Winter Cloths FashionFabric & clothing guide by a textile engineer

Know how a fabric will feel, wear and wash before you buy it.

Shrinking, fading, pilling, itchy seams, a size that never fits — most clothing problems start with the fabric. These guides explain why they happen and what to buy instead.

Kamrul IslamWritten by Kamrul Islam, textile engineer — Head of Dyeing & Development

Cotton jersey

Grade 1–5
  • BreathabilityAir and moisture through the fabric 4/5
  • Pilling resistanceFuzz balls after wear 3/5
  • Shrink resistanceSize change in the wash 2/5
  • Wrinkle resistanceCreasing in wear 2/5
  • Color holdFading and bleeding 4/5

Soft and breathable; shrinks unless pre-shrunk (compacted) at the mill. Typical fibre behaviour — each guide adds measured results for real garments.

Start with the problem you have

Each topic is a shade on our card — pick one to see every guide in it.

Fabric Guide What each fabric is, how it is made and how it behaves. 13 guides Fabric vs Fabric Side-by-side comparisons to help you choose. 13 guides Shrinkage, Fading & Color Bleeding Why clothes shrink, fade or stain each other. 14 guides Washing & Care Care labels decoded and fabric-by-fabric washing. 14 guides Pilling, Holes & Durability Fuzz balls, holes and clothes that wear out fast. 13 guides Fit & Size Guide Measuring, size charts and bra fitting. 13 guides Underwear, Bras & Socks Fabrics and styles for what you wear closest to skin. 10 guides Season & Climate Guide What to wear in heat, cold, humidity and sweat. 10 guides Fabric Quality & Specs GSM, yarn types, finishes and how to judge quality. 9 guides

New guides

See all guides

Measured, not guessed

Where a guide gives a number — shrinkage, color fastness, pilling grade, fabric weight — it comes from a stated test method, so you can see exactly how it was found.

Read how we test

Shrinkage
Length and width marked before and after washing (ISO 6330 / ISO 5077 method).
Color fastness
Washing and rubbing, graded 1–5 on the grey scale (ISO 105-C06, ISO 105-X12).
Pilling
Martindale abrasion, graded 1–5 against photo standards (ISO 12945-2).
Strength
Bursting strength for knits (ISO 13938-2).
Weight
Grams per square metre (GSM) from a cut sample.
Kamrul Islam

Kamrul Islam

Textile engineer — Head of Dyeing & Development

Kamrul Islam is a textile engineer who has worked in industrial fabric dyeing and development since 2012. He studied wet processing (dyeing) at the University of Chittagong, ran dyeing production, and has headed dyeing and fabric development since 2017 — recipes, shade approval and functional finishes. He writes here so shoppers can understand fabrics the way the people who make…

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