Chambray is a type of natural fabric that is made from either linen or cotton. This type of fabric has been made for hundreds of years, and variants of chambray fabric are called cambric or batiste.
Common Applications
Shirts, Children’s Clothes, Dresses, Shorts, Sportswear, Suits, Curtains, Pillowcases
Description
A lightweight plain-weave fabric that looks similar to denim and is often used to make shirts
Chambray is a type of natural fabric that is made from either linen or cotton. This type of fabric has been made for hundreds of years, and variants of chambray fabric are called cambric or batiste.
This type of fabric is both fine and dense, and it is similar to denim in many ways. However, a different weaving pattern is used to make chambray, and as a result, this type of fabric is significantly lighter and more breathable than denim.
Background
Story
The terms “cambric” and “batiste” originally referred to a white type of linen cloth. However, cambric has also been made with silk throughout its history, and over time, most types of cambric cloth became cotton-based. In the mid-1700s, the import of French fabrics into England became illegal, which led the British to begin calling types of Indian cotton fabric cambrics or batistes.
Over time, the terms “cambric” and “chambray” became synonymous even though these words used to denote different fabrics. The first usage of the word chambray in English dates to the mid-19th century, and over time, the term “cambric” has fallen out of use, and any fabric that follows the original style developed in Cambrai is called “chambray.”
Manufacturing
The production process used to make chambray depends on the type of material that is used to make this fabric. Depending on the type of chambray, this fabric may be made from linen, cotton, or silk. However, this type of fabric is hardly ever made from linen in the modern age, and silk chambray has also gone out of style. Therefore, we’ll discuss the production process that is commonly used to manufacture the cotton yarn from which most chambray is made.
Expertises
Characteristic
- Comfort
- Durable
- Very breathable
- High moisture-wicking abilities
- Low stretchability
- Less prone to pilling
How Chambray Fabric Is Used
Over the years, chambray has been used for all sorts of different garments. As we have already touched upon, many people use it for light summer wears such as shorts, skirts, tops and dresses. However, chambray is most frequently used for shirt fabric or button-down shirts that come with long sleeves and collars, so-called “Oxford” shirts. Some other uses for chambray fabric include quilting or bedding, and even other home furnishing items such as curtains, pillow cases, tablecloths, placemats and upholstery.
How Do I Wear Chambray?
Here, we’re going to talk mainly about how to style your chambray shirts. Chambray shirts are back, trending like we haven’t seen since the 90s! Of course, they never really went “out” of style, because they are a classic piece, but we believe they will be a must-have for the next couple of seasons at least. There are new ways to mix and style a chambray shirt that the 90s never even considered, and we can help you explore them.
Types of Chambray
There is only one type of chambray fabric, but there are a couple of terms that are used to refer to fabrics like chambray that should be clarified:
- Chambray: This term refers to any type of fabric that is woven in the traditional chambray style.
- Cambric: This type of fabric has a similar weave to chambray, but it is somewhat lighter and smoother.
- Batiste: This term is derived from the surname “Baptiste,” which is believed to be the name of the weaver who created chambray fabric in the 14th century. Baptiste fabric is identical to cambric fabric.
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