Start with climate and intended use
Begin with climate, season, layering, intended customer, and desired silhouette. A warm winter hoodie, transitional streetwear piece, athletic layer, and lightweight lifestyle hoodie do not need the same interior or weight. Decide whether softness, warmth, structure, breathability, or all-season use is the priority, then compare physical qualities instead of relying only on the words fleece or French terry.
How brushed fleece behaves
Brushed fleece has an interior surface that is raised to create softness and insulation. Composition, weight, brushing, density, and finishing affect warmth, pilling, shrinkage, and hand feel. It can support cold-weather and substantial streetwear products, but heavy brushing or a loosely controlled quality may change during wear and washing. Test the approved color and finish before bulk.
How French terry behaves
French terry has visible loops on the inside and a smoother outer face. It can work for transitional hoodies, warm climates, training layers, and premium lifestyle products, depending on composition and weight. The loops, yarn, density, and finishing affect absorbency, structure, and recovery. Do not assume every French terry is lighter or cooler than every fleece; compare the actual specifications.
Match weight and structure to the fit
Match fabric weight and structure to the fit. Oversized and boxy hoodies often need enough body to hold their intended proportions, while a regular or athletic fit may benefit from a more flexible material. Review shoulder drop, hood weight, sleeve volume, body length, and pocket construction together. GSM helps describe weight but does not replace a swatch and finished sample.
Check rib, shrinkage, and decoration
The body fabric, rib, drawcord, zipper, lining, and thread should work as one system. Check rib stretch and recovery, dimensional stability, shade matching, and bulky seams. Test screen print, puff print, transfer, or embroidery on the proposed fabric because brushing, heat, density, and stitch weight affect the result. Approve decoration after washing when care performance matters.
Approve the fabric in a real sample
Use a real sample to review silhouette, warmth, hood shape, neck seam, pocket position, rib tension, seam bulk, decoration, and care. Measure before and after the agreed wash test and record any correction. Keep the approved fabric swatch with the sample and tech pack so the production material can be checked against a physical standard rather than a description alone.
Write the hoodie fabric specification
Specify composition, knit structure, weight and tolerance, interior finish, color, compaction or finishing, shrinkage expectation, pilling requirements, rib, trims, decoration, care, and substitute rules. Add the target fit, quantity, sizes, and destination. KNAPMOD can review these details from a 50-piece minimum, with typical production of 14 days at that MOQ after approvals and material readiness.
Continue reading
Streetwear GSM Guide for Hoodies, T-Shirts, and Joggers
Use GSM as one part of streetwear fabric selection for heavyweight T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, and joggers while also checking structure, finish, and recovery.
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