AW26
The Jacu Fabric Edit
Texture, movement, the way a piece holds its shape. Fabric is part of what draws us to a garment, and part of what makes it a pleasure to wear.
This is a guide to the fibres and fabric details behind the Jacu edit, illustrated with pieces from AW26. Explore a material from the index or follow its name from a product’s composition. These descriptions explain typical qualities; a garment’s own feel depends on its construction, blend and finish.
The Feel of Fabric
Composition only tells us part of what a garment will be like to wear.
A fabric might be soft and fluid, dry and crisp, light and sheer, warm and enveloping, or textured and sculptural. Its weight, construction, finish and blend all contribute to that character.
Throughout the Jacu Fabric Edit, we describe these qualities alongside the fibre itself — helping to bring some of the touch and movement of the garment into the online experience.
Soft · Fluid · Crisp · Structured · Lightweight · Warm · Sheer · Textured · Stretch
Back to the fabric index
Virgin wool
Virgin wool is wool being used for the first time, rather than wool recovered from an earlier textile. The name tells us about its history; it does not, on its own, tell us how fine or soft it is.
It can become a crisp tailored cloth, a lofty knit or a dense, enveloping layer. Fibre fineness, yarn, construction and finishing shape the result. In a blend, other fibres can bring strength, texture or a different movement.
Care: follow the garment label. Where washing is permitted, avoid heat, rubbing and sudden temperature changes; these can cause wool to felt or shrink.
Wool
Wool brings warmth, texture and a natural spring to clothing. Its fibres can trap insulating air, but the warmth and weight of a garment depend on how the fabric is made.
A fine, smooth wool cloth and a substantial, brushed knit have very different characters. Wool can feel supple, dry, softly fuzzy or firm; the fibre name alone cannot promise softness against the skin. Blending it with cotton, for example, creates another balance of surface, weight and structure.
Care: air between wears where appropriate and follow the label for cleaning. Some wool is washable; other pieces need professional care. Dry washable knits flat and reshape gently.
Merino wool
Merino wool comes from Merino sheep and is often chosen for finer fibres and a softer handle. It can make a light layer as well as a substantial winter knit.
Fine Merino is commonly comfortable close to the skin, although sensitivity varies and not every Merino fabric feels the same. A compact knit can be smooth and neat; a looser construction can feel more airy and relaxed. The yarn and finish matter alongside the fibre.
Care: use the method on the garment label. If washable, choose a suitable wool detergent and gentle handling, then reshape and dry flat where instructed.
Cotton
Cotton is a plant fibre grown around the seeds of the cotton plant. It is absorbent and wonderfully versatile: familiar in a soft jersey, equally at home in a crisp shirt or a substantial woven trouser.
Its character can be smooth, dry, brushed or textured. Cotton has little inherent elasticity, so ease comes from the cut, a knitted construction or a stretch fibre in the blend. A dense cotton fabric can hold a silhouette; a lighter one can fall more freely.
Care: check the label before washing or ironing. Heat may cause shrinkage, and colour, trims or a special finish can require gentler treatment than the cotton content suggests.
Organic cotton
Organic cotton is cotton grown to organic agricultural standards. It describes how the crop is produced; it does not create a different fibre or guarantee a particular softness.
Like other cotton, it can be made into crisp woven cloth, relaxed jersey or a textured knit. Yarn quality, construction and finishing determine much of what you feel. Organic fibre content and certification of the finished garment are different claims, so we use only the information confirmed for the piece.
Care: follow the garment label. Organic cotton is not automatically more delicate or more resistant to shrinkage than other cotton.
Linen
Linen is made from the flax plant. It is valued for a dry, often cool touch and the lively texture it gives to clothing.
A fine linen weave may feel light and fluid; a heavier cloth can create crisp, architectural volume. Creasing is part of its character, and many linens soften with wear and washing. Blending linen with cotton or a regenerated cellulose fibre can change its drape and surface.
Care: follow the label, especially for lined or tailored pieces. Where washing is allowed, give the garment room to move and avoid overdrying; press at the temperature specified.
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fibre produced by silkworms. It can bring lustre and fluid movement, but not every silk fabric is glossy or slippery.
Silk satin has a smooth, light-catching face; crepe can have a dry, softly grained touch; organza can be sheer and crisp. Those differences come from yarn and construction as well as the fibre. A silk blend may introduce warmth, texture or greater structure.
Care: follow the garment label rather than assuming silk is washable. Avoid rubbing marks or applying heat without checking the instructions; dyes, finishes and trims may need specialist cleaning.
Viscose
Viscose is a regenerated cellulose fibre: plant-derived cellulose is processed into a new textile fibre. It is also part of the rayon family.
Often used for fluid shapes, it can have a soft, smooth handle and a pleasing fall. It can also be woven or knitted into more substantial fabrics. Weight, yarn and finishing decide whether a piece feels silky, dry or textured; viscose content alone does not tell us how much it will cling or stretch.
Care: follow the label. Conventional viscose can be more vulnerable when wet, so avoid wringing or pulling a wet garment. Reshape and dry as instructed.
Tencel
TENCEL™ is a brand of regenerated cellulose fibres made by Lenzing, including lyocell and modal. Lyocell is the generic fibre name; a garment labelled lyocell is not necessarily made with TENCEL™ branded fibre.
These fibres are often chosen for smoothness and a soft, flowing handle. The finished fabric may still be crisp, substantial or textured, depending on its construction and blend. Here, the guide also covers lyocell when that is the name on the composition label.
Care: use the garment label. Do not assume that every lyocell or modal piece has the same washing, drying or ironing requirements.
Bamboo
Bamboo can be the plant source for a textile, but the finished fibre needs a closer look. Much clothing described as bamboo is viscose or rayon made using bamboo-derived cellulose, rather than fibre mechanically extracted from the plant.
Bamboo-derived viscose can have a smooth, soft and fluid character, with the same variation in construction and finishing as other viscose. The bamboo name alone does not establish antibacterial properties, a particular skin feel or an environmental benefit.
Care: follow the garment label and the stated fibre composition. For bamboo-derived viscose, handle wet fabric gently and avoid wringing unless the care instructions say otherwise.
Leather
Leather is animal hide prepared by tanning. Its character comes from the hide, its thickness and the way it is worked and finished.
It can be supple and softly yielding or firm enough to hold a sculptural shape. Smooth leather and suede have very different surfaces, while coatings and treatments can change the touch again. Grain, natural variation and changes through wear are part of many leathers, though finishes age differently.
Care: use the label and seek a leather specialist where needed. Keep away from direct heat; choose cleaning or conditioning products suitable for the particular leather and finish.
Polyamide / nylon
Polyamide is a family of synthetic fibres; nylon is a familiar member of that family. In clothing it can contribute strength and resistance to abrasion, including in fine or lightweight fabrics.
It can be smooth and silky, crisp and technical, or almost unnoticed within a knit. Added to wool or another fibre, it may help reinforce the fabric. Polyamide content alone does not mean a garment is waterproof, and stretch depends on the construction and any elastic fibres.
Care: follow the label. Check ironing and tumble-drying instructions carefully, as excessive heat can damage synthetic fibres or their finishes.
Elastane / Lycra
Elastane is an elastic synthetic fibre, also called spandex. LYCRA® is a brand name for elastane, rather than the name for every stretch fibre.
Usually present as a small part of a blend, elastane allows fabric to stretch and recover. It can bring ease to a woven trouser or help a jersey keep its shape. The percentage is only part of the story: yarn, construction and cut determine how much give you notice and where it moves.
Care: follow the label and avoid excessive heat. Washing, drying and ironing all need to suit the whole blend, including its elastic component.
Polyester
Polyester is a synthetic fibre that can contribute strength, shape retention and resistance to creasing. It takes many forms, from a fine sheer mesh to a substantial textured cloth.
It may feel smooth and fluid, crisp and light, or softly brushed. Satin, pleats and open constructions each give it a different character; the composition percentage cannot tell us the complete feel. In a blend, polyester may help a fabric hold its shape or change its surface.
Care: check the label, especially for pleats, coatings and delicate trims. Excessive heat can affect both the fibre and the finish.
The Art of the Blend
A blend is a design choice. Each fibre brings something to the cloth, but the pleasure lies in the way they work together.
Wool and cotton might balance warmth with a drier surface; polyamide can reinforce a knit; a small amount of elastane can add stretch and recovery. These are possibilities, rather than promises for every garment. In the Lotus waistcoat, the verified 58% wool and 42% cotton composition sits alongside its visibly open checked weave: both belong in the story.
Percentages are useful, but a small component can have a noticeable effect. Care for the complete garment, including its construction, lining and finish, rather than choosing a method from the largest percentage alone.
Fibre Isn’t Fabric
The fibre is the starting material. The fabric is what happens when yarns and fibres are brought together. That is why two pieces with the same composition can feel entirely different.
Woven fabrics interlace yarns; knitted fabrics form loops, often giving them some natural stretch. Jersey is a knitted construction. Satin is a weave that creates a smooth face, not another word for silk. Twill makes a diagonal structure; crepe creates a grained character through yarn or construction.
Mesh, lace and tulle create open surfaces, while felt brings fibres together without a conventional weave or knit. Density, thickness and yarn make each construction its own. Look at composition and construction together to understand transparency, movement and shape.
Finishes & treatments
The last stages of making a fabric can change its character as much as the fibre itself. A finish can bring softness, shine, texture or a more defined shape.
Brushing raises fibres for a fuzzy surface; washing can relax a cloth; pleating gives it rhythm and movement. Coatings can alter the surface, while dyeing and printing bring depth, pattern and variation. A visual effect does not, by itself, establish which treatment was used.
We name a garment’s treatment when the designer has confirmed it. Care instructions matter particularly here: heat, steam or cleaning can affect pleats, coatings and special finishes, even when the underlying fibre would tolerate them.
Care
Good care begins with the garment’s own label. It takes account of the fibres, construction, dyes, lining, trims and finishes together.
Wash only when needed and permitted. Follow the stated temperature and cleaning method, close fastenings where appropriate, and avoid overloading the machine. A hand-wash instruction does not mean a machine’s delicate cycle is suitable. Do not assume a fabric is washable because another garment with the same fibre is.
Dry and reshape as directed, keeping delicate pieces away from direct heat. Fold knits that could stretch on a hanger, and store garments clean and dry. For a marked, coated or complex piece, ask a suitable cleaner before experimenting. If you need help understanding a label, contact Jacu.