The differences between various types of velvet

Let’s take a closer look at the differences between various types of velvet today—velvet, gold velvet, fleece, coral velvet, flannel...

1. Velvet

Ingredients: Silk + Cotton

Also known as Zhangrong, it derives its name from the Zhangzhou region in Fujian Province, China, where it originated. As early as the Ming Dynasty, large-scale production had already begun, making it one of China’s traditional textiles. The raw material for velvet typically consists of Grade A raw silk reeled from 22 to 30 cocoons. The fabric structure features a “ground” woven with silk as the warp and cotton yarn as the weft. The pile is formed by looping silk or rayon fibers. Both the warp and weft threads are first degummed or partially degummed, dyed, and then twisted before being woven into fabric.

2. Velvet with gold threads

Ingredients: Silk + viscose fiber (cotton chemically treated)

Velvet is a single-layer warp-pile fabric woven from a blend of mulberry silk and viscose rayon. Its pile surface features dense, long fibers that are slightly slanted but not as smooth as other types of velvet. It’s commonly used for women’s clothing, curtains, and decorative items. Velvet fabric has a silky-smooth texture and remarkable resilience, making it an excellent choice for high-end garments. Although it may shed a bit of fuzz initially, after washing, it becomes soft and gentle against the skin.

3. Fleece

Raw materials: 100% polyester (long fiber, short fiber, and ultrafine fiber); a certain proportion of spandex can be added (quality is relatively difficult to control, and technology needs further improvement).

Fleece, also known as Sherpa fleece, is a type of knitted fabric characterized by its small nugget-like knit structure, which is produced on large circular knitting machines. After weaving, the raw fabric undergoes a series of complex processing steps, including dyeing, napping, carding, shearing, and fleece treatment. On the front side, the fabric features a dense, fluffy nap that resists shedding and pilling; on the reverse side, the nap is sparser yet evenly distributed, with shorter, less abundant fibers. The fabric boasts a clear, textured appearance and exceptional loftiness and elasticity. Typically made from 100% polyester, it has a soft and gentle hand feel.

4. Coral fleece

Material: Polyester microfiber.

Coral fleece is a new type of fabric. As its name suggests, coral fleece is a coral-shaped textile fabric that boasts vibrant colors and excellent coverage. It’s a brand-new kind of fabric.

The texture is fine and delicate, with a soft feel that’s resistant to shedding and pilling. It doesn’t fade. It’s completely non-irritating to the skin and hypoallergenic. It boasts an attractive appearance and comes in a wide variety of colors.

5. Flannel

The term "flannel" is a loanword referring to a soft, napped woolen fabric woven from coarse combed yarn.

Woolen fabric originating in Wales and first developed in 18th-century Britain. In China, it generally refers to a coarse woolen textile woven from variegated, carded yarns, featuring a mottled, patterned appearance. The fabric boasts a dense, fine, and clean pile that completely covers the weave, with no visible texture. It feels soft and smooth, and its structure is slightly thinner than that of Melton wool. Flannel fabrics have simple, elegant colors, high weight, finely textured and closely packed pile, a thick fabric construction, relatively high production costs, and excellent warmth retention.

6. Dero velvet

Duvet fabric is a synthetic fiber textile with a relatively complex composition. Generally, it’s primarily made of acrylic fibers, often blended with a certain proportion of spandex and polyester. Of course, some duvet fabrics also incorporate a certain percentage of viscose fiber, which gives the fabric a degree of breathability! Duvet fabric is an ideal choice for garments meant to be worn directly against the skin. The advantages of duvet fabric are:

01. The Druge fabric has excellent textile craftsmanship and boasts a delicate, rich color!

02. The Duvet fabric has excellent thermal insulation performance because its surface is covered with extremely fine fibers that create an air layer, giving the fabric outstanding warmth-retaining properties!

03. The Druon fabric has exceptionally good abrasion resistance.

04. The dyeing is reactive dyeing, and repeated washing with water will not cause fading.

05. It has exceptional breathability and is particularly resistant to pilling!

7. Ferret velvet

Mink velvet refers to the soft underfur found on minks. Minks are small, rare animals that grow a remarkably fluffy undercoat to protect themselves from extreme cold. After the guard hairs are removed from the fur, only the fine, soft underfur remains—this is then used to make luxurious fur garments. As a result, this type of fur is known as mink velvet fur. Such fabrics are typically used to create high-end clothing.

Because ferret fur has relatively short fibers, it’s not suitable for use directly as a textile raw material. Therefore, the ferret-fur yarn available on the market is typically made by blending synthetic fibers with ferret fur.

Mink velvet is not the underfur of minks; this material is typically quite popular in the yarn market. In addition to mink, materials such as raccoon fur, rabbit fur, and wool are also used, often combined with various types of synthetic fibers to create blended textiles.