What makes you feel really good in your suit
Nowadays, the fashion world can be confusing. You see expensive designer suits at the exclusive fashion boutiques and then you see a similar ones in a much affordable high street brand stores. Of course, we all hear the things about quality differences but what does that exactly mean? The people who sew the suits are all professional, right? We will explain where the main differences are coming.
Firstly, your mass produced garments are typically made by machines, but the ones with a higher price tag have had that extra special care by human hands and could be called handicraft. We call it like that because what those hands can do, really is art. This is why details are so important. Machine work is not personal and not so detailed.
The other big difference in your suit price tag comes from the materials that are used to sew your suit. That is what really makes the difference. Quality cloth helps your body either keep warm or let it cool down by letting it breathe. By the way, breathing is important in the winter as well because you wouldn’t want to sweat in your suit. That’s only acceptable at the gym.
LGFG Fashion House works only with the highest quality cloths that you find on the market. For example, we use cloths that are produced by Scabal. That itself should tell you something. But to be more precise, we want to explain which kind of materials we actually use and why these cloths are the best you can wear. Enjoy!
Wool
Wool is a textile fiber that is mostly obtained from sheep. There can also be some other animals but then it has a different naming (like cashmere and mohair from goats etc). Wool fabrics are great because they hold air thanks to scaling and crimp. It makes it easier to spin the fleece by helping individual fibres attach to each other, so they stay together. All of that causes wool to retain heat. Wool fibres absorb moisture but are not hollow. It can absorb about almost one-third of its own weight in water. The amount of crimp corresponds to the fineness of the wool fibres. A fine wool like merino may have up to 100 crimps per inch.
The quality of wool is determined by its fiber diameter, crimp, yield, color and staple strength. Of course the finer the wool, the softer it is.
Wool sheep
Mohair wool
Mohair wool comes from an angora goat. Do not confuse it with angora rabbit, which is called angora wool. It is silk-like fabric or yarn made of their hair. It is notable for its high luster and sheen which brought Mohair the nickname “Diamond Fiber.” It is durable and resilient. Mohair is warm in the winter as it has excellent insulating properties, while it still remains cool in the summertime due to its moisture wicking properties. It is durable, naturally elastic, flame resistant and also crease resistant. It is considered to be a luxury fiber together with cashmere and silk. It is more expensive than wool that comes from sheep.
Angora goat
Cashmere wool
Cashmere wool is usually simply known as cashmere. It is a fiber obtained from cashmere goats. It is defined as a wool but it is finer and softer than sheep’s wool. Cashmere is fine in texture, strong, light and soft. Garments made from it provide excellent insulation. Cashmere is collected during the spring moulting season when the goats naturally shed their winter coat. The process is done by hand and it takes time.
Cashmere goat
Vicuña
Vicuñas are wild South American camelids which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes. They are relatives to llamas and are believed to be the wild ancestors of domesticated alpacas which are raised for their coats. Vicuñas produce small amounts of extremely fine wool. The price of their wool might be considered very expensive but it is because the animal can only be shorn in every three years. And, of course, if it could be caught from the wild at all. Their wool is very soft and warm. Its properties come from the tiny scales on the hollow, air-filled fibers. It causes them to interlock and trap insulating air. For those who don’t know – vicuñas have some of the finest wool in the world! Yes – even better than cashmere. But as the wool is sensitive to chemical treatment, the wool is usually left in its natural color (hence maybe not so popular than other fine wools in the fashion world).
Vicuñas wool have been valued since the Incas (it was against the law for anyone but royalty to wear such fine vicuña garments). Vicuñas are still valued greatly, they are the national animal in Peru.
Vicuña
Article to be continued on the next blog post… Come back here to read about linen, cotton, silk, tweed and flannel.
LGFG Fashion House
