A
- Appliqué
- Decoration made by attaching pieces of fabric to a larger fabric surface.
B
- Batiste
- A fine, lightweight fabric with a plain weave and a soft, often semi-sheer appearance.
- Biodegradable
- Capable of being broken down by microorganisms under particular environmental conditions.
- Bouclé
- Yarn with loops that give it a textured surface, or fabric made with that yarn.
- Brocade
- A woven fabric whose raised decorative pattern is formed with additional patterning threads.
C
- Cashmere
- The fine, soft down that grows beneath the coarse outer hair of certain goats, and the yarn, knitwear and cloth made from it.
- Challis
- A soft, lightweight, usually plain-weave fabric with a supple drape.
- Chambray
- A plain-weave fabric, usually made with a colored warp and a white or undyed weft.
- Charmeuse
- A lightweight satin-weave fabric with a lustrous face and a duller back.
- Chenille
- A yarn with short fibers projecting around its core, or a soft, pile-textured fabric made with it.
- Chiffon
- A lightweight, sheer fabric with a slightly grainy surface and a flowing drape.
- Crêpe
- Fabric with a crinkled or grainy surface, produced through its yarns, construction or finishing.
- Crepe de chine
- A lightweight fabric with a subtle crepe texture and a soft drape, often made from silk or polyester.
D
- Damask
- A woven fabric whose pattern is formed by contrasting weave structures, often creating a reversible design.
- Deadstock
- Stock that remains unused or unsold; in textiles, often surplus fabric or materials.
- Denim
- A durable, usually cotton fabric with a twill weave, often made with indigo-dyed warp yarns and lighter weft yarns.
- Drapé
- The way a fabric hangs, folds and moves under its own weight.
- Dupioni
- A crisp fabric, commonly silk, with noticeable irregular thick sections called slubs in its yarns.
E
- Eco-friendly
- A broad claim that a product or activity causes less environmental harm.
F
- Faille
- A plain-woven fabric with slight, flat ribs running across its width.
G
- Gabardine
- A sturdy, tightly woven twill with raised diagonal ribs on its face, made in wool, cotton or other fibers for suits, trousers and coats.
- Gauze
- A lightweight, open fabric with a sheer appearance.
- Georgette
- A lightweight, often sheer fabric with a crinkled surface and a springy drape.
H
- Handfeel
- How a fabric feels to the touch, including its softness, smoothness, stiffness and surface texture.
- Houndstooth
- A pattern of broken checks with pointed corners, often seen in contrasting light and dark colors.
J
- Jacquard
- A weaving system that controls individual warp threads to create patterns, and a name for fabrics made with it.
L
- Lame
- Fabric made with metallic or metallic-looking yarns that give it a reflective surface.
- Linen
- Cloth woven from the fibers of the flax plant, and by extension the sheets, tablecloths and napkins of a hotel or home, whatever their fiber.
M
- Matelassé
- Fabric with a raised, quilted-looking surface created by its construction rather than by a separate layer of padding.
- Moire
- A rippled, water-like surface effect on fabric, commonly produced by finishing a ribbed cloth.
N
- Ninon
- A lightweight, sheer fabric with a relatively smooth surface, made from silk or other fibers.
O
- Organdy
- A lightweight, sheer, plain-weave cotton fabric with a crisp finish.
- Organic cotton
- Cotton grown under organic agricultural standards.
- Ottoman
- A woven fabric with prominent, closely spaced ribs running across its width.
P
- Piqué
- Fabric with a raised texture, such as small ribs, cords or a honeycomb-like surface.
- Print
- A design applied to a textile's surface, rather than formed by weaving the pattern into the cloth.
S
- Seersucker
- A fabric with alternating smooth and puckered areas, often arranged in stripes.
T
- Taffeta
- A crisp, smooth, plain-weave fabric with a slight sheen, often made from silk or synthetic fibers.
- Terrycloth
- A fabric with loops on one or both sides, often used for absorbent products such as towels and robes.
- Tie-dye
- A resist-dyeing technique in which fabric is tied, folded or bound so some areas resist the dye.
- Tulle
- A fine, lightweight net fabric used in garments, veils and decoration.
- Tweed
- A rough, often nubby wool cloth woven in twill or herringbone, used chiefly for suits and coats.
V
- Velour
- A soft pile fabric with a plush surface, often knitted and used for clothing or upholstery.
- Vicuña
- The fine fiber shorn from a wild Andean relative of the llama, and the cloth made from it, traded internationally only under CITES rules.
- Viscose
- A manufactured fiber of regenerated cellulose, made by dissolving wood pulp and spinning it back into filaments; US labels may call it rayon.
- Voile
- A lightweight, semi-sheer, plain-weave fabric, often made from cotton or a cotton blend.
W
- Worsted
- Smooth, firm yarn spun from long wool fibers that have been carded and combed, and the cloth woven from it.
