7 Custom Suit Fabrics We Recommend
Custom suit fabrics can range in their usage, so we picked out the best fabric books for each need
Key Takeaways
| The Best For | Fabric Mill & Book | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Luxury | Loro Piana Super 200s | The finest production wool in the world. Super 200s come from fibers 13.5 micron wide, almost the size of a.red blood cell. Prices start at 8000. |
| Stretch | Carnet’s Sapeurs | Carnet is on the cutting edge of natural stretch. 100% wool but feels like it’s made of elastane. Doesn’t lose the structured look, like most plastics. Prices Start at 2900. |
| Durability | Vitale Barberis Canonico’s Revenge IX | A staple for business and workwear while providing luxury wool. VBC has any suit a professional needs and with Super 150s wool, you’re getting luxury and durability together. Prices start at 3600. |
| Something Bold | Ariston | Ariston always put out bold fabrics and is on the cutting edge of every new trend in fabric. From their modern suiting collections, to their bold jackets, Ariston always pleases us with their creativity. Prices start at 3300. |
| Tuxedo | Carnet’s Suite | Carnet has the best range for tuxedo fabrics; subtle luxury to statement jackets. Our favorite is their silk diamon weave. Prices start at 3700 |
| Winter | Vitale Barberis Canonico’s Winter Classics | Winter Classics is the best all around winter fabric book for suits. Every classic flannel suiting fabric is in this book and you can’t go wrong. Prices start at 3600. |
| Summer | Zegna’s Tropical | Zegna has been making big strides in its Spring/Summer collections. Their Tropical book is a light weight suiting collection that breathes and doens’t wrinkle, with basics as well as statement suits. Prices start at 3800. |
Best Fabric for Luxury: Loro Piana’s Super 200
Loro Piana’s Super 200’s fabric is some of the finest you can possibly buy. It’s for those who only want the best fabric.
Loro Piana produces the finest wool in the world. For the last 100 years, the Loro Piana family has been cementing themselves as the highest quality wool on Earth. In the 1990s, they even started the Best Bale Contest among Australian and Zew Zealand farmers on who could produce the finest wool.
Loro Piana’s Super 200 collection represents the pinnacle of production wool. With an average fiber diamater of 13.5 micron, this might be the softest piece of wool you’ve ever felt. The 200s drape really well, but requires a soft and light canvassing, typically found in Italian tailoring.
If you’re looking for the best fabric there is, whether it’s for made-to-measure suits or true bespoke not your daily driver, Loro Piana’s Super 200 is the best book for you.
Best Fabric for Stretch: Carnet’s Sapeurs 2.0
A bespoke suit is designed with an original paper-pattern, so no
Carnet is pon the cutting edge of natural stretch. Their previous release of Sapeurs was a blend of wool & elastane, and while very stretcy, lacked the proper structure for a nice suit because the fabric gave too much.
However their latest release of Sapeurs, Sappers 2.0, is 100% wool, offers much better structure, and nearly the same amount of stretch. I’ve never seen a 100% wool stretch so much, so if you’re walking around, bending down, and movin gall day, Sapeurs is the book I would recommend.
Best Fabric for Durability: Vitale Barberis Canonico’s Revenge IX
A bespoke suit is designed with an original paper-pattern, so no
VBC’s Revenge IX is designed to be the ultimate collection for daily wear. It comprises of every workwear pattern fabric you can think of and is made from Super 150s wool, making it soft to the touch but durable enough for regular wearings.
If you’re looking for a roster of suits that are durable, soft and full of workwear classics, Revenge IX is the best book for you.
Best Fabric for Something Bold: Ariston’s Seasonal Collections
A bespoke suit is designed with an original paper-pattern, so no
Ariston, which is based in Napoli, gets his bold personality from its geography.
Unlike its conservative neighbors, Rome & Milan, Napoli is known for bright colors, soft tailoring, texture and bold patterns and Ariston does a great job of weaving the city into their fabrics.
From modern and experimental suiting fabrics to bold patterns and textures for sport coats, if you want to stand out with somethning nobody else has, check out Ariston.
Best Fabrics for Tuxedos: Carnet’s Suite
A bespoke suit is designed with an original paper-pattern, so no
I’m a big fan of Carnet’s Suite for tuxedos. Not only do they have classic wools for black and midnight navy tuxes, they have some great blends with silk that add sheen and texture.
My favorite fabrics for tuxedos comes out of this book; a damond weave of wool and silk which gets better looking the closer you get.
If you’re looking for a standout tux jacket, this book has you covered with shiny and flowery patterns too. Usually if a client is requesting a tuxedo, this is the first book I pull.
Best Fabric for Winter: Vitale Barberis Canonico’s Winter Classics
A bespoke suit is designed with an original paper-pattern, so no
VBC’s Winter Classics is perfect for colder weather. Comprising of exclusively flannels, it’s similar to Revenge IX in that it has every business fabric pattern you could want.
If you’re just starting your seasonal collections, get a navy and gray from Winter Classics as well as check out some options for trousers to match with sport coats.
Best Fabric for Summer: Zegna’s Tropical
A bespoke suit is designed with an original paper-pattern, so no
This choice may make people scratch their hads.
Zegna isn’t known for spring/summer fabrics, rather they’ve made their mark on luxury workwear over the last 100 years. But lately, Zegna has been putting more of a focus on veratility.
Their Tropical book does just that well; cool, breathable fabrics, with Zegna’s sophistication. Not too bold, but standing out enough where you won’t find it off-the rack.
Best of all, these fabrics are 100% wool, so won’t wrinkle as much as a linen blend, but breath well enough to keep you cool.
Frequently Asked Questions
ARE PATTERNED FABRICS LIKE CHECKS OR STRIPES A GOOD IDEA FOR A FIRST SUIT?
If it’s your first bespoke suit, it’s ok to choose a patterned fabric, but make sure it’s subtle enough to look like a solid from a distance. You’ll want to wear this fabric for special occasions, and patterned fabrics tend to be more memorable than solid fabrics, which might suggest to your friends that you only have one suit to wear to nice events. While solid is always a great choice, if you desire a pattern, make it subtle.
WHAT FABRIC SHOULD I CHOOSE IF I WANT A SUIT THAT DOESN’T WRINKLE EASILY?
Choose a mohair-wool blend if you’re looking for a fabric that doesn’t wrinkle easily. Mohair has a wonderful sheen which makes it look luxurious, and is naturally wrinkle resistant, allowing it to easily bounce back from creasing. That’s why it’s one of the most popular fabrics for tuxedos.
WILL A LIGHTER FABRIC WEAR OUT FASTER THAN A HEAVIER ONE?
Lighter fabrics will not wear out faster than heavier fabrics because the weight is only one part of structure of the fabric. What’s more important is the average fiber diameter, otherwise known as the Super Number, as well as whether the yarns have been double twisted.
The higher the Super Number, the more delicate the fabric, which means you can’t wear it as much. A Super 200s, for example, should only be worn a handful of times a year, while a Super 110 can be worn multiple times a week.
HOW DOES A BESPOKE SUIT ACHIEVE BETTER BALANCE AND PROPORTION THAN READY-TO-WEAR?
They are designed for balance, taking into account stooped and erect posture, the balance between the torso and the legs, as well as areas of over developed and under developed muscles. While made-to-measure has limitations on how to account for everyone’s unique body shape, bespoke is unlimited because the pattern is drawn by hand just for the wearer. Learn More about the benefits of bespoke tailoring here.
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