Eight fabrics, each with a habit. Knowing the habit before you buy is most of the difference between a garment that lasts and one that gets returned.
| Fabric | Weight | Feel on day one | Warmth | Shrinks | Pills |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poplin | 115 gsm | Crisp, cool | Low | 1% | No |
| Sateen | 125 gsm | Smooth, cool, slight sheen | Low | 1% | No |
| Brushed cotton | 190 gsm | Soft, warm | Medium | 2% | First 3 washes |
| Flannel | 210 gsm | Very soft, warm | High | 3% | First 3 washes |
| Jersey | 150–230 gsm | Stretchy, T-shirt | Low–medium | 2% | Rarely |
| Loopback | 400 gsm | Firm, dry | Medium | 4% | No |
| Fleece | 380 gsm | Plush, warm | High | 4% | First 3 washes |
| Waffle | 240–320 gsm | Textured, airy | Medium | 4% | No |
| Terry | 450 gsm | Plush, heavy | High | 3% | Sheds lint |
| Linen | 175 gsm | Dry, cool | Low | 3% | No; creases |
| Wool & alpaca | By gauge | Warm, slightly dry | High | Felts if hot | Sheds at first |
Shrinkage is what we measured after five 40 °C washes. Where it is above 2% the garment has been cut longer to compensate.
Cotton that has been run over fine wire brushes to lift a nap. Brushed on one face for the pyjama set and the lounge trousers; on both faces for the flannel and the camel robe, which is what makes those warmer and shed more.
| Do | Avoid | |
|---|---|---|
| Wash | 40 °C, inside out | 60 °C - it flattens the nap |
| Dry | Tumble low, or line | Tumble hot |
| Pilling | Expect it for three washes; a fabric comb takes it off | Returning it in week one |
| Softener | None needed | Softener - it coats the nap |
Flat, tightly woven cottons for people who sleep warm. Poplin is matte and crisp; sateen has more thread on the surface and a soft sheen. Neither pills. Both crease in a tumble dryer and look best pressed while damp.
Dark sateen can shed dye onto pale sheets in its first two washes. Wash it alone at first.
Knitted cotton, so it stretches - the tees, the vests, the modal set. Knitting happens in a spiral, and heat lets the fabric relax back towards it, which is why jersey twists at the side seam if it is tumble dried hot. Dry it low or on a line and the seams stay where they were sewn.
Sweatshirt cloth. Loopback leaves the inside as small loops of yarn: firm, dry, never pills, and softens steadily for about a year. Fleece is loopback that has been brushed until those loops become a plush surface: warm immediately, shrinks 4%, pills for the first few washes.
If you want soft tonight, fleece or brushed. If you want the garment you will still be wearing in five years, loopback. Both are honest choices; they are just different ones.
The robe fabrics. Waffle is a honeycomb weave that holds air, absorbs well and dries on a hook in two or three hours. Terry is towelling: more absorbent, warmer, heavier, and takes about a day to dry. Both lose absorbency if fabric softener is used because it coats the fibre; if a robe already feels waxy, one hot wash with a cup of white vinegar and no detergent resets it.
Waffle shrinks hard on its first wash - about 4% - then stops. Terry sheds lint for its first few washes; wash it with towels rather than with dark clothes.
Washed before it is cut, so it arrives soft and most of the shrinkage is already done. It creases within the hour and stays creased. It is cool, dries fast and gets softer for years. Shake it out damp and put it straight on, and it will look intentional rather than slept in - which, for loungewear, is roughly the point.
The socks, the cardigan and the jumper. Warm for their weight, slightly dry to the touch, and the one group here that can be ruined in a single wash: anything above 30 °C, or a tumble dryer, felts the fibre into something smaller and denser that cannot be undone.
A seam, cuff, waistband or rib that fails within 100 home washes is repaired or replaced, with postage both ways on us. Pilling, felting from a hot wash, shrinkage inside the stated figure and snags are the fabric behaving as described, not a fault - but if you are unsure which it is, photograph it and ask. We would rather look than argue.