Eleven Fabrics, One Factory, No Guesswork
We are a garment factory in Humen Town, Dongguan. Fabric is the first decision on every order we run, so this page is the honest version of what each material actually does — the GSM range, the stretch, the certification paperwork, and where a fabric choice quietly breaks a budget or a deadline. Cotton, organic cotton, bamboo viscose, rPET, French terry, fleece, jersey, linen, nylon, spandex blends, and the recycled and organic options that pull from several of those — eleven families, cut on the same lines, with OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified fabric sourced on request for the orders that need it. The table further down also shows which of these fabrics will take pleating, laser cutting, beading, patches or embroidery — the question most decorated-garment orders actually turn on.
Fabric families we
cut regularly: 11
from 100% cotton to rPET
MOQ on any
fabric: 50 pcs
per style, per colour
OEKO-TEX Std 100
fabric on request
sourced for the orders that need it
rPET orders ship
with GRS docs
recycled-content proof included
The 11 Fabrics and Materials We Work With
Cotton
Cotton is still what most first orders are cut in, and for good reason — it is forgiving to sew, dyes evenly, and buyers already know how it should feel. We run 100% cotton and cotton/poly blends anywhere from 140 GSM for a fitted crew tee up to 400 GSM for a heavyweight crewneck. If a sample comes back a touch stiff, that is almost always a GSM problem, not a cotton problem — tell us the drape you want and we adjust the weight before we adjust anything else.
Organic Cotton
Same fiber, different paper trail. Organic cotton runs through the same cutting and sewing lines as standard cotton — the difference is upstream, in how the raw fiber was grown and what documentation follows it through the mill. We can source it across the same product range as regular cotton, but budget extra sourcing time on top of our standard 25–45 day bulk window, since certified lots do not sit in every mill’s inventory the way conventional cotton does.
Bamboo
Bamboo-derived viscose is what brands reach for when a tee or lounge piece needs to feel expensive without silk pricing. It drapes softer and cooler against skin than cotton at a comparable weight, which is why it shows up most in our loungewear and base-layer lines rather than structured outerwear — the fabric will not hold a crisp edge the way woven cotton does, and we say so upfront if a design depends on one.
rPET
rPET is recycled PET plastic spun back into polyester yarn, and on our compression legging and activewear lines it performs close to identically to virgin polyester — same stretch recovery, same moisture handling. What changes is the paperwork: rPET orders ship with GRS (Global Recycled Standard) documentation, so a recycled-content claim on your own packaging is backed by something more than our word.
French Terry
French terry is the loop-back knit in the photo above — smooth face, looped interior, no brushing. It sits in the same 280-400 GSM range as our fleece but wears lighter, since the loops trap less bulk than a brushed nap. That makes it the default for a joggers-and-crewneck set meant for three-season wear rather than deep winter.
Fleece
Fleece is the brushed, napped version of the same family — cotton/poly blends at 280-400 GSM for pullover hoodies and crewnecks. The brushing happens after knitting, in a separate finishing pass, which is why fleece runs a little more per meter than an unbrushed terry of the same weight. If a hoodie needs to feel heavy in someone’s hands at unboxing, this is the fabric that delivers it, not French terry.
Jersey
Jersey is the basic single-knit construction underneath most of what we ship — t-shirts, fitted dresses, base layers. It is what is rolling through inspection in the photo above, checked for weight consistency and colorfastness before it ever reaches a cutting table. Plain jersey runs 140-200 GSM for a standard tee; ask for a heavier hand and we move you to 200-280 GSM heavyweight jersey instead, which holds a print better and resists show-through.
Linen
Linen is the one fabric on this page we do not run through high-volume production — a woven natural fiber with a visible slub that, at our MOQ and lead-time structure, works best for a small warm-weather capsule rather than a core year-round line. If linen is central to your collection, tell us early; we will be straight about whether 50 pieces clears the mill minimums that specific fiber needs.
Nylon
Nylon is the smooth, technical face fabric rolling off the finishing machine in the photo above — high tenacity, low moisture absorption, the base layer in most of our compression and swim-adjacent styles. We typically blend it with spandex at 80/20 for leggings rather than run it solid, since solid nylon has almost no stretch on its own. If a tech pack calls for pure nylon, we flag it and ask what stretch behavior is actually needed before a sample gets cut.
Spandex
Spandex never ships as its own fabric — it is the 10-20% stretch component blended into a nylon or polyester base, exactly what is being pulled and gathered in the photo above. More spandex means more recovery, the garment snapping back to shape after a workout, but also a slower, more careful sew: overstretching a spandex-heavy knit under the needle is the single most common cause of wavy seams on a first sample.
Recycled & Organic Fibres
Buyers usually ask about rPET, organic cotton and bamboo viscose together, so they are grouped here. What we can actually put in your file: GRS documentation on rPET orders, and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified fabric when you ask for it before sampling. The paperwork comes from the mill that made the fabric — we do not attach our own environmental label to a garment, and we would rather you hear that before a sample round than after.
How the 11 Fabrics Actually Compare
Buyers usually ask this as “what fabric should I use”, which is really three separate questions: how heavy, how much stretch, and what will it cost in minimums. Here is the short version, fiber by fiber:
| Fabric | Typical GSM | Stretch | Best For | Common Blend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton | 140–400 | None–Low | Tees, hoodies, everyday basics | 100% or cotton/poly |
| Organic Cotton | 140–400 | None–Low | Same as cotton, certified supply chain | 100% organic cotton |
| Bamboo | 150–200 | Low | Loungewear, base layers, soft-hand tees | Bamboo viscose, bamboo/cotton |
| rPET | 150–280 | Med–High blended | Activewear, compression, recycled-content claims | rPET/spandex |
| French Terry | 280–400 | Low | Joggers, lightweight crewnecks | Cotton/poly |
| Fleece | 280–400 | Low | Heavyweight hoodies, pullovers | Cotton/poly |
| Jersey | 140–280 | Low–Med | T-shirts, dresses, base layers | 100% cotton, cotton/spandex |
| Linen | Varies, small-batch | None | Warm-weather capsule pieces | 100% linen, linen/cotton |
| Nylon | 150–280 | None solo / High blended | Compression, technical shells | Nylon/spandex 80/20 |
| Spandex | N/A – blend component | Highest | Compression, fitted activewear | 10–20% of a blend |
| Recycled & organic | Varies by fabric | Varies | Brands needing GRS / OEKO-TEX documentation | rPET, organic cotton, bamboo |
Which Fabrics Take Which Decoration
Most decorated-garment problems start with the base fabric, not the decoration. Prophesy Apparel (PRP) runs laser cutting and production embroidery in-house and the rest through our production network, and the same fabric rules apply wherever the work is done. Polyester and nylon reward heat; cotton and linen punish it — which is why cotton can be shirred or smocked with stitching but cannot be heat-set pleated, and why it scorches under a laser. The polyester and blends guide goes deeper on synthetics; the cotton and cotton blends guide covers jersey, fleece and denim; the embellishment overview covers every technique we run.
| Decoration | Holds on | Avoid on | Wash behaviour | Where it is done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat-set pleating | 100% polyester, polyester blends, acetate, nylon; light wovens such as chiffon, georgette, satin, taffeta | 100% cotton, linen, viscose/rayon (pleat collapses on first wash); anything over 200gsm | Permanent on 100% polyester below 40°C; drops out above 60°C or in a hot dryer. 65/35 softens after ~10–20 washes | Partner facility |
| Laser cutting | Polyester, nylon, poly mesh, neoprene, PU leather, scuba — the edge seals itself | 100% cotton, linen, silk, wool (edge scorches brown). PVC is never cut: it releases chlorine gas | Sealed synthetic edge needs no finishing and does not fray | In-house, 3-metre format |
| 3D silicone patch (heat press) | Fabrics that take 150–170°C for 10–15 seconds | Thin nylon, ultralight polyester, wool, leather/PU, waterproof-coated — use sew-on there | 50+ washes at 40°C when pressed correctly; failure is edge lift | Partner facility |
| Hand beading | Wovens from about 80–100gsm; knits only with interlining | Lightweight knits, high-stretch fabrics, coated fabrics; chiffon and tulle sag | Dry-clean or cold hand-wash in a mesh bag | Partner workshop |
| Chenille patch | Heavy wovens, melton wool, twill, canvas, denim, heavy fleece | Lightweight knits, stretch fabrics, wovens under 120gsm, waterproof-coated | Sewn lasts the life of the garment; heat-press only lifts after ~10–20 washes | Partner facility |
| Production embroidery | Most wovens and knits with the right backing | Waterproof-coated fabrics (needle holes), genuine leather; ultralight or high-stretch without backing | Depends on backing and fabric rather than the thread | In-house, 24 heads |
Minimums do not change with the technique: 50 pieces per style, per colour. Most factories that handle heavy embellishment want 300+ pieces. We start at 50.
Fabric Sourcing Is a Service, Not Just a Spec Sheet
Everything on this page gets sourced, tested, and cut through the same fabric sourcing process described on our services page — we are not reselling from a swatch book, we are pulling from mills we already work with inside Dongguan’s supply chain. If you already know which product category you are building — browse product categories to see which fabrics we default to for each one, or read the OEKO-TEX certification breakdown if compliance paperwork is the real question. Decorating a polyester or poly-cotton piece with pleats, laser-cut edges or silicone patches? The polyester and blends decoration guide covers what holds up and what melts. Working on cotton jersey, fleece or denim instead? The cotton and blends decoration guide covers what stitches on and what scorches.
What to Tell Us So the Fabric Quote Is Accurate
Fabric is the single biggest lever on price and lead time, and the fastest way to get a number that will not move later is to answer these before we quote:
- Target retail price — so we can suggest a fiber and GSM combination that actually leaves you a margin, instead of quoting a fabric you cannot afford to use.
- End use and season — a legging and a lounge pant both use knit fabric, but the weight and stretch recommendation is different for each.
- Any required certification — OEKO-TEX, GRS, CPSC. Tell us before sampling starts, not after, since some documentation has to be requested from the mill in advance.
- A hand-feel reference — a swatch, a competitor garment, or just “soft like a well-worn cotton tee”. We translate that into a spec.
- Colorway count — our minimum is 50 pieces per style, per colour, so three colourways of one style means 150 pieces. A mill can also set its own per-colour fabric minimum; we flag that at quote stage.
- Whether stretch recovery matters — compression-level recovery costs more in spandex content than a relaxed, everyday fit.
Send it through the enquiry form or on WhatsApp. If a fabric will not do what a design needs, we would rather say so before a sample round than after.
Fabric Questions Buyers Actually Ask
What is the minimum order for a specific fabric?
50 pieces per style, per colour — the same on every fabric and every decoration we run, so three colourways of one style means 150 pieces. The one exception is a fiber like linen that a mill only stocks in larger lot sizes — we will tell you at quote stage if your fabric choice needs a higher minimum than your garment MOQ.
Can you match a fabric swatch I already have?
Usually, yes. Send the swatch or a clear photo and we will source the closest match, run a colorfastness check, and confirm GSM before cutting a sample. An exact dye-lot match is not guaranteed on the first attempt, which is what the sample round is for.
Is OEKO-TEX certified fabric included on every order?
No — it is available on request. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified fabric is sourced for the order that asks for it, and the same goes for GRS documentation on rPET and CPSC flammability documentation for children’s sleepwear. Tell us before sampling starts, since the mill has to supply that paperwork with the fabric.
What is the real difference between rPET and regular polyester?
Performance-wise, almost nothing — same stretch recovery, same moisture handling. The difference is that rPET is spun from recycled PET plastic and ships with GRS documentation, so a recycled-content claim on your packaging is backed by paperwork instead of just a label.
How much does fabric sourcing add to my lead time?
For fabrics we stock through regular mill relationships, sourcing is already built into the standard 25–45 day bulk window, counted from approved sample. Organic cotton and linen can add extra time upfront, since certified or small-batch lots are not always sitting in inventory.
Can I mix fabrics in one order, like cotton tees and fleece hoodies?
Yes, that is normal. Most brands running a full drop or capsule are ordering two or three different fabrics at once. Each style is still quoted and produced against its own MOQ and GSM spec.
What GSM should I choose for a hoodie versus a t-shirt?
A standard tee usually sits at 140-200 GSM in cotton jersey, with 200-280 GSM heavyweight jersey for a boxier, less see-through feel. Hoodies run 280-400 GSM in fleece or French terry. If you are unsure, describe the drape you want and we will translate it into a number.
Do you provide fabric composition and care labels?
Yes — custom woven labels and care labels are part of our standard packaging and labeling service, priced in at the same 50-piece MOQ as everything else, so first orders still ship shelf-ready.
Which fabrics can be heat-set pleated or laser cut?
Polyester, polyester blends and nylon. Both processes rely on the fibre being thermoplastic, so a heat-set pleat stays put and a laser edge seals instead of fraying. On 100% cotton or linen the pleat collapses on the first wash and a laser edge scorches brown — cotton can still be shirred or smocked, because stitching holds the gathers.
Tell Us What You're Trying to Make
Whichever of the eleven fabrics fits your project — or if you are still deciding — send us the garment, the price point, and any certification you need. We will tell you honestly which fabric gets you there and what it costs to work with.