What is Gabardine Fabric?
Gabardine fabric is a twill woven fabric made from worsted, cotton, silk, etc. Suits, overcoats, trousers, and other clothes are usually made from gabardine. It is a tough, tightly woven fabric. Wool blends, worsted wool, and cotton blends can be used to create this twill fabric. There are many more warp yarns in this fabric than weft, but it is not made from a specific material. Getting soaked won’t be a problem due to its silky property.
History
Thomas Burberry invented gabardine, a fabric known to everyone through the firm Burberry. The material’s patent was issued in 1888, one year after Burberry invented the fabric. Wools or cotton blends can be used in the original fabric, which was waterproofed before being woven. For instance, the Macintosh rubberized raincoats were water-resistant but less comfortable.
During the 1914 expedition to cross Antarctica, polar explorers, including Amundsen and Shackleton, wore the fabric. Gabardine has also been spotted on actor David Niven. When gabardine was at its peak in the 1950s, stores like J.C. Penney were known for producing weekend jackets made from gabardine, trousers, and suits made with the fabric.
Off-the-rack retailers no longer carry gabardine, and custom clothiers do not offer much in gabardine. This fabric makes an excellent mid-weight cloth for trousers, so if you can locate it, it is worth getting a pair.
Gabardine Fabric Types
Textiles consist of many types of gabardine fabric, like cotton, lightweight, bright, lyocell, wool polyester, wool mixture, etc.
Gabardine fabric is woven from cotton and has a twill weave. A wide variety of products can be made from it including skirts, dresses, pants, jackets, uniforms, and more. It is used more commonly than wool gabardine for everything from skirts to dresses. Compared to its wool cousin, the material is lighter and thinner, but it is also durable and somewhat softer to the touch than wool.
Fabrics made from wool gabardine are tightly woven fabrics made from worsted-weight wool yarn. Suits – trousers, skirts, jackets – are made from this durable worsted wool fabric because it will last a long time.
In addition, Wool gabardine is prone to fraying badly, and it must always be preshrunk before cutting and sewing. Moreover, if the fabric is less tightly woven, you may find that it falls apart as you cut into it if it is loosely woven. As soon as you cut your fabric, finish the raw edges.
Wool gabardine also tends to be quite shiny when pressed. Use a damp press cloth to avoid this situation, and if you are unsure, use a clapper for plumbing seams! Other types of gabardine fabric also have different features.
Properties of Gabardine Fabric
| Properties | Details |
| Durability | This fabric is rain-resistant and hard-wearing due to its tightly woven construction. Despite its durability, firmness, and hardness, it is durable and long-lasting. Investing in it is worth it and it’s a long-term choice. The durability of gabardine makes it an ideal material for overcoats. |
| Biodegradable | Several materials can be used to make gabardine, including worsted wool, polyester texturized or cotton blends. |
| Vegan | Because organic cotton is not derived from animals, gabardine made of it is vegan. If pesticides are used in the manufacture of gabardine, it is not vegan. |
| Water-resistance | In addition to their water resistance, gabardine garments are also very durable. Water is repellent due to the tight weave of this fabric. Therefore, rain jackets and other outwear made from it is water-resistant. Although gabardine suits are waterproof, they won’t completely protect you from downpours. As opposed to other types of fabrics, this one is better at keeping you dry for longer periods of time. |
| Feel | There is a luxurious feel associated with gabardine fabrics. In spite of the tightly woven fabric, this is the case. |
Gabardine Characteristics
- Gabardine fabric consists of twill weave warps on the front and back.
- A warp-faced fabric can be classified according to how many warp yarns are on its surface and how many fill yarns are present.
- Gabardine has an angle of 45 or 63 degrees at the wale.
- It is common for fabrics to weigh between 7 and 11 ounces per square yard.
- There are various fabric densities, from 76 warps to 48 fillings (picks per inch).
- With a hard or clear finish, gabardine is a durable fabric.
Gabardine Fabric Manufacturing Process
After sizing and shearing, yarn and loom structures are visible because surface fibres, fuzz, and naps are removed. The fabric gabardine can be found in different threads, weights, and characteristics. Fabrics made of gabardine are typically woollen.
A gabardine of the highest quality is usually made of continuous double-threaded yarns, but it also comes in single expander yarns, double ply, and single wool yarns. There is a nice drop in even better-quality fabrics. Fabrics of inferior quality are rough, stiff, and challenging. With an easy-care, long-wearing finish and durable double-ply yarns, the material is made with a warp-joined structure and a hard finish that makes it incredibly durable.
In addition to wool, there are acrylics and synthesized blends in a medium weight recommended for clothing that is too heavy to fit suit clothes. Usually made from silk or cotton, it is compact, elegant, and robust. Some polyesters come in 100% polyester or cotton and available polyester blends. Gabardines of cotton and textured polyester are generally constructed with a left-hand tube weave consisting of two parallel lines.
Gabardine Fabric Applications
Women wear gabardine clothing and textiles for their jackets, sweaters, skirts, raincoats, hats, and riding clothes. Men wear gabardine clothing for their suits, slacks, skirts, raincoats, and sportswear. Sportwear and dresses are lightweight gabardine, whereas slacks and tailored suits are made from heavyweight gabardine. Excessive wear or extra work may create a shine in the ironing process or when applying additional pressure to the fabric.
Conclusion
Fabrics made of gabardine are thick knitted woollen or cotton fabrics. Fabrics made from this material are durable. Using twill knit, it was woven. There is, however, a tighter weave between the warp and the weft. Because the rigours on gabardine fabrics are always angled 45 degrees in the direction of the fabric or the opposite direction, they are waterproof.
Mahedi Hasan is a Textile Engineer, as well as a Top Rated content writer at Upwork, a Level 02 Seller at Fiverr, Level 02 Publisher at Ezoic. A passionate textile and fashion content writer, fashion SEO expert, and fashion web designer. Having a B.Sc. in Textile Engineering Degree from Textile Engineering College, Noakhali (TECN). The department is Apparel Engineering. Highly Experienced fashion writer for the last 3+ years. Have extensive 7 years of experience in the wholesale clothing business.