R.S. Balakumar Associate Professor Dept of Fashion Design & Arts Hindustan University, Chennai, India Email: rsbalakumar1953@gmail.com
Fabric used for men’s shirt: May be shirt is the most used dress for men. It is for the upper body (from the neck to the waist). The following types of fabrics are available in the market used to make the men’s short sleeve or long sleeve shirt.
Fig: Types of Fabrics for Men’s Shirt
ACETATE: Is a modified fiber usually made of cellulose acetate. The fabric is lustrous and also drapes well.
CALICO: Is a light weight fabric constructed in plain weave. It usually has small and bright print design on a contrasting back ground.
CAMBRIC: Is a closely woven plain – weave cotton fabric normally finished with a slight gloss on one side. It is a medium – weight fabric. It is used for men’s shirt solid colors are suitable for shirt garment.
CASEMENT: Is thicker than cambric. It is made of carded cotton yarns. It is constructed in plain weave mostly used for factory uniform shirts.
CASHMERE: Is a soft hair fiber obtained from the cashmere goat. The light weight fabric made in warm and soft and is used to wear as winter collection of shirt and mostly used in colder region.
CHALLIS: Is a soft, light weight plain-weave fabric, usually made of worsted yarns. Normally it drapes very well. Mostly used for men’s shirt.
CHAMBRAY: Is a light to medium – weight, plain-weave fabric with an almost square count (i.e. 80 X76), it has a colored warp and usually, a white filling. It is used for making men’s short or long sleeve shirts for formal and semi – formal wear.
CHEESE CLOTH: Is a soft, loosely woven, plain – weave cotton fabric. it has equal number of yarns in both warp and weft directions, that is equal number of ends per inch and picks per inch .it has a crinkled appearance and is used for making men’s shirt.
CHINA SILK: Is a soft and extremely light weight silk fabric made in plain weave. Many solid colors are available for men’s shirt. Used for celebrity wear.
CREPE: Is a light to medium weight, which is used for making shirt garments as it drapes well. It has a crinkled surface due to the crepe yarn, that is high twist silk yarn or chemically or crepe weave used for its construction. Solid colors are preferably used for men’s formal shirt.
CORDUORY: Is a ribbed, high-luster, cut pile cotton fabric, which is usually medium to heavy in weight. It has extra filling thread that form lengthwise rib. It is used for making industrial uniform shirts.
DENIM: This types of fabrics are now trend among the young generation to make shirt. Is an unbalanced twill-weave fabric made of hard twist yarns with the warp yarns dyed blue and the filling yarns undyed. It is a medium yarn undyed. It is a medium weight, strong, and washable fabric, which is used for making casual clothing of men’s shirt.
DRILL: Is also a strong twill-weave cotton fabric similar to denim. It is dyed in solid colors and is used for making uniform shirt in khaki colors, casual clothes and work wear.
DUPION: It has a characteristic uneven surface as it is made from double strands of silk obtained from two inter locked cocoons. It is used as festival, wedding celebration and traditional men’s long sleeve shirt. It gives elegant and aesthetic look.
FLANNEL: Is a strong fabric made of different weights in wool, worsted, or mixed fibers.it has a characteristic napped finish on both sides and is made in plain or twill-weave. It is used for making men’s shirt suitable for winter collection.
FLANNELETTE: Is a light to medium weight plain-weave soft cotton fabric, which is brushed on one side. It is light in weight than flannel and is used for making men’s shirt.
GABARDINE: Is a twill-weave fabric made of a variety of natural and synthetic fibers. It is a medium weight-fabric made of fine yarns. It is used for making casual shirt and industrial uniform.
GINGHAM: Is a light weight, plain-weave, and strong fabric. It is usually yarn dyed and woven to create stripes, checks, or plaids. It is used for men’s shirt as semi-formal wear.
GLAZED COTTON: Is a shiny cotton fabric woven in satin weave used as party wear shirt.
JEAN COTTON: Is a weft- knit fabric of all knit stitches. It drapes well and is crease drapes well and is crease resistant but the edges tend to roll. It is used for tee-shirts and sportswear.
KHAKI: Is a warp faced twill fabric in tan or dusty earth color. It is softer and finer than drill fabric. The fabric is made of cotton, linen, wool, worsted or man-made fibers, and blends suitable for scout, police, security and industrial uniform shirt.
LAWN: Is a high-quality cotton fabric of very fine yarns. It is light weight plain weave, sheer, and fine fabric, which is smooth and absorbent. It is used for making the casual, leisure and summer wear shirt.
LINEN/FRENCH LAWN: Is a cotton fabric that has glazed linen like finishing given by heavy calendaring. In present days used for formal shirt.
MADRAS COTTON: Is a hand oven, Indian fabric that has check patterns. It is made in plain weave from corded cotton spun yarns dyed with natural vegetable dyed. The colors tend to bleed and the fabric is used for making casual clothes like short sleeve or long sleeve shirt.
OXFORD: Is a soft and light weight soft cotton fabric constructed in small 2X1 basket-weave with fine warp and coarse weft yarns. It has a smooth surface used for making shirts.
POLYESTER: Is a man-made fiber that is soft, crease resistant, and easy to maintain. It drapes very well, and is used as men’s shirt.
POPLIN: Is a fine, tightly woven plain-weave, cotton fabric with fine cross-ribs formed by heavy weft yarns and finer warp yarns. It is dyed in solid colors. It is used for making shirts, SUITABLE TO SUMMER WEARABLE SHIRTS.
SEER SUCKER: Is a light weight cotton or cotton blend fabric with crinkled stripes woven in by setting same of the warp yarns tight and others slack. The warp yarns tight and others slack. Different finishing treatments can also produce similar type of fabric. It is used for men’s shirt. Light weight cotton striped fabric is also known as seer sucker.
TAFETA: Is a smooth, medium weight, plain weave fabric that has a fine ribbed effect crosswise on its surface. It is used for making evening wear and party shirt.
Cotton: This types of fabrics most used in men’s shirt. Cotton shirts are more suitable during the summer season. Solid colors, pin-stripes, small checked and plaids are to chosen as design collection.
Polyester, silk, synthetic, crepe types of fabrics are used for shirt preferably during winter collection.
Poly, viscose, cotton [PVC] types of fabrics are also used for men’s shirt.
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