Fabric with a raised texture, such as small ribs, cords or a honeycomb-like surface.
The name covers two different structures. In French, piqué names two layers of cloth joined by stitches that form a pattern, and also a cotton, silk or nylon cloth whose weave imitates that design. Woven piqué has cords or ribs, formed by the weave, running in the filling direction, and its small texture can look quilted. Knitted piqué combines knit stitches with tuck stitches, in which some needles hold more than one loop: in a simple single piqué, the odd feeds of the machine alternate knit and tuck stitches and the even feeds are all knit, giving a small cellular texture.
Knit piqué is most often found in polo shirts. Woven cotton piqué appears in menswear: the V&A holds a waistcoat and a bow tie in cotton piqué made by Hawes & Curtis in the 1930s, and a white cotton piqué backless waistcoat by Kilgour from 1956.
In job listings
The word is rare in current listings. Knit piqué belongs to knitwear and jersey teams: the design studios that develop knitwear and jersey collections, and the materials product development roles that manage yarn budgets, color development, samples, traceability and quality. See current knitwear roles.
