What's the best fabric for a shirt?

Natural fibres are made from materials that have been used to make clothing for thousands of years. They're created without toxins or unnatural processes and they make your skin breath.

They have a high absorption quality; it has a unique moisture wicking ability which allows ventilation through the garment to dry the dampness. This is why wearing a pure cotton blouse or pure silk shirt is very comfortable even on hot balmy days. Synthetic fabrics like polyester and acrylic are water resistant and can’t aid in wicking moisture and similarly they have zero water absorption and so they make you feel sweaty and sticky in the same weather conditions.

That's why, for our shirts, we opt for Linen, Cotton and Silk –see all CAMIXA shirts here.

Linen is a precious fabric made from fibres of the flax plant; it’s clean, natural, durable and ecological. It’s the oldest fibre known: it’s been used since 8000 years B.C. It's breezy and cool, great for hot weather.

Its precious ‘stiff’ fibres allow more air-flow, as its structure stays away from your skin allowing your body to be refreshed and have room to breathe. The beauty is that it’s, at the same time, soft and gets softer with each wash.

Silk is a fine thread spun by silkworm; it’s the finest and strongest natural fibre in the world. It’s a protein, this means it’s chemically quite similar to human skin. It’s soft, supple and smooth and it absorbs perspiration while letting your skin breathe! Silk cools and warms simultaneously.

Cotton is one of the most used material in shirts. Cotton blouses feel good on the skin and are naturally cool.

The use of cotton for fabric is known to date to prehistoric times; fragments of cotton fabric dated from 5000 BC have been excavated in Mexico and the Indus Valley Civilization (Pakistan).

Cotton is made of 95% of cellulose which makes it resitant. It's soft, breathable and anallergic.

It is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll.

The fiber is most often spun into a yarn using up to 6 cm long fibers (the longer the fiber the better the quality).

The most important fase is yarning: the fibers must result fine, resistant, evenly coloured and elastic to be considered high quality. These characteristics are determined, not only by finishing processes, but also by the origins of the fiber. Egyptian Cottons are the most appreciated as they are fine, smooth and shiny. Indian cottons, instead, are rough and have large and thick fibers, therefore, they are the cheapest on the market. China and USA are the biggest producer, and Italy has the finest (centuries old) cotton mills in the world.

The most common cottons in shirtry are Popeline, Oxford, Piquet, Fil a Fil, Twill... In women's shirts though the best choice are the stretch cottons.

Linen, Cotton or Silk are all a good choice. They are natural on the skin and don't make you feel hot and clammy, like polyester often does.