Berber Fleece Fabric: History, Properties, Uses, Care, Where to Buy
In winters, people mostly wear warm and cosy wool-like socks. But have you ever wondered what it is made of? The warm winter socks are mostly made of Berber Fleece fabric.
Berber Fleece is made by knitting polyester yarn into fabric. In order to give it a soft touch and pull material together, the fabric is brushed using wire brushes. The material made through this process then has large air pocket loops which expands the insulating characteristics of the fabric. Afterwards, the pile of fabric is cropped for having an even length. And your Fleece is ready to be used.
| Section | Content Summary |
|---|---|
| History of Berber Fleece Fabric | Berber Fleece Fabric was first made by Malden Mills in the 1970s using polyester. The fabric was made available to all due to Malden’s owner Aaron Feuerstein decision not to patent it. |
| Properties of Berber Fleece Fabric | Berber Fleece is soft, stretchy, colorfast, strong, and has superior insulation. It is warm, moisture-wicking, but can’t absorb water due to its synthetic nature. It’s also prone to pilling. |
| Uses of Berber Fleece Fabric | Berber Fleece is primarily used for cosy in-home wear like slippers, robes, socks, and wraps. It is also used in layering and performance clothing like pullovers, hats, jackets, gloves, and scarves. |
| Caring for Berber Fleece Fabric | Berber Fleece can be machine washed with cold or warm water and laundry soap. It can be hung up to dry or tumble-dried on lower heat. The fabric should be stored flat to avoid stretching. |
Table of Contents
History of Berber Fleece Fabric
The origin of Fleece dates back in the 1970s when Malden Mills made the first polyester Fleece. Polyester Fleece became the base for all modern Fleece. The Malden Mills wanted to replicate fabrics like wool and faux fur to a fabric free from the issues of natural wool. And this company along with Patagonia made Fleece.
To make Fleece inexpensive and accessible, Malden’s owner Aaron Feuerstein decided not to patent it. The Malden Mills still manufactures famous Fleece under the Polartec company.
Properties of Berber Fleece Fabric
Soft and Easy to Sew Fabric:
The Berber Fleece is made with 100% yarns of polyester. The inclusion of polyester and the process it is gone through to get the final fabric, makes it stretchy, colourfast, soft and strong fabric with superior insulation and looped piles. It is an effortless, soft and forgiving fabric which is best for sewing.
Warm and Moisture Wicking:
The Berber Fleece is a warm fabric. It also has a moisture-wicking quality that wicks moisture from the skin of the wearer, but it can’t absorb because of its synthetic fabric which is more resistant to water than other natural fibres. Some of its properties like softness, warmness, and insulating are comparable to natural fur. And its moisture-wicking quality is just an addition to its warmness.
Wind Resistant:
On the other hand, the air pockets in the Berber Fleece makes it wind resistant than other fabrics of the same weight and kind. This makes it more comfortable and warm, especially in the winter season.
Pilling Issues:
Berber Fleece, like most other textiles, forms pills. Pills are tiny clumps of fibre on the surface of the fabric. Pilling occurs due to friction. Despite huge care, the pills will still form. However, shearing the fabric or brushing it with a stiff-bristle brush can remove pills from its surface.
Uses of Berber Fleece Fabric
Berber Fleece has the following usages:
Cosy, In-Home Wearable:
Since the Berber Fleece is known for its softness, lightweight and warmness, it is an ideal fabric for in-home wearing. In-home wearing includes slippers, robes, socks and wraps. Especially during winters, the cosy and warm Berber Fleece socks are all that you need.
Layering and Performance Clothing:
The insulating, moisture-wicking and wind resisting qualities of this fabric make it an ideal fabric for performance clothing and layering like pullovers, hats, jackets, gloves and scarves etc.
Caring for Berber Fleece Fabric
Unlike most other fabrics, the Berber Fleece has easy caring. It can be washed in the washing machine with cold or warm water. Users can use laundry soaps for washing. The items made with Berber Fleece can be hung up for drying or tumble-dried on lower heat.
You can fold the garments made of Berber Fleece flat to store it. Moreover, users must avoid things like storing the Berber Fleece garments on coat hangers, doing so will badly affect the shape of the garment and cause a stretch in the fabric.
The above instructions are general that applies to the majority of items made of this fabric; however, you should keep in mind that garment manufacturers can recommend care instructions different than the ones above.
Where to buy Berber Fleece Fabric
We recommend buying Berber Fleece fabric at https://amzn.to/4b6kxLB.
