What our fabric labels mean: a plain guide to every fiber we use
Every Masidas product page prints the fabric as the supplier states it, in percentages. Most of what we sell is made from polyester, acrylic, viscose and nylon, with a smaller group of cotton and linen pieces. None of these is good or bad on its own. Each one feels, wears and washes in its own way, and this guide explains how, so the label on a product page tells you something useful before you buy.
How we name fabrics
- The fabric line on each product page shows the exact mix, for example "65% polyester, 35% acrylic". We do not round a number up to make a piece sound finer than it is.
- When a product name says linen look or wool feel, it describes how the fabric looks or handles. The true fiber is printed beside it.
- If we cannot confirm that a piece is leather, we call it faux leather.
- When a supplier has not yet confirmed the exact percentages, the product page says so in plain words, and we update it when they reply.
Polyester
Polyester is a synthetic fiber made from the same family of plastic as many drink bottles. It is the fiber you will meet most often on our pages: in blazers, coats, blouses, many dresses and a good share of our knitwear.
What it does well: it holds its shape, resists creasing, dries quickly and keeps its color through many washes. That is why a polyester blazer still looks pressed at the end of a long day, and why it travels well in a suitcase.
What to watch for: it breathes less than cotton or linen, so it can feel warm in summer heat. In knits it can pill where it rubs, and it can build static in dry winter air. Too much heat from an iron can leave a shine or even melt the surface.
Care: wash cold, dry on low heat, and iron on a low setting through a cloth if it needs it at all.
Acrylic
Acrylic is a synthetic fiber first made as a lighter, easier alternative to wool. You will find it in many of our sweaters, alone or blended with polyester or nylon.
What it does well: it is soft, light for its warmth and holds bright and deep colors well. It does not attract moths, which feed on animal fibers such as wool.
What to watch for: it does not breathe the way wool does, and it can pill with friction. Heat is its weak point: a hot dryer or iron can stretch it out of shape for good.
Care: wash cold, keep the dryer on low or dry it flat, and never iron it directly.
Viscose
Viscose is made from wood pulp. The cellulose is dissolved and spun into a new fiber, so it sits between natural and synthetic. In the United States it is often labeled rayon. We use it in dresses, some knits, a few shirts and some tailored trousers.
What it does well: it drapes, feels cool against the skin and breathes better than polyester. A viscose dress moves when you walk, which is why so many summer and evening dresses use it.
What to watch for: viscose is weaker when wet and can shrink if washed warm or dried hot. It also creases more easily than polyester.
Care: wash cold on a gentle cycle, do not wring it, and dry it flat or on a low setting.
Nylon
Nylon, sometimes labeled polyamide, is a strong synthetic fiber. In our knitwear it usually appears as a smaller part of a blend, where it adds strength and helps the knit spring back after it stretches.
Care: cold wash, low heat. Like polyester, it dislikes a hot iron.
Elastane
Elastane, also called spandex (Lycra is one brand name for it), is the fiber that gives stretch. A small amount, often 3 to 6%, lets trousers, shirts and dresses move with you and recover their shape. On our pages you will see stretch described on a simple scale: no stretch, a little stretch, good stretch and very stretchy.
Care: heat wears elastane out over time, so cold washing and low drying keep the stretch for longer.
Cotton
Cotton is a natural fiber from the cotton plant. Most of our henleys, a cotton polo, several shirts and a few blouses are mostly or entirely cotton, and the exact share is always on the page. You can see them together in the cotton edit, or men's cotton on its own.
What it does well: it breathes, feels soft and gets softer with washing.
What to watch for: it creases, and it can shrink in hot water or a hot dryer. A small amount of elastane or polyester in a cotton piece reduces both.
Care: wash cold, dry low or on a line, and iron while slightly damp.
Linen
Linen comes from the flax plant. It is cool, crisp and very breathable, and it creases quickly, which is part of its character. True linen pieces are rare in our catalog, and each one says how much linen it contains. A cotton and linen blend gives some of linen's coolness with fewer creases.
Linen look and wool feel
Some of our trousers and sets have a linen look: a dry, slightly uneven texture that reads like linen from a distance, usually in polyester or viscose. They crease far less than linen and are easier to care for, but they do not breathe like it. Some coats have a wool feel: a thick, brushed polyester with the weight and handle of a wool coat. We use these names to describe the surface, never the fiber, and the true composition is printed on every one.
Reading a blend
The first number tells you most of the story. A sweater in 65% polyester and 35% acrylic behaves mostly like polyester: it keeps its shape and washes easily. A shirt in 70% cotton and 30% polyester feels like cotton but creases less. A dress in 95% viscose and 5% elastane drapes like viscose, with a little give.
| Fiber | How it feels | Good at | Watch for | Wash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polyester | Smooth, light | Holding shape, few creases | Warm in heat, pilling in knits | Cold, low heat |
| Acrylic | Soft, warm for its weight | Color, lightness | Pilling, heat damage | Cold, flat or low |
| Viscose | Cool, fluid | Drape, breathability | Shrinking, creasing | Cold, gentle |
| Nylon | Smooth, strong | Strength, recovery | Hot irons | Cold, low heat |
| Elastane | Stretchy | Comfort, recovery | Heat over time | Cold, low heat |
| Cotton | Soft, breathable | Comfort, softening | Creases, shrinking | Cold, low or line dry |
| Linen | Cool, crisp | Breathability in heat | Creases quickly | Cold, line dry |
A note on pilling
Pills are small balls of fiber that form where a knit rubs, under the arms, at the sides and where a bag strap sits. Synthetic fibers are strong, so the pills hold on rather than falling away. A fabric shaver or sweater comb, used lightly on a garment laid flat, removes them in a few minutes. Our guide to washing sweaters explains how to slow them down.
If the label leaves you unsure
Write to us at customerservice@masidasstores.com with the name of the piece. If the answer is not on the page, we will ask the supplier and tell you what they say. Short answers on delivery, returns, sizing and care are in our FAQ. To see the fabrics in practice, start with knitwear, women's dresses or men's shirts.