From t-shirts to sportswear to haute couture, the garments sector is dependent upon diverse fabrics. In 2025, with consumer trends, environmental imperatives, and shifts in world trade patterns, identification of fabrics in apparel manufacturing has gained significance like never before for B2B companies.
This blog explores the broad categories of fabrics driving world apparel production and how TexPro, Fibre2Fashion’s advanced market information program, helps industry decision-makers to arrive at more educated sourcing, pricing, and production decisions.
The Core Fabric Families in Apparel
Here are the top five apparel categories that are most prevalent in the apparel manufacturing industry:
1. Cotton
Cotton remains a staple in the apparel industry due to its breathability, versatility, and comfort. According to Texpro, cotton dominates fabric exports from India, Pakistan, and the US. This stands true, especially for casual wear and undergarments.
From shirts and T-shirts to dresses as well as kids’ wear, the flexibility of cotton ensures its place in several apparel segments. To its benefit, TexPro statistics indicate that American cotton prices reduced in Q1 2025 by 8.3% year-on-year. This gives importers better margins when sourcing from India as well as Brazil, highlighting the fiber’s long-lasting trade strategy relevance.
2. Polyester
Polyester is a synthetic fibre derived from petroleum. The material is known for strength, wrinkle resistance, and durability. It is widely used in apparel manufacturing for activewear, outerwear, and fast fashion segments, owing to its low cost and adaptability to blending.
Jackets, leggings, tracksuits, and linings for casual wear are among the most produced apparel items. TexPro’s polyester forecast for the next 12 months points to price swings in Q3 2025, driven by higher crude oil rates and tighter import restrictions in the European Union. It makes proactive pricing and sourcing strategy critical.
3. Viscose and Rayon
Viscose is a form of rayon that is prized for smooth drape in addition to natural luster. A cheap substitute for silk, this is commonly employed in women’s clothing items.
Growing interest in biodegradable garments has brought viscose into focus. From gowns to blouses to innerwear to linings, viscose brings softness and elegance to garments. TexPro’s benchmarking tool tracks price trends in big producers such as China and Indonesia, giving sourcing teams valuable information to enable better decision-making.
4. Wool and Blends
Natural wool offers insulation and comfort. This makes it ideal for winter and luxury apparel. But since it is expensive, it is rarely used in mass fashion. Blends with wool help strike a balance between durability, comfort, and price. This versatility means that wool is perfect for products like coats, suits, and sweaters.
Bringing in the market angle, the data from TexPro reveals that Australian Merino wool recorded FOB price gain in January to April 2025, an important insight that sourcing managers can capitalise on through TexPro’s FOB notifications.
5. Denim
Denim, crafted primarily from cotton twill, is changing with stretched versions, new finishes, and blends. Asia is still the production hub, with Bangladesh, Pakistan, and China as the main export countries.
The versatility of denim makes it ideal for jeans, jackets, and dungarees. TexPro’s trade flow heatmaps show rising American demand for Vietnamese and Mexican stretch denim, giving new opportunities for diversification in sourcing among exporters.
Specialty and Sustainable Fabrics Gaining Momentum
As apparel manufacturing enters a new era focused on sustainability and function, specialty fabrics are becoming mainstream:
Organic Cotton and Hemp
Eco-conscious brands are demanding organic-certified cotton and hemp for their lower water usage and traceability. TexPro enables users to filter trade data by ESG certifications to find compliant suppliers.
Technical Fabrics (Moisture-wicking, Antibacterial, Recycled Blends)
Increasing in popularity as the athleisure market continues to grow, technical fabrics are commonly composites of polyester, spandex, and biobased fabrics. TexPro offers SKU level (e.g., antibacterial polyester) demand forecasting to enable suppliers to gear up production to meet trends among buyers.
Recycled Polyester (rPET)
Recycled polyester from PET bottles is on the rise in the sportswear and fast fashion markets. TexPro tracks rPET price movements and trade volumes across top-producing nations like China and Taiwan.
How TexPro Supports Fabric Decisions in Apparel Manufacturing
With 500+ SKUs tracked, TexPro empowers fabric buyers, exporters, and procurement teams to make better decisions at every stage of the sourcing cycle:
Real-Time Fibre Pricing and Forecasts
TexPro’s real-time price dashboard for fibres such as cotton, polyester, viscose, and wool enables producers to react to price changes in real time. If, for instance, the price of polyester is about to surge sharply, customers can ramp up stocks ahead of the increase.
Global Export-Import Data
TexPro’s detailed export-import data across 90+ countries helps users track which nations are emerging as strong suppliers or buyers for each fabric type, whether it’s India exports of cotton yarn or China’s viscose exports.
ESG-Compliant Supplier Filters
TexPro’s ESG module lets sourcing teams filter suppliers with environmental certifications, helping meet buyer mandates and avoid non-compliant sourcing.
FOB Benchmarking for Competitive Sourcing
TexPro users can compare fabric FOB prices across Vietnam, Bangladesh, Turkey, and more, giving them a cost edge while ensuring quality. For instance, sourcing Vietnamese knitted polyester can offer you in 2025 a 7–10% lower FOB than China.
Scenario: Choosing Fabric for Spring/Summer 2026 Collection
Pretend you are a head of procurement for a multinational brand planning your Spring/Summer 2026 range:
- Demand Forecasting: Use TexPro to see demand rise for viscose-linen blends in the EU market based on Q2 2025 forecasts.
- Sourcing Locations: Narrow down low-FOB suppliers in Bangladesh and Indonesia for breathable cotton-linen fabrics.
- Risk Check: Review ESG metrics to avoid suppliers flagged for labour non-compliance.
- Trade Flow Check: Avoid saturated suppliers by reviewing trade flow data to ensure timely shipment windows.
TexPro helps you do all of the above within minutes, backed by data, filters, and intuitive dashboards.
Final Thoughts
Apparel manufacturing in the year 2025 is as much about agility as it is about compliance. As globally available supply streams are under pressure, new guidelines regarding sustainability are evolving, consumer trends are changing minute by minute, and knowing something about your fabrics as well as where to source them is crucial.
TexPro reduces this complexity to actionable insights, price guidelines, ESG compliance software, and SKU-level forecasting. Whether you are sourcing wool blends to underpin your winter collection or assessing rPET suppliers to equip your activewear line, TexPro provides the intel advantage.
Key Takeaways
- The textile industry relies on cotton, polyester & specialty sustainable materials.
- Each fabric carries distinct sourcing trends and cost dynamics for global trade.
- TexPro provides real-time pricing, trade data, ESG filters, and demand forecasts.
- TexPro helps businesses optimise sourcing, compare prices, and spot new markets.
- TexPro enables future-ready apparel manufacturing with data on 500+ fabric SKUs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is TexPro different from traditional fabric sourcing tools?
Unlike static reports, TexPro offers dynamic dashboards, trade flow analysis, predictive pricing tools, and alerts, allowing faster, smarter sourcing decisions in real-time.
Can I track sustainable fabric options like rPET or organic cotton on TexPro?
Absolutely. TexPro allows users to filter for ESG-compliant suppliers and follow trends in recycled and organic materials, making it easier for sourcing heads to meet sustainability goals.
Does TexPro provide insights into fabric-specific apparel manufacturing trends?
Yes. TexPro tracks demand, pricing, and sourcing patterns for over 500+ fabric SKUs like cotton, polyester, viscose, wool, and more. It also maps fabric usage trends based on apparel type and market.