The material world

As the sultry spring and summer seasons draw closer teasing us with the promise of deliciously warm days, it is tempting to come out of our winter hibernation and go shopping for the new season’s look. Stores are already ablaze with outfits in vibrant colours in a variety of fabrics. But choosing the right material could sometimes be hard, as some fabrics could be very suffocating in warmer temperatures. So to prep you up for summer here’s a look at some fabrics that have cooling and insulating properties to draw moisture away from the body, leaving you feeling fresh, clean and dry through the day.

Cool cotton

We are all aware of the many virtues of this material which is undoubtedly the best summer fabric around. Cotton is a natural fiber which is soft to touch, but is extremely durable, versatile and strong. It allows air to pass through, permitting the pores of the skin to breathe and become cooler in hot weather. Cotton is the most popular clothing material in the world. Amongst its many qualities is its ability to drape well, making it easier to sew. Even though it wrinkles easily, cotton is favoured for summer wear by top designers, as it absorbs perspiration quickly while retaining a fresh, crisp look. Another good reason to choose cotton for summer is its excellent quality of colour retention, which makes it possible to buy this material in vibrant, fast colour prints. On the down side, too much exposure to the sun can result in fading and weakening of the fabric. Cotton also has a tendency to shrink (so look for pre-shrunk when buying cotton clothes) and hot water washes can damage the material as well.

Light in linen

Linen is a vegetable fiber valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather. It is a good conductor of heat and is highly absorbent, which makes it a coveted material for summer. Linen removes perspiration from the skin and does not cling to the body. It has the ability to absorb and lose water quickly. It can retain upto 20% of moisture without feeling damp. With normal body movements it tends to act as an exhaust to dry out and become cool, so that the body is always being touched by a cool surface. Linen is also very durable, with twice the strength of cotton and it is one of the few clothing materials that is actually stronger wet than dry. However due to lack of elasticity, linen creases easily. Linen is not a stretchy material and hence it is resistant to damage from abrasion. Another plus is its smooth, lint free, dirt and stain resistant, high lustre finish, which gets softer and more comfortable to wear the more it is washed.

Robust rayon

Rayon is the oldest man-made fiber, and is probably the most unique one in commercial use today. It is extracted from naturally occurring cellulose but cannot be classified as a natural fabric as cellulose requires a lot of processing to convert it into rayon. It was originally developed as an alternative to silk, but quickly became popular as a versatile clothing material which drapes well, is easy to dye and is more absorbent than cotton and linen. Studies show that in comparison to other fabrics rayon is a better conductor of heat, making it the material of choice for summer. Rayon is comfortable to wear, is soft against the skin, does not built up static electricity and has medium dry strength and scuff resistance. It is not resilient and so wrinkles easily. When wet, it loses a lot of its strength and will thus stretch and shrink more than cotton. High quality rayon provides a good alternative to silk when creating nicely flowing evening gowns in vivid colours. But inferior quality rayon often ages poorly, yellowing with time and pilling excessively in areas of heavy wear.

Durable denim

Some people can only feel comfortable in jeans and luckily, denim is a suitable fabric for summer. Made from tightly woven cotton, it retains a lot of its original properties. It is breathable and

Another good reason to choose cotton for summer is its excellent quality of colour retention, which makes it possible to buy this material in vibrant, fast colour prints.

Lightweight wool

Just the mention of wool conjures up images of chilly winter breezes, but little do many people know that, with correct manufacturing techniques, this material can be made to perform as a cooling fabric for summer. Summer suits are often made from