10 Things to Consider When Buying PUR for Textile
10 Questions To Ask Before Purchasing Premium Fabric - Silai Studio
When you hear the term ‘premium fabric’, what is the first thing that crosses your mind? Runway and fashion events? We bet you wish to own those dreamy clothes and add them to your wardrobe right away. What is it that makes these fabrics so highly desirable? Are they really worth the price tag?
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Premium fabrics are fabrics of the finest quality, they are also labelled as high-end fabrics. From silk, satin, to linen and pure cotton, these fabrics are typically made from natural fibres and are used by designers to create one-of-a-kind outfits.
The selection of the right fabric for a garment is important to achieve the look you want. The drape, texture, and weight of the fabric must be taken into consideration while designing or purchasing. This blog contains an in-depth guide to premium fabrics and offers you a checklist to follow before purchasing them.
5 Best Premium Fabrics To Choose From
Premium fabrics are timeless and they hold their value over time. Let's explore some of the unique and widely used premium fabrics:
- Khadi Cotton: It is a hand-spun, hand-woven fabric known for its breathability and lightweight feel. Each unique piece is crafted by artisans, reflecting sustainable and ethical practices, while also symbolizing India's cultural heritage and self-reliance.
- Linen: It is popular for its longevity, breathability and softness. Linen is a go-to for survival and style, it has a one-of-a-kind texture and a unique strength.
- Chanderi: It is a delicate, lightweight fabric known for its sheer texture and subtle sheen. Made from a blend of silk, cotton, and zari, it often features intricate motifs and is prized for its soft drape and elegant appeal.
- Silk: It is a natural fiber, derived from silk worms. Popular for its softness, silk is a lightweight fabric and can adjust to your body temperature. It is a strong material, incredibly durable and is used to make a variety of garments.
- Poplin Cotton: is a durable and tightly woven fabric with a smooth, crisp surface. It features a fine, ribbed texture created by a weave of thicker weft threads and finer warp threads. Lightweight yet strong, Poplin is versatile and often used for shirts, dresses, and casual wear.
10 Questions to Ask Before Buying Premium Fabrics
When you buy fabric, you must first check a lot of factors, such as quality, cost, type, etc. Identifying the right fabric is crucial if you are seeking top quality and authenticity. Here is a list of 10 questions you must ask before buying premium fabrics in order to make an informed decision.
The key is to pay attention to the texture, weight, luster and smoothness of the fabric. Natural fabrics such as silk, or linen are extremely soft to touch, these are either derived from plant-based sources or animal-based sources. You must always read the labels on the clothes carefully to know the source of the item.
This light yellow coloured knee-length dress is made of mulmul cotton and is ideal for summer.
Yellow Mulmul Tiered Dress
Taking a look at the brand’s website before making a purchase is a responsible thing to do. Try to learn more about their practices, where their clothes are made at, factory information, supply chain details and more. You must not only study the fabrics, but also the working conditions, labour pay, and environmental impact. If the company is not willing to answer, you must look elsewhere. It is the need of the hour to be aware of the impact your fashion choices have on people, planet, and animals. Only when a brand maintains transparency with customers, you must invest in them.
The price of a garment is finalized based on several factors, from growing of the cotton or silk, stitching work to sending it for further designing and transportation expenses. So, to recognize a garment’s true value you must consider all of these processings. Never hesitate to pay a good price for a rare and genuine product. It is also a good idea to compare prices before you make a purchase.
Natural materials are sourced from nature, hence they cost more and feel more luxurious. Synthetic fabrics on the other hand are man-made and anything but soft. Natural fabrics are skin-friendly and hypoallergenic, which means they do not cause skin irritation. The composition is easily identifiable on the garment tag. You must check for blends and ask for a swatch of the fabric to run quality checks before buying. This subtle mint coloured tunic is made of a natural fibre, cotton. It offers utmost comfort and can be styled effortlessly.
Mint Cotton Tunic
When purchasing fabrics ensure that the colour and dye used on it must be plant-based or low-impact dyes. These fabrics are typically more eco-friendly, good for the skin and they are able to retain their colour. This vibrant kurta set is made of 100% linen fabric and has beautiful hand embroidery on the collar.
Burgundy Bliss Kurta Set
Undoubtedly, cotton and linen are the most ideal premium fabrics for daily use. They are soft, comfortable and easy to manage. Some premium fabrics like silk, satin or organza can also be worn regularly however, they require more maintenance and care. This linen co-ord set can be worn at work, for a day-out and even at a party. It offers you a smart and fresh look.
Cream pomegranate print tunic and pants Co-Ord
Yes, one of the main characteristics of premium fabrics is durability. These fabrics if maintained well can be used for generations to come and you can rest assured that they will never lose their charm. So when you are paying the price, remember that it will be worth it. From sarees to kurta sets, you can stock up on durable fabric clothings from Silai studio. This tunic set is made of linen silk and is sure to make heads turn!
Arsh tunic set with dupatta
Premium fabrics are high-maintenance items and you must be prepared for it before purchasing them. They are crafted by artisans, they are hand -weaved, have elaborate embroidery, and delicate dyes. So they must be taken care of in the best way possible. To make a style statement you can add this Saree to your wardrobe. It is crafted in a soft silk fabric and is extremely attractive with added tassels in the corner.
Tuscany Flowers Saree
If something doesn’t feel right, you won’t wear it. So, always prioritize comfort and opt for fabrics like silk, cotton, organza. You must purchase soft, wrinkle-free fabrics that you will feel comfortable wearing. Organza dupattas are currently trending and you can carry this with your kurtas for a classy look.
Sreevat Dupatta
Well, it is always better to buy one expensive garment than 10 cheap items. Expect a higher price tag if you are buying high quality fabric, but remember that it is a wise investment because it will provide you comfort, look elegant and last long. This kaftan style tunic set is made of satin silk fabric and it is hand embroidered to perfection.
Rivaaj tunic set
Difference Between Normal and Premium Fabrics
Here's a differentiation table comparing normal and premium fabrics based on various aspects:
Aspect
Normal Fabric
Premium Fabric
Composition
Made from synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon or rayon
Natural fiber derived from natural sources
Characteristics
May be of abrasive material with low breathability
Soft, breathable, skin-friendly
Manufacturing Process
Involves chemicals in the manufacturing process
The manufacturing process involves harvesting, cleaning, hand-weaving or knitting
All About Premium Fabric Care
With so many different types of premium fabrics available in the market, it can be pretty confusing to know the proper procedure of cleaning, maintaining and caring for them. Even though there are some general rules, the methods may change a little based on the fabric. Taking proper care of premium fabrics will help maintain their softness, shine and durability over time. Here are some tips to care for premium fabrics in the best way possible:
- Use cold water while washing premium fabrics to prevent shrinkage and loss of sheen.
- Use a delicate detergent as harsh chemicals may damage the fabrics.
- Avoid rubbing vigorously or soaking the fabric for too long.
- Professional dry cleaning is a safe option.
- Air drying will help protect these fabrics.
- Do not expose them to harsh and direct sunlight as it can cause color bleeding.
- If using a dryer, make sure the heat setting is low. Excessive heat exposure can weaken the fibers of the garment.
- Use a medium to low heat setting on the iron as well.
- Place a dry towel over your clothes and run the iron quickly, instead of ironing the fabric directly.
- It is best to iron these premium fabric clothings while it's still damp after washing. Always remember to turn the garment inside out first.
- You can also try steaming your garments to remove wrinkles.
- Store these fabrics in a cool, clean and dry place away from moisture and direct sunlight to prevent fading and discoloration.
- You can use hangers and put your clothes in a cotton garment bag to keep away bugs. Carefully fold linen clothes and store them in drawers.
Conclusion
Premim fabrics redefine style and elegance. They are made from high-quality raw materials, they have intricate hand-made patterns and are a perfect investment. When buying premium fabrics, you must choose brands that value ethical production methods. These brands strive to provide you with the best fabrics and ensure that you can create eye-catching looks with ease. Premium fabrics are truly woven with love and magic, so they deserve a special place in your wardrobe.
Top 10 Things Garment And Textile Buyers Should Consider
The fashion industry is unique in that it is extremely unpredictable, competitive, and has low barriers to entry for new brands. The price of high street fashion has fallen dramatically in recent years, as big brand houses fight to stay relevant and maintain both their market share and brand equity. For many brands, this means launching new collections several times a year. An example of this would be the brand Chanel, which releases approximately six collections every 12 months[1].
Furthermore, the world’s leading apparel groups are under scrutiny when it comes to human rights, corporate responsibility, and sustainability. With multiple incidents such the collapse of Rana Plaza in , the report from Oxfam that sportswear brands were procuring from factories who were regulatory violating on basic human rights[2] and documentaries such as True Cost[3], brand houses need to put corporate responsibility at the top of their agendas.
It is no wonder, therefore, that strategic procurement and supplier management plays such a critical role in the future of fashion.
Here are 10 things fashion, textile and apparel buyers should consider:
1. Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
The Clean Clothes Organization has shown that workers earn less than 1% of the retail value of a t-shirt that is made in their factories in Bangladesh[4]. This, coupled with several incidents around the globe highlighting the terrible working conditions that factories and clothing workers face, has damaged many brands’ reputations. So it is no surprise that responsible and sustainable sourcing are quoted as being top priority on major brands’ agendas according to a survey run by McKinsey[5].
(Source: Clean Clothes Campaign, Poverty Wages[6])
Procurement teams need to ensure adherence to ethical standards within the supply chain. Procurement teams[7]:
· Should ensure adequate planning and responsible purchasing practises to reduce the risk of overtime, late wage payments and health and safety violations.[8]
· Are responsible, when setting up supplier contracts and relationships, to set them up in such a way that supports an environment in which human rights can be properly respected and implemented.
· Can use different methods to secure workers’ wages. (One method a buyer can use is to ring fence labour costs in negotiations with suppliers. This means that the labour cost is fixed and cannot be negotiated which in turn means that garment workers’ wages are never negatively affected by price negotiations).[9]
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· Can use organizations such as SEDEX who assess and audit manufacturers to ensure human rights are being respected.
(Source: Dhaka Tribunal[10])
2. Standards and commitments
Over the past few years, there have been signals that indicate significant changes may be coming to the fashion industry, in terms of regulations in Western Europe and the United States. US fashion brands have existed in a stable, relatively low-regulatory environment for decades.[11] There are some groups and standards that buyers need to be aware of:
· The ACT commitment on purchasing practises: Companies such as H&M, Primark and Lidl[12] as signatories on the ACT commitment, have five commitments that they need to adhere to in order to be classified as a responsible buyer. These five commitments are:[13]
i. purchasing prices include wages as itemized costs
ii. fair terms of payment
iii. better planning and forecasting
iv. committing to undertake training on responsible sourcing and buying
v. practising responsible exit strategies.
· Sizing – the ISO series of standards (“Clothing sizing systems – size designation, size measurement methods and digital fittings”) helps manufacturers know which body part to measure to ensure the proportions are correct[14] and to keep sizing consistent across brands.
· The EU’s General Product Safety Directive (GPSD), REACH standards and Restricted Substance List)
· For products marketed to children, each country will also have special requirements for flammability and wearability
· For medical apparel such as PPE, medical device requirements such as CE marks in Europe should be adhered to.[15] Military garments also have to meet specific standards, depending on the country.
· There are certification programmes that consumers use that give some kind of a corporate responsibility and sustainability tick to a garment. These include Bluesign, OekoTex, OCS and GOTS.[16] Brands will want to get this tick to gain the trust of their customers.
· Another useful resource for fashion buyers is to understand the requirements of the Global union IndustriAll.
3. MOQ and Lead times
It is reported that once a season is finished, and a particular collection has reached the end of its natural lifecycle, any item that remains will have lost more than half their value. Left over stocks and the cost of storing and writing them off can make or break a brand’s bottom line.[17] With brands releasing multiple collections per year, products need to be distributed quickly, and therefore brands need suppliers that are flexible and responsive.[18] If you have faster lead times, then you can afford lower MOQs, so negotiating flexibility with suppliers is key. Buyers should review whether it is better to ‘near source’ or ‘local source’ over sourcing from cheaper but countries that are further afield.[19] It is a balance between having enough stock on shelf to meet demand, but not having too much that you end up with huge write-off costs.
4. Net Working Capital (NWC)
In all industries, failure to manage cash flows (net working capital) can result in the bankruptcy of a company. Managing stock levels is one of the key levers to ensuring your NWC is under control. Sourcing professionals need to ensure that they are critical of MOQs versus price and lead time to protect their companies from wasting money or, in the worst case, going bankrupt.
5. Latest Trends
Brand houses spend big budgets to ensure they stay ahead of the latest trends. As an example, Zara hires over 300 designers[20] and H&M hires over 160.[21] Procurement plays a role in supporting companies in keeping in touch with the latest trends as they can act as a conduit for ideas from the suppliers to the business and vice-versa. A good fashion buyer should also be familiar with materials and basic fashion terminology to truly support the designers’ visions.
6. Quality considering your target market
A fashion buyer needs to know and understand the brand house they are buying for. Whether their brand house represents affordability or luxury, will dramatically alter how buyers should approach what they are buying. For luxury brands, quality is the absolute priority as they need to defend their reputation and live up to their premium promise. Buyers should ensure contracts are set up in such a way that there are clear consequences for poor quality and that responsibilities are outlined clearly for the supplier and the buyer. Buyers that have a deep knowledge on material types will also succeed better in securing and meeting their quality requirements.
7. Information security
With the importance of maintaining an advantage in such a competitive space, the ability to keep a secret is of critical importance for success. Buyers should ensure confidentiality is negotiated into contracts and practised, for instance only sharing information with people that need to know it, password protecting confidential documents and emphasising the importance of confidentiality with suppliers.
8. Risk mitigation
In a highly volatile and seasonal industry, it is important to have a risk mitigation strategy to prevent going out of stock and losing market share to competitors. Potential strategies include:
· Considering near sourcing or local sourcing from artisanal suppliers.
· Decomplexifying the supply chain (understanding end to end of the supply chain then reducing or simplifying stages).
· Having back up suppliers for the most vulnerable part of your supply chain.
9. Digital transformation
Typically eSourcing is not appropriate for most fashion purchases, given that many suppliers, especially of certain materials, are unique (with limited suitable substitutes). Digital tools, however, can be used for managing supplier onboarding, quality, contract compliance, supplier performance and audit.[22] In the case of a generic designed garment or apparel, then one can eSource.
10. Supplier selection and management
All points 1 to 9 rely on suppliers that are flexible, reactive and able to develop products very quickly to the expected quality level. Therefore, having a robust supplier selection process is key. Once you are working with a supplier, it is important to actively manage the relationship. For example, having a scorecard to assess suppliers’ performance can help to understand whether you are getting the service levels required, but remember they should also be allowed to assess your performance as a buyer.
All in all, buying in the fashion industry requires a strategic procurement mindset, and buyers that understand their brands, the materials, the fashion terminology, and their corporate responsibility, will help brand houses thrive in an ever-competitive industry.
[1] Canoa, N, (Jun ), CHANEL KEEPS ITS CALENDAR OF 6 COLLECTIONS PER YEAR, https://highxtar.com/chanel-keeps-its-calendar-of-6-collections-per-year/?lang=en, [Accessed: 12 Jan ]
[2] Lawrence, F. (Aug ), Sportswear firms to investigate Oxfam sweatshop claims, https://www.theguardian.com/uk//mar/04/shopping.sport, [Accessed: 07 Jan ]
[3] The Trues Cost, https://truecostmovie.com/, [Accessed: 11 Jan ]
[4] Clean Clothes Campaign, Poverty Wages, https://cleanclothes.org/poverty-wages, [Accessed: 11 Jan ]
[5] McKinsey, (Oct ), Fashion’s new must-have: Sustainable sourcing at scale, https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/fashions-new-must-have-sustainable-sourcing-at-scale, [Date accessed 08 Jan ]
[6] Clean Clothes Campaign, Poverty Wages, https://cleanclothes.org/poverty-wages, [Accessed: 11 Jan ]
[7] Sedex, https://www.sedex.com/about-us/our-members/, [Accessed: 09 Jan ]
[8] H&M Group, Responsible purchasing practices, https://hmgroup.com/sustainability/leading-the-change/transparency/responsible-purchasing-practices/, [Accessed 09 Jan ]
[9] H&M Group, Responsible purchasing practices, https://hmgroup.com/sustainability/leading-the-change/transparency/responsible-purchasing-practices/, [Accessed 09 Jan ]
[10] Dhaka Tribunal, (Aug ), Garment workers to graduates: Bangladeshi women aim to shake up textile sector, https://archive.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh//08/02/garment-workers-to-graduates-bangladeshi-women-aim-to-shake-up-textile-sector, [Accessed 07 Jan ]
[11] Gamble, M., (Jan ), Is the Tide Changing for the Fashion Industry When it Comes to Regulations?, https://www.thefashionlaw.com/is-the-tide-changing-for-the-fashion-industry-regulations-environment-in-the-u-s/, [Accessed 9 Jan ]
[12] Industri-All, (Mar ), ACT brands commit to responsible business practices in Bangladesh, https://www.industriall-union.org/act-brands-commit-to-responsible-business-practices-in-bangladesh, [Accessed: 12 Jan ]
[13] ACT, (Dec ), ACT member brands adopt global purchasing practices commitments, https://actonlivingwages.com//12/19/news-on-global-purchasing-practices-commitments/, [Accessed 07 Jan ]
[14] Naden, C., ISO (Mar ), TINKER TAILOR – CLOTHING SIZE STANDARDS GET A MAKEOVER, https://www.iso.org/news/Ref.htm, [Accessed: 07 Jan ]
[15] CBI (Dec ), What are the requirements for apparel to enter the European market? ,https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/apparel/buyer-requirements, [Accessed: 08 Jan ]
[16] Kepes, Ben. (Jan ),Fast fashion sucks for the environment, and certification isn’t the answer, https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis//fast-fashion-sucks-for-the-environment-and-certification-isnt-the-answer, [date accessed 10 Jan ]
[17] Ambrosioni, M., (Jul ), Supplier Management and Sourcing in the Fashion Industry – Under the Spotlight, https://www.jaggaer.com/blog/supplier-management-sourcing-fashion-spotlight/ [accessed 12 Jan ]
[18] Alzuria A., (Nov ), THE PROCUREMENT STRATEGY IN THE FAST FASHION INDUSTRY, https://businesslogisticssite.wordpress.com//11/05/the-procurement-strategy-in-the-fast-fashion-industry/, [Accessed: 09 Jan ]
[19] Ambrosioni, M., (Jul ), Supplier Management and Sourcing in the Fashion Industry – Under the Spotlight, https://www.jaggaer.com/blog/supplier-management-sourcing-fashion-spotlight/ [accessed 12 Jan ]
[20] Hanbury, M, (Nov ), These are the tricks that Zara uses to figure out the styles you want before you even do, https://www.businessinsider.co.za/zara-design-process-beats-trends--11?, [Accessed: 11 Jan ]
[21] Manrique C. (Dec ), H&M: How Fast Fashion Translates into Low Prices and Success, https://digital.hbs.edu/platform-rctom/submission/hm-how-fast-fashion-translates-into-low-prices-and-success/., [Accessed 12 Jan ]
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