Fabric Sourcing Guides

Width is the number that decides how much fabric a garment actually consumes. Here is how cuttable width, shrinkage and marker planning interact — and why a standard 165 cm width keeps cutting rooms predictable.

What actually goes wrong when European and North American brands source knit fabric from China — and the ten checks that prevent it, from article numbers and lab dips to width, tolerance and 4-point inspection.

A practical comparison of the rib constructions knitwear buyers are offered most often — how 1×1, 2×2, drop-needle and chunky ribs differ in stretch, recovery, hand-feel and cost, and how to spec them correctly.

From 130 GSM jersey to 320 GSM lurex rib: a buyer-friendly guide to what fabric weight actually changes, and how to write a GSM tolerance into your tech pack.

The 4-point system is the standard way to score fabric defects before shipping. Here is how it works, what a good result looks like, and the questions to ask your supplier.

Metallic yarn is back on the knitwear table for A/W 26-27, but the brief has changed: softer shine, finer gauge and machine-friendly tension. Here is what womenswear buyers should look for.

The three numbers that decide whether a fabric order lands on time: minimum order quantity, lab dip turnaround and bulk lead time. Here is what to ask, and what answers are reasonable.

Rayon, viscose, modal, lyocell, Tencel — the names get mixed up constantly in sourcing. Here is what actually differs, and how to specify the fibre you really want.

Waffle knit is one of the easiest ways to add texture to a spring/summer range. Here is how buyers should choose GSM, composition and stretch — and what to check before bulk.