Glossary

Fabrics
Cotton – Cotton is one of the most commonly used fabrics in the clothing industry. It’s a naturally occurring fibre that produces versatile fabrics with excellent absorbency and breathability. It’s commonly used in men’s pyjamas and dressing gowns as it’s extremely comfortable next to the skin.
Silk – Silk is another naturally occurring fabric, produced from the secretion of certain silk worms, they produce a fine thread that is used in high quality clothing garments. Due to the scarcity and cost in producing the thread, silk is an expensive material. Garments made from silk tend to be thin and lightweight however silk manages to retain the heat very well. Silk is commonly used in high quality dressing gowns.
Polyester fleece – This is a synthetic fabric that was first produced to replicate the qualities of wool at a fraction of the weight. It’s lightweight, breathable and retains heat extremely well, even when wet. It’s commonly used for dressing gowns and comes in a variety of colours.

Weaves
There are numerous different weaves that can be used in the production process, the most common ones are:
Flannel - A soft woven fabric that is loosely spun from cotton or wool.
Terry - This is known as a pile fabric where the loosely spun fibre forms uncut loops on both sides of the finished fabric. This creates excellent absorbency and is commonly used for bathrobes and towels.
Velour - This is similar to terry fabric except one side's loops have been cut. The inside is usually left with the loops intact to provide warmth and absorbency.
Jacquard – This is an intricate weaving process that originally was created by using punch cards to produce complex patterns such as brocade, damask and matelasse.
Waffle – This loosely woven fabric is characterised by its grid-like textured pattern. It can be used with many different fabrics such as cotton and silk.

Styles of collars
There are numerous collars that are used for men’s dressing gowns; here are the most common ones.
Shawl collar – The name comes from the look of a shawl wrapped around the neck however it was actually borrowed from the traditional men’s smoking jacket. It’s now an extremely common collar on men’s dressing gowns and adds warmth and cosiness to the garment.
Kimono – This is a traditional Japanese garment and the name literally translates to ‘thing to wear’. A kimono style collar actually has no collar and is favoured in warmer climates.
Hooded – As the name suggests, a hood is sown into the collar for extra warmth and comfort. This can be useful for bathrobes especially to keep your head warm with wet hair.