6 July 2026
How to Read a Fabric: A Buyer's Guide
What makes one cloth RM39 a metre and another RM85? Here is how our buyers read a fabric — five checks, in order.
1 · Fall
Drape it over your forearm. Silk-heavy weaves fall in narrow, liquid folds. The narrower the fold, the finer the yarn.
2 · Light
True jacquard shows its pattern woven in — turn it over and the motif is mirrored on the reverse. A print shows only a pale ghost.
3 · Hand
Crush a corner and release. Good cloth breathes back slowly.
4 · Edge
On lace, study the scallop border: hand-finished edges vary by half a millimetre.
5 · Weight for purpose
A kurung wants 4 metres of cloth that holds a line. A selendang wants chiffon that forgets it is being worn.