A fabric Supplier should include the material name, composition, construction, weight, usable width, colour and finish options, intended uses, stock status, minimum order, sample route, price basis, lead time, production location, available evidence, and a clear contact step in an online product listing. Add accurate photographs that show the full material, surface detail, scale, drape, and relevant reverse or edge.
The purpose of a listing is not to replace a technical data sheet, sample, or commercial quotation. It is to give a Designer enough current information to understand the material, decide whether it could fit a project, and ask the next useful question. Specific constraints often make a listing more credible and more relevant than broad claims.
01
Use a searchable, specific product name
Lead with the material category and the qualities a Designer is likely to search. A title such as 11 oz rigid indigo cotton denim is more useful than Article 4812 or Premium Collection. Keep the internal article number, but place it beside language that explains what the material is.
Avoid loading the title with every available claim. Use the description for composition, finish, evidence, and commercial detail. If a material is part of a named collection, state both the collection and the individual article clearly so a saved sample can be found again.
- Material category and construction
- One defining weight, composition, finish, or performance characteristic
- Colour family or stock status when it materially affects availability
- Supplier article number and collection name
- Words a Designer can understand without knowing internal machinery codes
02
Publish the technical specification
State the measurement method or unit wherever ambiguity is possible. A weight without gsm or oz, a width without usable or total width, or stretch without direction and test method can create false comparisons. If a value is approximate or varies by colour or finish, say so.
- Full fibre composition with percentages
- Woven, knitted, nonwoven, leather, trim, or other construction detail
- Weight, thickness, gauge, count, or density relevant to the material
- Total and usable width, repeat size, hide size, or component dimensions
- Stretch direction, stretch percentage, recovery, or performance characteristics
- Dye, print, coating, wash, surface, backing, and finishing information
- Suggested end uses and any important processing or care limitations
03
Explain colours, customisation, and availability
Separate what is available from stock from what can be developed. List the number of current colours and show a dated shade card where practical. Explain whether custom colour, print, coating, embossing, or finish is possible and whether each has a separate minimum and lead time.
If stock changes quickly, provide the date of the listing and ask Designers to confirm the current quantity before planning production. For deadstock, state that the quantity is limited and whether the lot is likely to be repeatable. For continuity articles, explain the normal restocking or production route without promising permanent availability.
04
Make the commercial conditions visible
If exact prices are confidential or change with specification, publish a realistic band or explain the factors used to quote. The absence of every commercial detail does not create qualified leads; it often produces repeated questions from Designers whose quantities or timing cannot fit.
- Sampling options, cutting size, sample price, dispatch location, and timing
- Minimum order per article, colour, finish, roll, or total order
- Price or indicative price band with currency, unit, and quantity basis
- Stock-supported, made-to-order, or development-only status
- Normal production and finishing lead time and what can change it
- Production or stock location, markets served, and delivery destinations
- Payment, shipping, or delivery terms that must be known before an order
05
Use images as material evidence
Photographs should help a Designer understand surface, structure, scale, thickness, movement, and variation. Use neutral, consistent lighting and do not edit colour or texture so aggressively that the image becomes a promise the physical sample cannot match.
- A clear full-frame view of the material
- A close view of weave, knit, grain, pile, print, coating, or texture
- Front and reverse when they differ
- An edge, thickness, fold, drape, stretch, or light-transmission view where relevant
- A scale reference or dimensions for patterns, repeats, trims, and hardware
- A labelled shade card or finish comparison with a warning that screens vary
06
Support claims with relevant evidence
State fibre origin, production location, certification, testing, traceability, performance, or impact claims only as precisely as the evidence allows. Name the certification or test, the certificate holder, scope, validity, and whether it applies to the exact article. Do not use a logo as a substitute for this information.
If documents are available only after a qualified enquiry, say what can be supplied. Remove expired claims and distinguish a facility-level certificate from a product or transaction claim. Designers need to know what has been verified and what still requires confirmation for their order.
07
Show one product family at a time
A focused listing or Supplier Post is easier to search and save than one entry containing unrelated fabrics, trims, and services. Group variants that share a base quality, then create separate entries when construction, commercial conditions, evidence, or intended use changes materially.
Example fabric listing
Stock-supported lightweight cotton poplin for shirts and linings. Article CP120: 100% cotton, plain weave, 120 gsm, 148 cm usable width, soft washed finish. Available in 14 stock colours from Prato, Italy. Samples from one metre; production minimum 50 metres per colour while stock lasts. Indicative dispatch is 3–5 working days after payment. Custom colours are available from 500 metres with a separate lab-dip and production lead time. Message us for the current shade card, price band, stock position, care information, and applicable certification documents.
08
Keep the listing current and easy to answer
Connect gives Suppliers a place to publish visual Posts and profiles and lets Designers discover them alongside active sourcing Requests. A complete listing can make that discovery more relevant, but it does not guarantee an enquiry or order. The Supplier still needs to confirm current stock, samples, price, evidence, suitability, and commercial terms directly with the Designer.
- Add the publication or last-updated date
- Use a monitored contact route and name the team or person responsible
- Update stock, colours, minimums, lead times, certificates, and discontinued articles
- Answer with the same article number and specification shown in the listing
- Archive or mark unavailable material instead of leaving an apparently active offer
Questions
Frequently asked
Should a fabric Supplier show prices online?
Show an exact price when it is stable and appropriate, or give an indicative band and explain the currency, unit, quantity, finish, and delivery factors that determine a quotation. Avoid a price with no commercial basis.
Which fabric specifications matter most to Designers?
At minimum, include composition, construction, weight, usable width, colour and finish, stock status, minimum order, sample process, lead time, origin or production location, and the evidence relevant to any claim.
How often should product listings be updated?
Update whenever stock, colours, minimums, price basis, lead time, article status, contact details, or certificates change. Add a visible last-updated date and archive unavailable offers promptly.
Can one listing contain an entire fabric catalogue?
It can link to a catalogue, but the searchable listing should focus on one article or closely related product family. Separate entries make specifications, availability, images, and commercial conditions easier to understand.