When choosing a men's bespoke suit, the choice of fabric is incredibly important. Not only does this affect the appearance of the finished garment, but it also affects the way that the suit feels against the skin and to the touch and also the longevity of the custom made men's suits. When making such an investment, it is crucial that the item is perfect for the customer. Choosing a fabric for your suit is a fun but scary process, especially if you do not know a lot about the different fabrics and what their main pros and cons are. You need to understand the breathability of a cloth to determine whether or not it’s a good buy for a winter fabric or summer fabric, you need to understand that different textures are softer than others, and lastly you need a little knowledge on the different choices available to you. In terms of breathability, you need a highly breathable fabric such as linen and cotton for the summer as it will allow heat to escape as you go on about your day, and maybe something thicker like a wool for the winter as it will insulate heat keeping you nice and toasty. In terms of softness, luxury fabrics such as cashmere and silk tend to feel great on the skin while cheaper fabrics can get a little itchy especially when you start to sweat.
There are various different fabrics used to create custom made men's suits, ranging from wool and wool blends, cotton, linen micro fibers and polyester. The season and the typical climate of your country can affect the type of fabric that would be best for your custom made men's suit, some cloths are more of a winter fabric than a summer fabric and vice versa .
Linen is truly better for warmer climates and a summer fabric through and through, as it is a light-weight and allows the skin to breathe easier. Linen is super lightweight and honestly quite ideal for those hot summer days. The only real issues with this fabric is that linen does tend to wrinkle and stain quite easily.
Made from actual silk worms, silk is an animal protein naturally used by moths to build cocoons in nature, but is considered a luxury fabric for us because of its wonderful properties. Silk really gives you superior comfort and is quite expensive to produce. It is a wonderfully a breathable fabric and a natural temperature controller, helping the body preserve heat in cold weather while additional heat is ousted in warmer weather making it both a winter fabric and a summer fabric.
Velvet is a closely woven fabric blend of silk, cotton and nylon. For men’s suits and formal wear, velvet customarily applies to the “smoking jacket”. The feel of velvet is incredibly luxurious to touch and it is highly breathable but warmer than pure silk due to its nylon blend making it more of a winter fabric.
Cotton is sometimes thought to have the edge over linen as a preferred summer fabric, because of its durability and the ease with which linen men's suits crease. Cotton is the second most popular fabric for suits after wool of course. Cotton is naturally derived from plant fibers. Cotton suits move and breathe well making it a nice fabric to have around for summer and also cool autumn. It does tend to crease and wrinkle easily, but that seems to be the only downside of this fabric. It meets great standards when it comes to softness but it isn’t much of a luxury fabric, but we are not complaining.
Polyester is cheaper than linen or cotton, and does not crease, but has a tendency to trap body heat so can be quite uncomfortable in hotter weather conditions. Polyester is made from synthetic materials and is deemed a lower quality fabric because of its plastic make-up. It does usually comes blended with another natural fiber such as cotton or wool when manufacturers try to cut costs. The fabric does tend to wrinkle quite a bit and it produces a fabric shine that many believe makes the suit look cheap. Custom made clothing made from micro fibers is usually cooler than polyester, as it is lighter and cooler. It is also one of the cheapest fabrics from which to make a men's bespoke suit.
Wool is generally heavier and warmer, but provides a better airflow than polyester. Wool is the most popular fabric choice for men because of its changeability and polished aesthetic. It is natural material, which also means that it breathes quite well, and it can be worn warm and cool weather. Another benefit of wool is that it is soft and wrinkle free but it isn’t the most sliming of the fabrics out there. Some of the more common wools that you will find in suits are tweed, flannel, cashmere, merino and worsted. There is an international coding system for wool garments in place to explain the thickness of the fabric. This is known as a Super grade; a number follows the word Super, and the higher the number, the finer the fabric. Wool is generally the most expensive fabric, and the finer the wool fabric, the more expensive it becomes. Additionally, the finer the fabric the less durable the garment is. People choose a men's bespoke suit in fine wool because of the elegant appearance and luxurious feel. These suits are typically more appropriate for people with very high level professional positions and incredibly special or formal occasions. Thicker fabrics, lasting for longer, are often better suited for regular wear garments and everyday men's suits. Worsted wool is a more dense material that is surprisingly smooth with a rather high durability. Unlike most wools worsted wool does not need to be spun from the natural fiber. It is actually combed out first then only spun to create the dense fabric that men love so much. Cashmere as you well know is a rather luxurious blend. A cashmere suit has a light shine to it that just looks exquisite in men’s tuxedos and it really does work well in suits for rather fancy affairs.
My Custom Tailor helpfully categorizes men's bespoke suit collections based on the fabrics that will be used to make garments. The Classic Collection men's suits are made from blended fabrics, the Premium Collection items are made from mid-range imported cloths, an Exclusive Collection men's bespoke suit is made from upper end imported cloths, the Deluxe Collection garments are made from imported high end fabrics and Heritage Gold men's suits are made from luxurious cloths, including those comprising wool of 95% or higher. There is also the option to choose a Designer Brand men's bespoke suit. The prices reflect the fabrics used for suits from each collection, and an experienced tailor will be able to assist you with understanding what fabrics will work best for your needs to create the ideal men's bespoke suit.