What Fabrics Are Good For Swimwear

The best swimsuit fabric is the one that makes the most sense for your needs. For practicality, we like the easy printing capability and durability of polyester. I also believe that the environmental impact of polyester can be better managed than nylon.

However, the feel and finish of nylon is still unmatched by polyester. Polyesters are coming closer and closer every year, but still have a little way to go to match the look and feel of nylon.

If you can find a polyester that you love the look and feel of, then you'll have the best of both worlds!

Here at Prototype, we offer a wide variety of swimsuit fabrics, as well as the ability to use anything that you are able to source. Contact us now and tell us about your business and your needs. We'll be happy to help you from there!

Qualities of Polyester Swimwear Fabric

The qualities of polyester that are most relevant to swimsuit fabrics are:

Durability: Polyester is a highly durable fiber. It holds its shape well in and out of the water. It resists pilling (the little balls of fuzz that can appear in the crotch and armpit areas). This is a common issue in surf swimwear, where the suit is in constant contact with the board

Colorfastness: Polyester holds color very well in both dyes and prints.

Cost: Polyester is one of the more reasonably-priced swimwear fabrics available

Look/Feel: Polyester gets a bad name for its perceived "roughness" as far as hand feel goes. That notion is a bit outdated, however. Modern poly fabrics have improved dramatically and become quite soft, though not quite as much so as nylon.

Digital Print: Polyester can be digitally printed using sublimation. Colors will be bright, saturated, clear & permanent. Sublimation dyes and machines are specifically designed to perform on polyester.