The Poplin weave is not only the foundation of our name, it?s also the foundation of all our shirts. Before Poplin the brand ever got off the ground we spent a year travelling all over the world, from the USA, Paris to India and China. We also attended many trade shows like Sourcing at Magic, Intertextile Shanghai and Premiere Vision Paris to find the fabric and weave that was right for our vision of a strong, durable, yet soft and comfortable shirt.
We knew we wanted a natural and sustainable fabric so we chose to make our shirts from quality 100% cotton. The next step was choosing how our cotton fabric would be woven. The type of weave we chose would affect the feel, durability, and stretch of our shirts so it was crucial that we picked the right one. There were many options, from Poplin, Twill, Oxford, Doby and many more.
After a lot of ?spirited debates? fueled by ample alcoholic refreshments we finally chose Poplin? & Co. tagged along for the ride.
So What is Poplin Exactly?
Now that we weaved our origin story we can explain what a Poplin weave actually is.
Poplin is a fine warp yarn woven with a thicker weft yarn, resulting in a strong material but one that is soft to the touch.
Chances are that you?ve probably worn Poplin in your lifetime. Whether it was 100% cotton like our shirts or a blend of different fibres like polyester, nylon, viscose etc. Poplin has been used both in everyday apparel and in couture fashion. The reason for its wide appeal comes down to its strong, durable nature while exuding a soft surface. It's basically the jack of all trades when it comes to fabric.
But Where Did Poplin Come From?
The Poplin weave can trace its roots back to Avignon, France, where it was used to create everything from silk dresses, upholstery, cotton or wool winter wear among many other things.
During the 1920s, cotton Poplin was introduced to the United States by the British. After its introduction the USA renamed Poplin to Broadcloth, much like they did with Freedom Fries, Kiwi and football.
Although in the USA Broadcloth stands for Poplin, in most of the world Poplin is still the preferred name.
Now For the Big Finishing
While the Poplin weave came with a long list of advantages it was still missing that je ne sais quoi that was obviously present in our one of a kind prints. This something extra came with the introduction of Peached Poplin. While regular Poplin was soft, Peached Poplin was something else. This special finishing was achieved but running a comb across the surface of the fabric pulling the fiber's up in order to create a soft fuzzy feel, like the skin of a peach.
We knew that even though most guys were rough around the edges they still liked the feeling of comfortable smooth things against their skin? wink, wink. But in all seriousness, Peached Poplin added a new level of comfort to our shirts that finally completed the perfect canvas to our printed shirts.
