Cotton. Fleece. Polyester. You can find hoodies in all types of materials, making them the perfect all-season apparel. Plus? They’re super comfy and a wardrobe staple!
However, as sellers, it’s important to know which hoodie materials to choose according to the needs of your customers. And yes, we’re talking about the primary fabric, lining, trims, decorations, and all the frills.
Let’s explore what the best hoodie materials are, and how to choose fabrics that fit your needs.
What are Hoodies Usually Made of?
Since hoodies are peak loungewear, they’re typically made from soft and lightweight fabrics that make you feel warm and comfy. The most common types of hoodie materials are:
- Cotton
- Fleece
- French terry
- Jersey knit
- Polyester
- Rayon
- Wool
Best Fabrics for Hoodies
The best hoodie fabrics are durable, comfortable, and allow for easy movement. Here are the fabrics that fit the bill.
Cotton
As a soft, lightweight, breathable, and naturally absorbent fabric, cotton is a favorite fabric for creating hoodies. It’s super comfortable and gentle against the skin, making it ideal for people with sensitive skin. Cotton hoodies can absorb moisture up to 27x their weight, so they’re ideal for regulating your temperature and keeping you cool and dry in the warmer months.
Best for: Loungewear hoodies, summer hoodies
Polyester
Polyester is a synthetic material that’s durable, strong, and great at wicking away moisture. Polyester hoodies also keep you warm, don’t wrinkle or wear away easily, and can be machine-washed. The best part is that polyester hoodies wick away the sweat from your skin and let it evaporate quickly, making them ideal for athletic performance.
Best for: Activewear hoodies, cold weather hoodies
Instead of using 100% cotton or polyester, many hoodies are manufactured using a blend of the two fibers to get the best of both worlds. Stretchy fibers like spandex or lycra are also added to the mix to give it some elasticity.
Fleece
Fleece is soft, cozy, and feels fuzzy against your skin, offering a lot of warmth and comfort. Moreover, it’s also lighter than wool, breathable, and allows moisture to dry quickly – all properties that make this plush fabric a favorite hoodie material.
Best for: Winter hoodies, activewear hoodies
French Terry
French terry is a knit fabric that has a soft interior, is absorbent, and keeps you moderately warm. But its best qualities are that it’s super stretchable and allows air to circulate between its loops, offering a lot of breathability. This makes French terry hoodies super versatile!
Best for: All-season hoodies, low-intensity workout hoodies
Jersey Knit
Like French terry, jersey knit is another type of knit fabric that’s soft on the inside, stretchy, lightweight, breathable, and absorbent. This makes jersey hoodies very comfortable to wear and move around in. The fabric also has a good drape, meaning jersey hoodies are often stylish!
Best for: Loungewear hoodies
Best Hoodie Materials for Trims and Decorations
The trims and decorations on your hoodie make your final product stand out from the rest. Here are the various types of trims used in hoodies and the best materials for them.
- Lining. The lining needs to be lightweight, soft against your skin, and improve the structure of the hoodie. As a result, cotton, fleece, sherpa, viscose, and linen are the most common hoodie inside materials.
- Labels. Be it a brand label, care label, or a size label, it shouldn’t irritate the skin. So, making them using fabrics like satin, damask, taffeta, rayon, or cotton is ideal.
- Zippers. You can use metal, plastic, or nylon zippers based on your hoodie aesthetic.
- Buttons. Plastic, wood, and metal buttons are the most common. If you want to add a little oomph to your hoodies, use shell, resin, or cloth buttons.
- Drawstrings. Nylon is the most popular choice of fabric for making drawstrings due to its strength and durability, although you can also use cotton, canvas, twill tape, or braided cords.
- Rivets, eyelets, and stoppers. Aluminum, alloy, and steel are the most common materials used for these trims.
How To Choose The Right Hoodie Fabric
Hoodies may be versatile, but for them to fulfill their intended purpose, you need to put some thought and choose the right hoodie material. Here are some factors to consider before you pick a hoodie fabric and start customizing:
Climate
Before you go manufacturing a hoodie, you need to think about where you plan on selling them and what the climate is like there. This will inform the type of fabric you need. After all, it makes little sense to make fleece hoodies in a place where it’s warm most of the year, right?
For warm climates, lightweight cotton hoodies work best, while mid-weight to heavyweight fleece and polyester hoodies are better choices for colder regions. Alternatively, if you want all-weather hoodies, go for jersey or French terry fabrics.
Breathability
The breathability and moisture absorbing properties of the hoodie need to match the intended activity level. Hoodies made for cold climates or for working out need to be moisture-wicking and breathable, while summer hoodies need to be able to absorb your sweat and keep you comfortable.
Apart from cotton, knit fabrics like Jersey and French terry reign supreme when it comes to breathability. This is because they're knitted using interconnected loops which have a lot of space for air to circulate between them. Polyester and fleece, on the other hand, are ideal if you're looking for moisture-wicking properties.
Durability
Hoodies are worn frequently, so the fabric you choose must be strong enough to withstand wear and tear, not be prone to pilling, and be machine-washable.
The most durable fabrics are polyester and nylon. Add a little cotton to the mix, and you can prevent the hoodies from pilling, too.
Comfort
Hoodies are made for lounging around in, so comfort is key. The fabric should be soft to the touch, make the wearer feel cozy, and allow unrestricted movement.
Cotton and fleece are ideal for comfort-wear hoodies. But if you want to feel cozy and be flexible, jersey or French terry might be better choices.
