Fabric is an important factor in making the most beautiful and quality costumes. Today, garment fabrics are increasingly diverse in materials and designs to meet the needs of the fashion industry, with different names and characteristics. The following article Zimmy will summarize to help you learn about the types of fabrics commonly used in garments, popular on the market as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each type of material.
Brocade fabric
Brocade fabric is of natural origin with the main material for production being silk fiber. The fabric has a more sophisticated and complex weaving technique than other silk weaving methods. This is considered the most luxurious material so it is known as the “Queen of silk”. There are 4 popular types of brocade on the market today: embossed brocade, smooth brocade, hard brocade, white brocade.
Advantages: soft and smooth, highly durable, highly aesthetic, creates a luxurious feeling with sophisticated patterns and diverse colors. Due to its natural properties, the fabric is environmentally friendly and safe to use.
Disadvantages: Brocade is quite expensive, easily absorbs water, takes a long time to dry, stains easily and is difficult to fade.
Application: Brocade is often used to make ao dai, including traditional ao dai and modernized ao dai.

Antibacterial fabric
Antibacterial fabric is an ao dai fabric with antibacterial properties researched and produced by Thai Tuan to meet the needs and desires of consumers, made from high-quality materials that are thicker than other fabrics.
Advantages: High durability, good elasticity due to being woven with modern technology, does not fade, wrinkle or lose shape after long periods of use. The colors and patterns are diverse because they are easy to dye and the patterns are woven directly onto the fabric, which has antibacterial properties to protect the wearer’s health.
Application: Antibacterial fabric is commonly used to make ao dai.

Silk Fabric
Silk fabric is considered one of the most premium and luxurious types in the category of fabrics. This is a fabric woven from natural silk fibers so it is very comfortable to wear. Silk has a unique iridescent beauty due to its triangular prism structure, which can reflect light at many different angles. Silk fabrics are classified into types such as: Silk Silk, Satin Silk, Cotton Silk, Twill Silk, Two-skin Silk, Brocade Silk, Damask Silk and Crisscross Silk.
Advantages: Silk has soft and smooth properties, glossy, shiny and bouncy surface, absorbs sweat and retains heat well, bringing a comfortable feeling in the summer and warmth in the winter. Has good water retention ability, very durable and sturdy. In addition, with 100% natural ingredients, safe for the skin, does not cause irritation like some other chemical dyes.
Disadvantages: It is very difficult to preserve during use. If you do not know how to use it, silk will quickly deteriorate and not retain its natural beauty. Because it is a natural fiber, it will not be durable when washed or dried too much and is easily damaged by insects. Silk has poor thermal and electrical conductivity, so it easily sticks to the skin.
Application: Silk is mainly used to make costumes such as: ao dai, skirts, dresses, shirts, silk pajamas,…

Jacquard Fabric
Jacquard fabric is a type of fabric with patterns woven directly onto the surface. The fabric is made from many different fibers such as Cotton, Polyester, and silk, so it is often thicker than other types. There are currently several popular types of jacquard fabric such as: Brocade Jacquard, Damask Jacquard, Matelassé, Cotton Jacquard, Silk Jacquard.
Advantages: High durability, good elasticity due to being woven with modern technology, does not fade, wrinkle or lose shape after long periods of use. The colors and patterns are diverse because they are easy to dye and the patterns are directly woven.
Disadvantages: Difficult to preserve if repeatedly used with detergents and exposed to sunlight.
Application: Jacquard is used for costumes such as shirts, dresses, and ties.

Cotton
Cotton is the most commonly used type on the market today thanks to its outstanding properties. This is a natural fiber mainly made from cotton and some chemical preservatives. Currently, cotton includes 3 main types: Elastic cotton, cold cotton and silk cotton.
Advantages: Cotton is easy to absorb sweat, soft, has good durability and elasticity, can reduce heat and cool the body, creating a comfortable feeling for the wearer.
Disadvantages: Easy to get dirty, prone to shrinkage during washing, and quite expensive.
Application: Thanks to its soft, breathable properties and comfortable feeling when wearing, Cotton is widely used in lingerie or t-shirts, shirts, etc.

Denim fabric
Denim fabric is a rough fabric, woven twill from hard cotton and twill yarns, using a woven form combining indigo and white yarn. Main colors include white and blue (traditional) or black (innovative). Currently, Denim is mixed with polyester or lycra fibers to make the material better, more wrinkle-resistant and anti-shrinkage. Based on textile color, Denim includes 2 types: traditional or modern; Based on dyeing technique, there are 3 types: Dry Denim, Raw Denim or Selvedge Denim.
Advantages: Extremely effective stretch and elasticity, bringing dynamism and comfort to the user. It also has good rigidity, high thickness and few wrinkles.
Disadvantages: The fabric is thick so Denim feels rough, has little elasticity and elasticity, and takes a long time to dry.
Application: The fabric is often used to make overalls, jackets, shirts, jeans, sports pants and fashion accessories such as bags, belts, etc.

Linen
Linen, also known as linen, is woven from small fibers from the flax plant along with some bark, fibers, and fibers of some other plants. The process of creating Flax is traditional silk spinning with the fibers woven very tightly and quite large. However, currently, with the development of science and technology, there are many types of machines that can meet this type of weaving. Linen fabric is divided into 5 main types: powdered linen, wet linen, loose linen, silk linen and scratched linen.
Advantages: Has a natural shine and high durability when resistant to stretching, less abrasion. Extremely good sweat absorption and light weight, bringing a cool and comfortable feeling to the wearer.
Disadvantages: Wrinkles easily, folds easily and is easily damaged by mold, sweat or bleach. In addition, the price is quite high compared to other types.
Application: The main products made from linen are women’s daily wear at home. Linen is also used in the production of uniforms, shirts, and skirts.

Voile fabric (Voile)
Chiffon fabric is of natural origin with the main material for production being silk fiber. The fabric has a more sophisticated and complex weaving technique than other silk weaving methods. This is considered the most luxurious material so it is known as the “Queen of silk”.
Advantages: The fabric is soft, highly durable, highly aesthetic, creating a luxurious feeling with sophisticated patterns and diverse colors. Due to its natural properties, the fabric is environmentally friendly and safe to use.
Disadvantages: Brocade has a quite high price. The fabric absorbs water easily, dries quickly, stains easily and is difficult to fade.
Application: Brocade fabric is often used to make ao dai, including sewing traditional and innovative costumes.

Non-woven Fabric (Non-woven)
Nonwoven fabrics are named after their manufacturing process, to denote fabrics that are created without weaving or knitting. This type is synthesized from Polypropylene beads (synthetic plastic) rather than woven in the usual way.
Advantages: High elasticity, good bearing properties. Easily decomposable so it is environmentally friendly. Colors are consistent and can be printed on the surface with the ability to display clear images. Superior quality but low price.
Disadvantages: Due to its good absorbency and easy decomposition, it cannot be stored for a long time. When encountering a water environment, it becomes less durable and changes easily.
Applications: Nonwoven fabrics are used in apparel such as clothing linings, performance costumes, shoe soles and shoe linings or fabric bags.
Above are the fabrics commonly used in fashion apparel on the market today for you to refer to and choose from. Hopefully through this article by Zimmy you will grasp general information about the uses, characteristics as well as how to identify fabric materials.