Streetwear Fabric Development
Premium Wear Works develops custom knit fabrics for streetwear brands in our own knitting mill and dye house. Tell us the hand, weight and look you want; we choose yarn and knit structure, knit sample fabric, test it through dyeing and washing, and confirm it with you before bulk.
What Is Fabric Development?
Fabric development means building a fabric to your spec instead of picking from a supplier's stock list. Yarn, knit structure, weight and finish are chosen together, then tested as fabric and as a finished garment. Because we knit and dye in-house, each change goes from idea to swatch without waiting on an outside mill.
Stock Fabric or Developed Fabric?
| Standard fabric | Developed fabric | |
|---|---|---|
| Hand & look | Chosen from what we already run | Built to your target |
| Timeline | Fastest; standard sample and bulk lead times apply | Adds development and testing time, confirmed with your quote |
| Minimums | Low MOQ | Depends on yarn and knitting setup; confirmed with your quote |
| Best for | Core basics and fast drops | Signature pieces and styles you'll reorder |
What Can Be Developed?
- Weight: from light jersey to heavyweight, within 180–400 GSM.
- Structure: single jersey, rib, French terry and fleece are the usual bases; other structures can be explored.
- Hand: drier and structured or softer and fluid, through yarn and finishing choices.
- Color: custom shades matched with lab dips, on bases built to take garment dye.
- Surface: brushed, peached, enzyme or compacted finishes.
How Does Development Affect Timing and MOQ?
Development adds time before your sample: yarn sourcing, a sample knitting run, and dye and wash testing. How much depends on how far the fabric is from what we already run. Custom yarns or structures can also change the minimum per color. We confirm both with your quote, before any work starts.
Why Does an In-House Mill Matter?
When knitting and dyeing sit in the same family business, a swatch that's too light or a shade that's off is corrected in the next run, not after rounds of emails with an outside mill. The team that develops the fabric also dyes, washes and sews it, so the fabric you approve is the fabric in your bulk.
How Does Development Work?
Send references, target hand, weight and use, or a fabric you want to match or improve.
We choose the yarn (fiber, spinning, count) and knit structure to hit the target.
A sample run is knitted in our mill and checked for weight, width and hand.
The fabric is dyed and washed the way bulk will be, then measured for shrinkage and color.
You approve the fabric, ideally on a sample garment, and it becomes the spec for bulk and reorders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Send a swatch or garment; we check its weight, structure and yarn, then knit a sample to match or improve it.
No. Most drops start on our standard fabrics. Development makes sense for signature pieces or styles you'll reorder.
It depends on how far the fabric is from what we already run, and we confirm a schedule with your quote. Samples on standard fabric take about 7 days.
Yes, and it should be tested that way: we dye and wash the sample fabric the way bulk will be before you approve it.
A reference (photo, swatch or garment), target weight and hand, the garment it's for, and how you plan to dye, wash or print it.
Garments stay low MOQ, but custom yarn or knitting setup can raise the minimum per color. We confirm it with your quote.
Every spec is quoted individually — you'll hear back within 24 hours and have numbers within 48.
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