9 Types of Fabrics for Making Suits for Men and Women

A good suit can make you look elegant. Wearing a good suit can uplift your mood instantly and make you feel like a million bucks.  

Many workplaces require their employees to wear suits to work everyday.

It is important to choose your suits carefully if you want to make a good impression at your office.

And not just at your work-place, a suit can make you look dapper anywhere you go.

You can use this blog as a suit-fabric guide to upgrade your wardrobe. Choose the ones you like and make your own style statement.

Nine types of fabrics for making suits for men and women—      

1. Wool.

Wool is versatile, refined and chic. So much so that amongst the different types of suit fabrics and weaves, wool is known as the king of fabrics.

Wool is a natural material that can be worn comfortably in various types of weather.

From lightweight tropicals to heavyweight flannels, different types of woollen suit fabrics can be used in different climatic conditions and occasions.

Also, wool’s insulating and moisture-wicking properties make it quite popular amongst people who wear suits frequently.

The most common wool-variants that are used by suit-wearers of the world are flannel, tweed, merino and cashmere.

What’s more? Wool is wrinkle-resistant to a great extent.

2. Cotton.

Cotton is deemed to be one of the best types of fabrics for making suits. It ranks high in the breathability factor and is incredibly versatile.

Twill, poplin, regular cotton, chino, heavy cotton, corduroy and seersucker— you will have endless options while selecting a cotton suit.

You can choose according to your needs and occasions; and also based on the cotton-variant’s texture, weight and comfortability.

It is advisable to go for lightweight options for the summer season and heavier options (corduroy etc.) for the cooler months.

The only downside of cotton as a fabric is that it creases. So, you would need to spend some time in the maintenance (pressing) of cotton suits.  

3. Linen.

Linen as a fabric goes hand-in-hand with the summer season. Hence, it is one of the most commonly found unstitched fabrics for suits.

Linen’s natural fibers are lightweight and highly breathable.

It also has moisture-wicking properties making it the perfect fabric for suits to be worn in hot and humid weather.

If you like to wear suits when you are on vacation, linen suits are perfect as they can be worn comfortably even at tropical destinations.

However, keep in mind that linen is a fabric that gets creased easily. So, you would need to invest some time in its maintenance.    

4. Mohair.

Mohair suits may look somewhat stiff compared to cotton or woollen suits, but it is a breathable fabric. This quality makes it suitable for daily wear.

One of the best things about the mohair fabric is that it is crease-resistant.

This particular attribute makes mohair suits attractive to people looking for low-maintenance suit fabrics.

Mohair also has a beautiful lustre making it the perfect fabric for women’s suits as well as men’s.

100% mohair is stiffer than blended mohair. Hence, it is best to make suits out of blended mohair.

Blended mohair suits are luxurious, breathable and resilient.    

5. Silk.

As a fabric, silk exudes sophistication. Silk suits are luxurious suits that are perfect for formal events as well as boardroom meetings.

This gorgeous fabric is breathable, lightweight, has a subtle sheen and drapes around beautifully.

In fact, silk suits are great for summer as well as the winter season.

Amongst the types of fabrics for making suits in India, silk is one of the favourites.

One thing to keep in mind before choosing silk for your next suit is that silk suits often require more care than suits made out of wool or polyester.

So, if you are looking for suits that are practical but also look and feel elegant, you can choose silk-blend suits.  

6. Velvet.

On a suit fabric names list, velvet is one of those that feels the most luxurious. It is super-soft to touch and eye-catching at the same time.

Even though a suit that is made entirely out of velvet may not be that common, many people wear it to express their own personal style.

If you are someone who shies away from making bold fashion statements but wants to wear velvet anyway, there are ways through which you can do so.

You can wear a velvet blazer or jacket with your suit and glam up your whole look.

Velvet is perfect for formal and semi-formal events like weddings, parties and other events (piano recitals etc.) taking place in the evening.

Velvet suits are not something you ought to wear to the office.

7. Synthetics.

Synthetics (nylon, polyester, viscose etc.) as fabrics are crease-resistant, durable and easy to maintain.

These qualities make synthetics the perfect suit fabrics for ladies and gentlemen.

Also, synthetic suits are lower in price compared to woollen, cashmere and mohair suits.

Hence, if you need to wear suits at work all the time, then synthetic suits are an economical option for you.

In order to make blended-synthetic suits, synthetic fabrics (nylon etc.) are often blended with other materials such as cotton and wool.

This mixing of materials (fabrics) increases the comfortability factor of synthetic suits making it suitable for daily-wear. It also elevates the suits’ breathability.

Though there are pure synthetic suits available in the market, not everyone can carry them well.

If you like a more subtle look, it is best to avoid pure polyester suits.

8. Corduroy.

Corduroy fabric looks like a piece of ridged velvet. And since velvet is made out of cotton, corduroy is another form of cotton as well.

In the world of fashion, corduroy is thought to be more apt as a fabric for men’s suits and not women’s.

Still, if you are a woman and want to wear a corduroy suit, please do so.

You should feel free to always express your own style and not follow every trend that the fashion industry presents.

So, why choose corduroy?

Corduroy is a soft fabric. Hence, it is very comfortable to wear.

Compared to regular cotton, corduroy is its heavier version. Therefore, corduroy suits are perfect for use during the cooler months of the fall and winter season.

And if you live in a place where the temperatures stay on the lower side all year round, then you absolutely need a few corduroy suits in your wardrobe.

Even though corduroy suits are deemed casual, you can definitely wear them to work without any worry; especially on casual Fridays.

9. Cashmere.

Cashmere is a fabric that all luxury suit fabric brands have in their collection.

Cashmere is a type of wool that is super soft and hence, a member of the ‘luxury fabric club’. It has its own fan-base scattered all across the world.

Along with being extremely soft, cashmere also has a subtle shine that makes it a favorite among suit-wearers.

As beautiful and comfortable as cashmere suits are, they are best for informal or semi-formal occasions.

Cashmere suits are not really appropriate for the work-day.

However, you can still wear a cashmere suit to the office every now and then; especially if you like making subtle style statements at work.

Best Suit Fabrics FAQs

What does thread count mean?

‘Thread count’ refers to the quality of cotton. The higher the thread count, the softer and better the piece of fabric.

Thread count is the number of threads per square inch. When a piece of cotton has a really high tread count, it becomes wrinkle-resistant.

Hence, a high tread count is much sought after when people are choosing fabric for making suits.    

Which type of fabric is best for suits?

The best suit fabrics for men and women depend on the occasion and the weather in which they plan to wear their suits.

However, wool is the most versatile fabric you can use for making a suit.

Wool is rated high on breathability and durability. Hence, it can be worn in all seasons, no matter the temperature.

Woolen suits are perfect for formal occasions as well as casual ones. Textured woolen or lightweight woollen suits are suitable for wearing at casual outings.

Cotton and linen suits are other great options for warm summer days and evenings.

When affordability is a factor, polyester-wool and polyester-cotton are some good options you can look into.

The best thing about polyester-wool and polyester-cotton suits is that they are wrinkle-resistant; hence, easy to maintain.  

What is the 5 suit rule?

The ‘5 suit rule’ is a kind of guideline for people who wear suits frequently.

Under this womenswear and menswear guideline, all a person needs to own are five suits of different colours— black, navy blue, brown, tan and grey.

Then they can simply mix and match the jackets and pants to create different outfits. There are 75 possible combinations for them to explore.

For a person to expand their wardrobe and have more options of creating their desired look, they can own a minimum of 5-7 shirts with a range of colours such as white, cream, powder blue, navy blue and baby pink.  

What is linen?

Linen is a luxury fabric that is made from the fibres of the flax plant.

Linen is used in making a wide range of products such as napkins, tablecloths, aprons, towels and bags.

However, making clothes from linen is perhaps the best use of this beautiful fabric.

What fabric do you need to make a suit?

The absolute champion of suit materials is wool. Wool’s natural texture makes it ideal for tailoring suits that look beautiful and feels super comfortable.

For making suits, along with wool, pure cotton, cotton blends, velvet, silk and linen are also offered by top 10 suit fabric brands.

What is silk?

Silk is a type of fabric that is extracted from the cocoons of the mulberry silkworm larvae.

Mulberry silkworms are bred and reared in captivity for the specific purpose of churning out silk for making fabric.

Silk refracts light at different angles and hence, it has a shimmering appearance that many people find alluring.

What are the 4 types of cotton?

When you explore the best suit fabric brands, you would see that all of them have cotton suits in their collection.

Though there are about 50 different species of cotton, only four are cultivated for commercial purposes.

Those four types of cotton are Egyptian cotton, tree cotton, upland cotton and levant cotton.

For making suits, cotton can be used in its pure form, such as Egyptian cotton.

For making suits according to different seasons, cotton is also used in blended forms such as seersucker, chino, twill, corduroy, brushed cotton and poplin.  

Is 60% cotton 40% polyester good for summer?

In most countries, during the summer season, the temperature can rise pretty high.

When a suit is made with blended fabric that contains 60% cotton and 40% polyester, it provides cotton’s comfort and quick-drying properties, and polyester’s durability as well as wrinkle-resistant properties.

Which means that it is the perfect wear for the summer season.

What is corduroy?

Corduroy is a form of velvet with a ridged texture. So, it falls under the cotton category of fabrics.

Since corduroy is a thick material, it is best to wear corduroy suits in the fall and winter seasons.

Also, corduroy is suitable for casual occasions rather than formal ones.

What is the best luxury fabric for suits?

Almost all over the world, fabrics like vicuna, cashmere, wool, linen and premium cotton are considered to be luxury suit fabrics.  

Is a 100% cotton suit good?

Obtained from the cotton plant, cotton as a fabric happens to be the most breathable fabric available on the market these days.

So, cotton suits are the most comfortable suits you can wear, especially in warm weather.

And depending on the tailor you hire to make your suits, or the brand you choose to buy them from, you can find countless gorgeous and elegant looking suits for formal as well as casual occasions.

In other words, suits made out of 100% cotton are great; for comfort as well as fashion.          

What are expensive suits made of?

The most expensive suits for men and women are made of fabrics such as vicuna, cashmere, silk and fine wool.

These materials are well-known for offering comfort, durability and a feeling of luxury.

What is in a 7 piece suit?

A 7-piece suit is a suit that includes a dress shirt, tie or bow tie, jacket, trousers, waistcoat, cufflinks and pocket square.