Build it once
How to Identify Good Fabric in Store Without a Lab
Read the fibre percentage, crush it, hold it to the light, check the seam. The hangtag adjective is not a test.
Updated 27 Aug 2026 · 6 min read · how to identify good fabric in store
The label, then the hand
Percentages, not poetry. 'Wool-rich' can be 40%. 'Silk-like' is polyester. Elastane over 5% in a trouser means it will bag; a little in a jean can be useful. If there is no fibre list, walk away.
Hand: wool has spring, cotton has a dry thwack, linen is cool and slubby, cheap viscose is fluid and cold, cheap polyester is slick. Rub a seam; if it already pills in the shop, it will pill on Tuesday.
Light, weight, smell
Hold it to a window. Can you count fingers through a 'wool' trouser? It is too thin for the job or it is not wool. Weight in the hand should match the season on the ticket. A chemical smell that does not fade is finish you will wear; be suspicious.
Construction is fabric's partner
Matched patterns at the pocket, a lining that is a real fibre, buttons with shanks, a hem with room. Beautiful cloth sewn with 5mm seam allowance cannot be let out and may blow at the first sit. Ugly cloth with great construction is still ugly, but it will last its own life.
Questions, answered
- Is a burn test useful in a shop?
- Not on a garment you have not bought. You are not setting fire to the rail. Use the label and the hand.
- What does 'deadstock' mean?
- Leftover mill cloth. It can be excellent or it can be why it was leftover. Still do the crush test.
- Are blends always worse?
- A little nylon in wool socks is a feature. A lot of polyester in a 'wool' coat is a cheaper coat. Read the larger number.
