The coolest fabric for summer: maake’s top choices

We need the coolest fabric for summer. This season it’s been scorching, and we’re all tired of being sweaty. Here’s our definitive guide to the coolest fabric for summer, so that even the hottest days are bearable. Here we offer our choice of materials from our exclusive collection

The coolest fabric for summer

Natural fabrics

Cotton

The pros: Everybody knows it’s a good idea to wear cotton in summer, because this naturally sustainable fiber is cool (air circulates freely through this fabric), durable, comfy and breathable. Aside from being the coolest fabric for summer, it’s also easily hypoallergenic, available, lightweight and moisture wicking.

The good news: It’s a real no-sweat, chilled customer. Printing on cotton is a breeze – colours print bright and vibrantly. Also, the fabric’s so versatile – it’s available in so many different blends. And it’s easy to care for – just wash and line dry.

 

The cons: If it’s really hot, you may find that your sweat doesn't dry, which means you'll be wearing a damp, creased fabric. You may also find sweat patches at armpits and other spots, especially if the fabric is in dark colors. Here’s some important information: don’t put cotton in the tumble dryer or it could shrink – rather hang on the line and dry in the sun.

Click here to explore our Cotton Range

Linen

The pros: It’s as cool as cotton and just as breathable, making it the coolest fabric for summer in the UK along with cotton, especially for a linen midi dress style or a mini dress. Linen is a light, loosely woven natural fiber that is sustainable. In fact, it requires less water to grow than cotton does. We make it from the flax plant, which means it keeps you cool as heat escapes from the body and it dries fast, which is a major plus. It doesn’t stick to the body, which is great when it’s hot, and itsanti-bacterial, too. And another important plus: the more you wash it, the less it creases. You can always get the creases out by hanging the garment in your shower to steam. And let’s not forget – it’s very durable, too.

The cons: It’s a known fact: linen creases easily. Sometimes designers use the creases in their creations to make the garment unique, but it can be a problem. It may keep you chilled when it’s hot outside, but linen does retain heat. And here’s one of our tips: you shouldn’t use a tumble dryer on it: rather dry on the line for the air to circulate if possible.

Browse through our linen bases

Cotton blends

·      Poplin: With its distinctively ribbed texture and tight weave, this cotton fabric gives a unique lustre that resembles silk. Previously we used to make this fabric out of silk and wool, but these days it’s a lightweight cotton blend that’s light, drapes beautifully and is great to beat the heat. It also doesn’t wrinkle or smell on a hot day. A major boon in the summer months. Sadly, it’s not that hard-wearing, and, like cotton, it’s prone to shrink in the wash.

·      Chambray: This cotton textile is like denim, but it’s cooler, softer and not as heavy. A plain weave fabric, chambray’s made out of a mix of coloured and white yarns, much like denim.It’s very light, so it’s more popular in the hot months than denim. These fabrics have a higher thread count and a fine weave which is why they are such  breathable fabrics. Ideal for pants, jackets and casual shirts in a variety of colours and designs.

Note:

Linen and cotton blended fabrics are also very popular and combine the pluses of both of these natural fabrics.

Silk

Pros: It’s a fact, many natural fibers create materials that are fresh and comfortable in the heat. People often ask: is silk good for summer? Yes, it’s another good summer choice for the coolest fabric for summer, created from harvesting the silk from silkworms’ cocoons. This luxurious, delicate and lightweight fabric adjusts to one's body temperature. So it breathes beautifully in summer and keeps you warm in winter. It’s the perfect year-round fabric.

Cons: Silk doesn’t absorb sweat well – you could land up with sweat stains as a result. It’s expensive to clean, as one should dry clean it.

Wool and jersey fabric

Pros: Believe it or not, wool material is actually able to keep you cool as well as warm. Made from natural fibers (the fleece of sheep, goats, rabbits etc), it’s sustainable, very elastic and lightweight. It also keeps moisture away from the skin, so if you wear a light woollen garment in summer, it will make you sweat less, not more. You’ll stay cool and dry all day long. Wool is also hard-wearing, strong and lasts long. It’s flame- and water-resistant, too, antimicrobial and antibacterial. It’s also easy to look after and hypoallergenic, too. And let’s not forget it’s also resistant to mould, dust and mildew, so it’s ideal for allergy-prone skin.

Cons: The material is relatively expensive, and we often ask questions about how people treat the animals during sheep shearing. Wool can also irritate sensitive skin, especially if it has coarse fibres.

Woollen blends

·      Jersey is a blend of wool, cotton and synthetic fibers. It’s a comfortable, flexible textile that we often make into summer clothes. Choose a 100 cotton blend for a really cool, sustainable garment.

maake’s top summer fabric choices: cotton calico, chiffon, eco sprint knit, organic satin, faux silky

Semi-synthetic fabrics

Rayon 

Pros: This is the first on our list of the best fabrics for summer that are semi-synthetic. Rayon will keep you refreshed and is a very popular summer fabric. It’s a blend of cotton, wood pulp, and other natural or man-made fabric. We originally invented it as a less expensive substitute for silk. The material drapes nicely is stretchy, soft, delicate, and light. We make it with very thin fibers, so it’s a breathable material and absorbs moisture, making it a good material choice in summer. Because it’s cool and comfy, we often use rayon for sportswear and summer frocks. Wear this synthetic material in dry heat, not when it’s humid.

Cons: Rayon shrinks when you wash it in warm water, so it’s best to dry clean it. You can handwash it in cold water, but it may still shrink a little. It’s not a very hard-wearing cloth and we need to take care of it.

Rayon blends

 ·      Modal or Micromodal: This is a type of rayon, a semi-synthetic fabric made out of beech or hardwood tree pulp. It’s cool and lightweight and has become a popular alternative to cotton for summer wear as the coolest fabric for summer. It’s soft, breathable doesn’t shrink and is easy to clean.

·      Tencel: This is another popular Modal blend, a mix of Modal and lyocell. This is a soft, cool material that we often use to make fashion and other clothing items. We say It’s eco-friendly although it’s not as sustainable as natural fabrics like cotton. It’s versatile and absorbs moisture, so we often use it for activewear as it’s breathable and repels odours. It’s an expensive fabric.

Synthetic and recycled synthetic fabrics

Polyester

Pros: Although it’s a synthetic textile that we knit or weave from polyester thread or yarn, polyester keeps sweat at bay, so it’s very popular for athletic gear. Because of the latest technology, this textile is extremely durable and water-resistant, which is why we use it for gym wear.

And now we also regularly chose it as a summer fabric, too, because it dries fast and stays cool when it’s hot. It’s very hard wearing, doesn’t crease and is stain-resistant, all major pluses.

Cons: Unfortunately, polyester can irritate sensitive skin and if you’re prone to sweat, it isn’t a great choice in the heat. So it’s not great for one’s health.

Polyester blends

Recycled polyester

We generally make this textile, which we call rPET, from recycled plastic bottles and containers that people discard after use. The plastic we use includes cold drinks, take-away items, plastic straws etc.

We find recycled polyester an excellent alternative compared to virgin polyester. In fact, we need far less resources to produce this textile than many other synthetic fibres. And its production generates fewer CO2 emissions.

The chemical recycling process is more expensive, but has longer-lasting effects. We create it chemically by dissecting plastic molecules and then building them up again into polyester yarn. 

The method we use to process chemically recycled polyester seems to maintain the thread's quality so that we can recycle othe textile over and over again.

Nylon

Pros: This is another lightweight synthetic textile that has become a popular choice for athletic wear. We have designed it to keep sweat away from the body. Thus it’s very cool in hot, humid climates.

The material is light and stretchy, making it ideal for sportswear and athletic shoes. It’s flexible, hard wearing and can withstand bad weather conditions, especially rain and snow. It also dries fast, another plus for sports people.

Cons: Nylon retains smell, can cause chaffing and isn’t very breathable.

Our picks of the coolest fabric for summer

Calico Plain Cotton

This traditional fabric is ideal for clothing and home wear. The plain woven, lightweight textile is agreat value option for first time cloth printers. It’s one of our most popular and versatile fabrics.

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Organic Satin

An organic version of our Satin fabric, it’s popular for elegant garments and accessories. Organic Satin is soft to touch with an excellent handle. The satin weave cloth has a smooth print face and luxurious feel. It’s a stable cloth that is easy to work and sew with. The edges will fray so it’s best to finish it with a binding or overlock stitch. The matte finish produces stunning bold print colours on this natural fabric.

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Note on printing on our cotton fabric. We print our cotton textiles in one of the most eco-friendly ways possible, using Digital Pigment inks. We use no water when we print with this method, which uses around 95% less energy than traditional screen printing.

Our picks of polyester summer fabrics

Chiffon

This cloth base is slightly thicker than Georgette. It has an excellent structure for blouses and fashion garments and is great for pairing with other textiles as an overlay. It has a slightly grained, sandy texture which adds depth to the print. It is very sheer, so you may need a lining if using it for entire garments.Prints are visible on the reverse of this cloth but appear duller and lighter in shade. The white polyester base achieves vibrant printed colours.

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Eco Sprint Knit

Perfect for Dresses, sweatshirts, hoodies and kids clothes, this rPET (recycled polyester) textile is 140cm in width.

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Faux Silky Satin

This ultra lightweight fabric is the perfect alternative to natural silk. It’s popular for luxury garments, scarves and accessories. It’s a crease resistant textile with a fantastic drape and smooth, silky print face and subtle sheen.The fabric is slightly sheer. so prints in light colors may need a lining if used for garments.Material reverse is matte white and just as smooth as the print face. Prints are visible on the reverse of this fabric but appear duller and lighter in shade. The white polyester base achieves vibrant printed colours

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Note on printing on polyester fabrics

We use no water in the printing process of our polyester fabrics. The inks we use meet Oeko-tex requirements. They also pass EN71-3 certification