How To Become a Fiber Expert

Sharing the ways I taught myself to identify fiber content by look and feel

There aren’t too many things I would brag about being good at, but one thing I would boast is my ability to identify fibers. I can tell the difference between silk and polyester satin by touch, I can spot rayon just by the drape, and I’m generally able to accurately guess the fibers of unlabeled vintage garments. I wish I could tell you there’s a big secret trick, but the reality is a tried and true old-school method: practice, practice, practice.

Some people may point you in the direction of the “burn method,” in which you light fibers on fire to assess their reaction by seeing how they melt, smoke, and smell. This is a very helpful method that I generally steer clear of. There isn’t always enough access fabric to test, and I typically like to avoid snipping away at vintage garments and setting them alight regardless. If you’re unfamiliar, you can read more about the burn method here.

Today I’ll be breaking down all of the specific ways I’ve taught myself about fiber identification, no lighter necessary. If you still need to set some shit on fire, that’s cool too. But I’ve got some things you can try before that, so let’s get into it.

Understanding the difference between fiber and fabric

This is a super important distinction that’s the first step in analyzing a garment. Fiber is the foundation of the garment, the base that makes up the fabric itself. Fabric is the way that these fibers are bound together. Both the fiber and the fabric give a garment its appearance, texture, and practical properties like stretch. The labels on clothing only list fiber content, not fabric. Fabric is more descriptive, and would be found in the product name or product copy.

Cotton fibers, left, and cotton fabric, right

You may be thinking yeah, I know the difference. It seems simple, but I see these terms used interchangeably in everything from casual conversation to actual item descriptions on store websites. This sort of terminology may seem nitpicky if your main priorities with clothes are factors like style and price, and sound even more unimportant if you aren’t making or selling clothes. But having a clear understanding of fibers and fabrics are a great foundation to shopping smart, getting good value for your purchases, and knowing what to do with your clothes once you have them.

I’m a big analogy girlie, so I like to think of textiles like cooking. Fibers as your ingredients, the things you go buy to make a meal. Fabric is how these ingredients are used - what cooking method are you using? How are they prepped, cut, seasoned, combined? Say you’re starting off with a tomato. You know what tomatoes look like, how they taste, whether or not you like them. You also know that a sun-dried tomato is very different from a roasted tomato, and that ketchup is not the same as marinara. This is pretty much the same as fiber and fabric, and unless you’re exceptionally un-picky, you probably care more than you realize.

Why fiber matters:

• Fiber content acts as your key to doing your laundry right. Certain fibers generally skew higher maintenance regardless of the kind of fabric they’re made into, like wool and silk. Other fibers widely range in delicacy depending completely on their corresponding fabric, like cotton or nylon. For example: the nylon fabric commonly used for raincoats is very durable and easy to care for, while the nylon mesh often seen in vintage loungewear is very prone to tearing.

  

  Examples of the same fiber, nylon, being used in very different ways.

• Fiber tells you how this garment will react under different conditions, like moisture levels and temperature variation.

• Fibers have different properties that may influence your choice to buy or wear something. Most people have their preferred fibers, which includes a variety for different uses, seasons, and looks.

Why fabric matters: