What is Pique Fabric? Characteristics, Types, Uses [A to Z]

It is surprising how ignorant many textile gurus seem to be about pique. Even though it is one of the original members of the cotton tribe, some fashion enthusiasts still lack a clear understanding of what is pique.

Pique fabrics typically contain a double layer of threads with a texture that promotes adequate ventilation. As a result, you can wear it all summer long because of its high level of comfort and breathability.

In the article, we discuss the materials of this fabric and where it is most commonly used. We will also outline different types of piques to let you decide which is right for you. Let’s dive in!

What is Pique Fabric?

You may not be familiar with pique fabric, but this type of textile originated in the early 19th century. It comes with a distinctive pattern woven together from two types of yarn: standard and low-twist.

This results in a series of small raised bumps, or “piques,” contributing to its unique texture. You have the option to either knit or woven the fabric, based on the type of clothing.

It is found in many formal and casual clothing items. Polo shirts are perhaps the most popular garments crafted from this material. Some renowned brands, such as Zara, even produce blazers out of pique.

Two of the most appealing characteristics of the fabric are its breathability and quick-drying properties. Due to this, you will remain comfortable and sweat-free even in hot and humid conditions.

What is Pique Made of?

In a pique fabric, cotton is combined with polyester, two materials that are complementary to one another.

Cotton is an absorbent and breathable natural fiber that offers good insulation and draws away moisture from the body. Polyester, on the other hand, is an artificial fiber with excellent durability, wrinkle resistance, and shape-retaining properties.

Thanks to such a rich blend, the end result is a lightweight, soft and durable pique fabric. The composition also enhances absorbency and drying in activewear and sportswear.

What is Pique Used for?

Pique fabric is a great choice for different purposes due to its soft and durable formation. Let’s examine where you’ll see the most pique fabric usage.

Polo Shirts

Got a favorite polo shirt that you can’t get enough of? The fabric is probably pique. Manufacturers usually rely on this fabric for its durability and wrinkle resistance. It is also highly absorbent, making it ideal for activewear like a polo top.

You may notice more people wearing polo shirts in the summer. It is because the material is breathable enough for outdoor use.

Bed Linens

Bed linens often consist of pique fabrics, whether sheets, pillowcases, or duvet covers. Since the material is soft and not too heavy, it provides comfort so you can get a good night’s sleep.

Home Decor

Stylish and high-quality table runners are hard to come by. The majority of them are not durable, and even worse, they easily stain.

To address this issue, you can opt for a pique table runner. It is durable as well as easy to clean, even when unexpected stains occur.

Golf Shirts

Golf shirts made from pique fabric provide a comfortable, breathable, and stylish appearance. It is medium-weight and has a soft texture that won’t impede your movements.

The fabric’s natural moisture-wicking attributes help golfers stay dry and comfortable. And once you finish playing golf, there’s no need to iron the cloth, thanks to its wrinkle-resistant nature.

Upholstery

Having a hard time getting the right upholstery for your home? You should check out the pique upholstery collection. Each of them has a distinctive texture that lends a sense of elegance and sophistication to any furniture piece.

Read Next: Does 100% Polyester fabric shrink

Pique Fabric Characteristics

The following characteristics indicate the presence of pique in a fabric.

Featuring a knitted weave, this fabric offers great ventilation
The soft nature makes it a comfortable garment to wear daily
More likely to slip out of seams than other fabrics
Requires extra care with pins and needles as they could damage it
Cools the body and absorbs sweat
Suitable for various outdoor activities, such as sporting events
Provides a smoother feel if the threads are smaller
Strength is lower than that of non-ribbed fabrics
In some cases, nap layout may be necessary
Stains from perspiration may appear
Does not need any special cleaning or time-consuming procedures
Light pressing is preferable since it might damage from too much pressure
Stitching requires extreme caution, given that the fabric tends to creep

Pique Fabric Types

Pique fabric is available in dozens of types. We identified the following five types as the most prevalent. Let’s take a look at them.

Micro Pique Fabric

Micro pique fabric is perhaps the softest of all its peers. Hence, a no-show mesh is ideal for this type of application.

Moreover, it is composed of polyester, allowing it to absorb sweat right away. As a result, this fabric is the perfect choice if you intend to make athletic clothing such as golf shirts.

It is important to remember that you can’t add fancy designs to micro pique fabric. This fabric may tangle immediately after stitching.

Double Pique Fabric

If you desire a versatile option among pique fabrics, double pique should be your go-to selection. It can manufacture garments appropriate to all seasons, from summer to winter.

One of the biggest reasons brands prefer double pique is its affordability. The reason behind its low price is that it is produced using an old technique.

This fabric is usually woven with two types of threads (a cheap one and an expensive one). Since one thread is lower in cost, the manufacturing expense goes down significantly.

During the design process, the same color threads are combined in a similar pattern for a unique result. This way, the double-pique fabric appears exquisite.

French Pique Fabric

Does your region experience wildly unpredictable weather? You can’t go wrong with french pique, then. Regardless of the weather, it easily adapts to moisture and absorbs it.

In addition, the apparels are more comfortable and stretchable due to the fabric’s properties. No wonder French pique is a base for so many fine shirts. Apart from that, it is also made into blouses and skirts.

But why is it that comfortable? As part of the process of developing this fabric, you will need to lift the fibers away from the ribbed texture. Therefore, the end product is comfortable and shaped like a diamond.

The only drawback of french pique fabric we could find was its expensive price tag.

Baby Pique Fabric

Baby pique fabric, as its name suggests, is suitable for children. However, this is not a sign of a fragile fabric. In reality, most conventional fabrics cannot compare to pique’s strength and longevity.

The durability of baby fabric lies in its structure. You must attach dobby looms in order to knit this item.

The knitting procedure also involves ribbing in fine patterns. In terms of material, cotton and polyester are employed. All of this results in a medium-weight fabric that is durable.

Breathability is one of the most appealing features of baby pique. Thus, you can wear it even when the weather is scorching.

Swiss Pique Fabric

Double knit is available in a variety of fabrics. One of them is a swiss pique that combines welting and knitting methods to form honeycomb patterns.

With its honeycomb design, the center has a textured element, and you must not leave a ruffle when you knit it.

Swiss clothing is famous for having tiny thread gaps. They also have elastic and elongating properties. We advise against laundering this fabric because of the possibility of distortion.

What is Cotton Piqué Fabric?

The cotton pique fabric is the oldest and most original type of pique textile. It also goes by the name Marcella.

You can easily recognize this fabric by the fine ribbing on the garment or by the parallel cords raised on it. They add a subtle texture, usually in the form of honeycombs.

What is Pique Knit Fabric?

In contrast to regular pique, the pique knit fabric undergoes a completely different production method. This one also features the deepest texture. And why is that?

It is because the pique knit is backed by twice as many threads on both the upper and lower sides as regular knits. Thanks to its high thread count, you will find it most stiff among all other piques.

This is what makes pique knits so perfect for polo shirts.

What is Performance Pique Fabric?

If you do not prefer cotton pique fabric, performance pique must be your choice. It comprises 100% polyester.

Another unique feature of the fabric is its diamond-shaped design filled with vibrant and bright threads.

Many athletic wears use performance pique, given how soft, stretchy, and moisture-absorbent it is. The material is also sturdy enough to handle heavy movements athletes perform.

What is Lightweight Pique Fabric?

To fully grasp lightweight pique, you need to know how regular pique is made. A normal pique fabric features rounded cords along the weft, whereas the recessed lines run through the middle. In this manner, you can create a pique of medium to heavy weight.

On the other hand, there are performance and lightweight pique fabrics with cords running lengthwise or widthwise. As a result, they are lighter than comparable materials.

Is Pique Fabric Soft?

Have you ever held a polo shirt in your hands? If you did, you would know its softness. And most of these polo shirts have pique fabric. You can examine the weave of pique to discover how soft it is.

A plain weave pique fabric usually feels smooth and soft. On the other hand, a honeycomb or twill weave offers more texture.

Such a fabric is made by interlacing two threads of cotton or polyester yarn. It leads to a pattern that has a raised, waffle-like appearance. This exact texture makes the fabric softer and more comfortable than other types.

Is Pique Fabric Stretchy?

We just talked about how soft pique is. However, you shouldn’t mistake this ‘soft’ for being similar to jersey fabric.

Jerseys have the stretchiest nature out of any fabrics you can find. Even in terms of wrinkle-resistant properties, they are simply unmatched by any other material.

Now coming to pique fabric, it is also quite stretchy as well as wrinkle-free. Therefore, you can do a lot of moving when you wear this type of clothing. In addition, it is pretty good at absorbing sweat.

This is precisely why micro pique has become so popular in golf shirts. Nonetheless, it still falls short of jersey material with regard to wrinkles and stretch.

Is Pique Fabric Good for Summer?

Shortly put, pique fabric is undoubtedly an ideal choice when the heat is unrelenting. If you would like an explanation, here is one.

Doing some research on suitable fabrics for summer will lead you to the same conclusion: cotton. It is appropriate summer wear because of its:

Exceptional softness
Lightweight
Breathability
Sweat-absorbing capabilities

The primary ingredient used in pique is cotton. This material, along with a mix of polyester, gives pique a medium weight that works well in hot weather.

And you may already know that pique fabric has a dobby loom attachment and a knitted weave. Both of them provide adequate ventilation.

Thus, you will often see folks wearing polo shirts (made of pique, of course) as summer comes around.

Does Pique Fabric Shrink?

Okay, that’s enough praise for pique. Surely this fabric has some drawbacks, right? Well, here it is.

The key to preventing shrinkage in cloth is to manufacture it in a way that doesn’t have any spaces between the knits.

Unfortunately, pique fabric does not adhere to this pattern. It is impossible to produce it without the knit weave. You will notice that knit has a lot of open space due to the weave.

Hence, when you rinse pique for the first time, even with your hands, it will shrink slightly.

If you are blessed enough to have a non-shrinking pique, keep it away from the dryer. Try to air dry it as the machine is sure to shrink the item.

We suggest ordering a size up when buying a pique garment. For instance, if you wear a large size (L), go for the extra-large (XL).

How to Take Care of and Clean Pique Fabric?

Despite how high quality and durable pique might be, it is not entirely impervious to damage. Even in some cases, the material tends to be extremely sensitive. Let’s see what you can do to clean this material without harming it.

Read the Care Label

People tend to forget that pique fabric has plenty of types. Therefore, no single cleaning method will work for all of them.

Always read the care label of each piece of pique to be on the safe side. It contains instructions on how to properly clean your garment.

Some care labels will provide detailed guidelines, such as what detergent to use, whether to wash the garment by hand or machine, and the recommended washing temperature.

Pre-treat Stains

If your clothes have stains, you should treat them before washing them. Apply mild detergent to the stained area and gently rub it with a soft cloth.

Consequently, the stain will become looser, thus easier to remove during the washing process.

Choose the Right Washing Procedure

You can either handwash, or machine wash a pique fabric garment based on its type. We recommend hand washing for the most effective results.

When you decide to launder by hand, make sure to use a soft detergent like Mrs. Meyer’s. As for water, it must be lukewarm.

On the other side, those who rely on machines to clean their clothes have to set them to a delicate or normal cycle for this purpose.

Avoid Bleach

Do not put bleach on pique fabrics since they are particularly vulnerable to damage from this chemical. However, if brightening the colors is your top priority, you may try a mild oxygen bleach solution.

Dry Carefully

Once you have rinsed your pique t-shirt, be sure to dry it thoroughly. The ideal way to do it is to lay the garment flat and let it dry naturally.

If you plan to use a machine dryer, adjust the heat to the lowest setting and remove the item as soon as it is dry.

Iron with Caution

Pique fabric is misunderstood as not iron-friendly. This is completely incorrect since a little bit of caution during ironing won’t hurt the cloth. Here is the caution you need to follow:

Due to this fabric’s thinness, use a medium iron temperature and reverse press the garment. Doing so will help to keep the pique fabric looking sharp and wrinkle-free while not hurting the cloth.

Final Words:

As you can see from the article, pique fabric does not have as many drawbacks as some may believe. If people truly knew about the pique fabric, they could realize how durable, moisture-absorbing, soft, and lightweight the fabric is.

Aside from these advantages, it also adds a neat aesthetic touch to your clothing with its distinctive patterns and textures.

And remember that the material has been on the market for over a century. There must be some good reason for it, right?