Acrylic
Manufactured fibre, it is light weight, soft, warm with a wool-like feel. Dyes to bright colours with excellent fastness; machine washable, quick drying and retains its shape well. It is a popular option for knits and a potential choice for the sweater fan that dislikes wearing wool. Commonly used for socks, fleeces and sportswear.

Argyle
A knitting pattern of diamond shapes in various colours against a solid background. Originally a Scottish tartan for the Campbell clan, often seen in socks and sweaters, especially those worn on the fairways.

Cable Knit
A knitting pattern in which cables appear to twist around one another.

Calico
A tightly-woven cotton type fabric with an all-over print, usually a small floral pattern on a contrasting background colour. Common end-uses include dresses, aprons, and quilts.

Canvas
A heavy, durable plain-weave cotton fabric. Once used in tents, boat sails and other serviceable products, this fabric became popular for sportswear, sneakers and bags after WWII and now reflects the ultimate in weekend style.

Cashmere
A luxury fibre obtained from the soft fleecy undergrowth of the Kashmir goat of Tibet, Mongolia, China, Iran, Iraq, and India. Most commonly used in sweaters, shawls, suits and coats.

Chambray
A lightweight cotton fabric with a denim look, which combines a coloured yarn with an undyed yarn in a plain weave. Chambray was originally the fabric choice for the workingman’s blue shirt, hence the term blue-collar worker. Now chambray shirts are a staple in both men’s and women’s sportswear.

Chamois
A cotton fabric with a soft nap that is meant to imitate a type of sueded leather coming from the chamois goat

Chiffon
A plain woven lightweight, extremely sheer, airy, and soft silk feel fabric, containing highly twisted filament yarns. Mainly used in scarves.

Chino
A durable cotton twill that is woven in several weights and can be finished with a smooth, soft, brushed surface. Originally used for summer uniforms by the US Army during their defence of the Chinese in the 1900 Boxer Rebellion. Interestingly, the term chino is actually a misnomer. When the twill was shipped to the army, it arrived in freight boxes stamped with the country of origin; however, the imprint read “Chino” rather than “China,” and the name stuck.

Chintz
A plain-weave fabric, which has been glazed to produce a polished look. Usually made of cotton, this fabric is most commonly used in blouses, dresses, draperies, and slipcovers.

Corduroy
From the French corde du roi, or “king’s cord,” corduroy once uniformed Louis XIV’s outdoor servants. Usually made of cotton, utilizing a cut-pile weave construction. Extra sets of filling yarns are woven into the fabric to form ridges of yarn on the surface. The ridges are built so that clear lines can be seen when the pile is cut. Today, it is a popular sportswear fabric ideal for pants, shirts and sport coats.

Embossing
Sometimes referred to as hot stamping, embossing is a process that punches your design onto the product creating a subtle three-dimensional indentation.  The effect is discreet and exclusive.  It looks very effective on compendiums, leather luggage tags and leather or vinyl business card holders.

Cotton
The soft, fluffy fibres gathered from the seed pods of the cotton plant, or the cloth made from these fibres. First used by the people of India and Egypt 3,000 years ago, cotton is considered to be one of the world’s oldest fabrics. There are several grades of cotton; pima and Sea Island cotton are the best quality.

Cowhide
Known as one of the toughest skins available, depending on the thickness, it can be used for biker jackets in its thickest form or fashion jacket when it is thinner and treated to make it softer. Cowhide is possibly the most versatile skin and is used in many forms. Sometimes the finish is smooth and flat and sometimes bumpy, the commonly used skin and for good reasons.

Denier
A system of measuring the weight of a continuous filament fibre. The lower the number, the finer the fibre; the higher denier the more durable the fabric will be.

Denim
A sturdy cotton twill most commonly woven with an indigo blue yarn and grey or mottled white yarn. During the eighteenth century, American textile mills produced the sturdy fabric for clothes worn by manual labourers. However, not until the 1850s, when a San Francisco dry goods store owner Levi Strauss invented the denim riveted “waist overall” that denim fabric began to become a staple American cloth. Today, denim is constantly being reinvented in new washes, many of which seek to mimic their workman’s roots.

Drill
A hard-wearing cotton fabric woven in a twill. Similar to denim, drill is used for casual clothes, sport shoes and accessories.

Egyptian Cotton
Usually a better-quality cotton fibre produced in Egypt that is stronger and more lustrous than other grades of cotton. A point to remember however, Egyptian cotton is used to refer to any kind of cotton grown in Egypt.

Eyelet
A type of fabric which contains patterned cut-outs, around which stitches or embroidery may be applied in order to prevent the fabric from fraying.

Felt
A non-woven fabric generally made from wool and sometimes in combination with certain manufactured fibres, the fibres are locked together in a process utilizing heat, moisture, and pressure to form a compact material.

Flannel
A medium-weight, plain or twill weave fabric that is typically made from cotton, a cotton blend, or wool. The fabric has a soft feel, it is brushed on both sides to lift the fibre ends out of the base fabric and create a soft, fuzzy surface. Commonly used for shirts and pyjamas.

Fleece
While it always is wool sheared from a sheep, fleece can be either the first coat taken from a lamb, often referred to as the high-quality lamb’s wool, the wool sheared from an adult sheep or a sheep’s hide tanned with the wool intact for use as fur.

Flannelette
Made with the same fibres as flannel however is usually only brushed on one side, and is a lighter weight than flannel. Also commonly used for shirts and pyjamas.

Gringham
A cotton fabric with a chequered pattern, most typically in white and another colour. Named after Guingamp, in Brittany, where the fabric was originally manufactured, gingham has long been associated with tablecloths, aprons and picnic outings it has now become a classic shirting choice reflecting a sophisticated but playful style.

Gore-Tex
A synthetic fabric engineered with a triple-layer membrane to provide an impenetrable barrier against wind and water while maintaining breath ability. Gore-Tex® is used in outerwear and sportswear where functionality is of prime importance.

GSM
This is the weight of a fabric in Grams per Square Meter (GSM).

Harris Tweed
A hand woven tweed fabric made from pure virgin wool in Harris and the Outer Hebrides Islands off the coast of Scotland. Although Harris Tweed® is often imitated, real Harris Tweed® continues to bear the signature orb on its selvage that it has had since its development by Lady Dunmore in the 1840s.

Hemp
A coarse, durable fibre obtained from the inner bark of the hemp plant. Used primarily in twines and most recently apparel.

Herringbone
A twill fabric, usually wool, with a distinctive V pattern. So called because the pattern resembles the skeletal structure of a herring, herringbone has become a true suiting classic.

Houndstooth
A fabric, usually wool, with distinctive broken checks that resemble pinwheels or, as the name implies, the jagged back teeth of a hound. Once a popular fabric for hunting clothes, houndstooth is now a menswear staple used in suits and coats. Also known as a four-and-four check.

Irish Linen
A linen, usually of high quality, produced from a flax grown in Northern Ireland.

Jacquard
Woven fabrics manufactured by using the Jacquard attachment on the loom that allows fabrics of almost any type or complexity are made easily by providing individual control of each of the warp yarns. A French invention from the nineteenth-century by Joseph Marie Jacquard.

Jersey Fabric
The consistent interlooping of yarns in the jersey stitch produces a fabric with a smooth, flat face, and a more textured, but uniform back. Jersey fabrics may be produced on either circular or flat weft knitting machines.

Khaki
Khaki really means a tan colour, but these days, the term also describes a sturdy chino fabric, usually in a tan colour, and a trouser made from cotton. From the Hindu word for “dusty,” khaki was first adopted in the nineteenth century by English soldiers who used it to describe their white uniforms that they had dyed in tea to better camouflage them in the sun-drenched landscape of India. Realizing the shade’s practicality in sunnier climates, the British army developed khaki-coloured uniforms.

Knit
A process of making a fabric or garment with hand- or machine-made interlocking looped stitches. Although knitting dates back to the 1500s when the technique was first used for stockings, the craft didn’t become widely used until the nineteenth century. Many stitches and yarns have since developed, enabling knits to become a part of every aspect of our modern wardrobes, from socks to shirts and sweaters.

Knit Fabrics
Fabrics made from only one set of yarns, all running in the same direction. Some knits have their yarns running along the length of the fabric, while others have their yarns running across the width of the fabric. Knit fabrics are held together by looping the yarns around each other. Knitting creates ridges in the resulting fabric. Wales are the ridges that run lengthwise in the fabric; courses run crosswise.

Lace
A delicate hand- or machine-made decorative fabric created by looping, interlacing or knitting thread in an open weblike pattern. Dating back to the fifteenth century, lace-making developed out of embroidery, becoming an art on its own, out of which many distinctive techniques and patterns evolved. Used in everything from tablecloths to couture wedding gowns, it reflects the utmost in dainty embellishment.

Lamb's Wool
The first clip of wool sheared from lambs up to eight months old. The wool is soft, slippery and resilient. It is used in fine grade woollen fabrics.

Lamb Skin
Considered the most luxurious of skins, lamb skin is definitely the softest and smoothest. Usually used for more of the fashion forward designs, this skin is everything you've ever wanted for a classy stylish look.

Leather
The skin or hide of an animal with the hair removed. It is often dyed and finished by glazing, buffing, embossing or sueding. Leather has found a permanent place in today’s fashion, working its way into everything from shoes and handbags to business accessories. • Top Grade LeatherFull grain leather which has some correction to the surface to smooth out the blemishes that the animal may have developed during its life time.• Genuine LeatherIs a natural fibrous material with a touch, feel, aroma, abrasion resistance and durability which cannot be duplicated. • Koskin / Synthetic Leather lookA cost effective material that has the appearance of leather but comes in rolls. Made from PVC or polyurethane sheets and laminated with fabric backing. • Bonded LeatherGenuine leather fibres are bonded together with latex to create a look very similar to genuine leather. Bonded leather is not as durable as the other cover materials and is recommended for use only if the book will be used infrequently.• Split LeatherAll leather hides have to be split because a hide is too thick to upholster or use in any type of manufacturing. The hide goes into a machine where a blade 'fillets' the hide into two hides. The bottom hide is known as split leather. This hide can be sanded down (corrected) and embossed with a consistent graining pattern to be used on the outside back and sides of sofa for a slight cost savings to achieve certain price points. A split leather is still 100% leather and has all the same finishing treatments as the top grain option. • Nappa Leatheror Napa leather is chrome-tanned, extremely soft and supple and is commonly found in higher quality wallets, toiletry kits, and other personal leather goods.

Linen
A fabric made from linen fibres obtained from inside the woody stem of the flax plant. Linen fibres are much stronger and more lustrous than cotton. Linen fabrics are very cool and absorbent, but wrinkle very easily, unless blended with manufactured fibres. Linen is one of the oldest textile fibres worn by Egyptian, Greek and Jewish priests as a symbol of purity; linen has prestigious, ancient roots. Today, its breathable qualities make it the ideal easy summertime look.

Lycra
A trademark DuPont fibre that has incredible stretch and recovery capabilities. Introduced in 1958, Lycra® is a brand-name spandex that is usually woven with other fibres to provide ease in fabrics. It has a strong presence in contemporary clothing, showing up in everything from underwear and swimwear to sportswear and evening wear.

Merino
A type of wool that originates from pure-bred Merino sheep. The best Merino wool comes from Italy Australia.

Microfibre
The name given to ultra-fine manufactured fibres and the name given to the technology of developing these fibres. Fibres made using microfibre technology, produce fibres which weigh less than 1.0 denier. The fabrics made from these extra-fine fibres provide a superior hand, a gentle drape, and incredible softness. Comparatively, microfibres are two times finer than silk, three times finer than cotton, eight times finer than wool, and one hundred times finer than a human hair. Currently, there are four types of microfibres being produced. These include acrylic microfibres, nylon microfibres, polyester microfibres, and rayon microfibres.

Modal
Modal is essentially a variety of rayon made from reconsituted beech cellulose. It is 50% more water absorbant than cotton though designed to dye easily and is colour fast. Fabric made from modal does not pill or fibrillate like cotton. It is resistant to fading and shrinking.

Mohair
Mohair fibres from the Angora goat. End-uses include sweaters, coats, suits, and scarves.

Mother of Pearl
The lustrous, iridescent lining of an oyster. Often used for buttons and other details to reflect polished style.

Muslin
An inexpensive, medium weight, plain weave, low count (less than 160 threads per square inch) cotton sheeting fabric. In its unfinished form, it is commonly used in fashion design to make trial garments for preliminary fit.

Neoprene
A stretchy rubberized material encased in nylon that offers incredible warmth and insulation. Neoprene is primarily used for diver's wetsuits but has also found its way into many types of active wear.

Nylon
Produced in 1938 by DuPont, the first completely synthetic fibre developed. Known for its high strength and excellent resilience, nylon has superior abrasion resistance and high flexibility. Introduced originally during the 1940s in the form of women's stockings, today, nylon is used in everything from swimwear to outerwear and is often blended with natural fibres to increase durability.

Organza
A crisp, sheer, lightweight plain weave fabric, with a medium to high yarn count, made of silk, rayon, nylon, or polyester.

Pashmina
A feather-light, extremely soft and warm fibre said to rival cashmere that is made out of wool combed from the undercoat of Himalayan mountain goats. From the Indian word for “cashmere,” pashmina has been a status symbol in the East for many centuries, and pashmina shawls and blankets were an essential component of a wealthy woman’s dowry. Today the pashmina shawl has become an essential item, despite its cost, in every woman’s wardrobe.

Pinstripe
Crisp, thin, usually gray or white, evenly spaced lines woven into wools that give suits a classic office elegance.

Pique
A tightly woven fabric with various raised patterns, produced especially by a double warp.

Polyester
A manufactured fibre introduced in the early 1950s, and is second only to cotton in worldwide use. Polyester has high strength (although somewhat lower than nylon), excellent resiliency, and high abrasion resistance. Low absorbency allows the fibre to dry quickly.

Polypropylene - also known as Polyolefin and Olefin
A manufactured fibre characterized by its light weight, high strength, and abrasion resistance. Polypropylene is also good at transporting moisture, creating a wicking action. End-uses include active-wear apparel, outdoor carpets furniture, and upholstery.

PVC - also known as Vinyl
A synthetic material that imitates the look of leather.

Rib Knit
A knitted fabric with alternating raised and lowered rows. More elastic and durable than plain knits, they tend to fit to the body and are used frequently in T-shirts as well as for the trims of socks, sleeves, waists and necklines.

Rayon
A manufactured fibre composed of regenerated cellulose, derived from wood pulp, cotton linters, or other vegetable matter. Today, various names for rayon fibres are taken from different manufacturing processes. The two most commonly used production method for rayon is the viscose process.

Silk
A natural filament fibre produced by the silkworm in the construction of its cocoon. Most silk is collected from cultivated worms; Tussah silk, or wild silk, is a thicker, shorter fibre produced by worms in their natural habitat. All silk comes from Asia, primarily China.

Spandex Fibre
A manufactured elastomeric fibre that can be repeatedly stretched over 500% without breaking, and will still recover to its original length.

Sport Fabric
A microfibre fabric that has been designed to drawn perspiration away from the skin for rapid evaporation, keeping the body dry and at a balanced temperature. Other benefits include UPF protection and anti-static, super soft drape and handle.

Terry Cloth
A knit fabric, usually in cotton, that has a plush pile formed of loops on one side. These loops increase the fabric’s absorbency typically used for towels, robes and beachwear garments.

Velcro
A trademarked trim used for fastening that consists of a tape with nylon hooks that clings to another tape with loops. Velcro® was originally designed for astronauts’ suits but has become a widely employed trim for everyday sportswear, especially when ease of use is important to the design.

Velour
A tightly woven or knitted fabric, usually made of cotton, that has a dense, plush pile. With its absorbent properties, velour has become a popular sportswear fabric, commonly used in warm-up suits and knit shirts.

Viscose
The most common type of rayon. It is produced in much greater quantity than cuprammonium rayon, the other commercial type.

Waterproof
A term applied to fabrics whose pores have been closed, and therefore, will not allow water or air to pass through them.

Water Repellant
A term applied to fabrics that have been treated with a finish which causes them to shed water but are still air-permeable.

Wool
Usually associated with fibre or fabric made from the fleece of sheep or lamb. However, the term "wool" can also apply to all animal hair fibres, including the hair of the Cashmere or Angora goat or the specialty hair fibres of the camel, alpaca, llama, or vicuna.

Woven Fabric
Fabrics composed of two sets of yarns. One set of yarns, the warp, runs along the length of the fabric. The other set of yarns, the fill or weft, is perpendicular to the warp. Woven fabrics are held together by weaving the warp and the fill yarns over and under each other.

Wrinkle Resistant
A term used to describe a fabric (or garment made from that fabric) that resists creasing. Fabrics made of natural fibres are usually not wrinkle resistant unless they are treated or finished. As a result, fibres like cotton are often combined with polyester, or another synthetic fibre with wrinkle-resistant properties, in order to increase the fabric’s ability to remain pressed.