the entire production chain, forcing price increases across the board. This has, however, created new opportunities for the clothing industry. Upgrades to cotton, such as corn fiber, bamboo fiber, and new plant hemp fibers, are emerging. These bio-based fabrics require less water and pesticides during production than cotton, meeting consumer and societal demands for low-carbon environmental protection.

Garments made from these natural animal and plant materials are called "ecological clothing." These include cotton, linen, silk, wool, and leather, among other new low-carbon, environmentally friendly materials. They use natural animal and plant materials as raw materials and have undergone virus testing and are marked accordingly. Combined with the current "environmental protection trend" and the modern person's desire to return to simplicity, "ecological clothing" is gradually becoming a new trend in fashion. They not only reflect environmental awareness in style and color design, but also use pollution-free natural materials for fabrics, buttons, zippers, and other accessories. From raw material production to processing, they fully consider protecting the ecological environment and avoid using chemical dyeing materials and resins that damage the environment.

Ecological clothing and green clothing have basically the same concept but with slight differences: "Green clothing" mainly refers to green textiles and ecological clothing. Internationally developed and marketed "green textiles" generally have multiple functions such as odor resistance, antibacterial properties, anti-inflammatory effects, UV protection, radiation resistance, and moisture absorption. Such products are still in their infancy in China and are mainly focused on underwear. However, because of their specific beneficial functions for human health, they are popular among consumers.

From the above, we can see that clothing design, whether in terms of fabric or style, not only considers comfort and fashion but also incorporates environmental protection. Low-carbon environmental protection is the future development trend of clothing fabrics.