Let's Talk About Stretch Vinyl
What even is this. What is it called. Latex vs Stretch vinyl vs PU coated knit vs PVC vs stretch patent vs stretch pleather vs Enamel
It ain't latex, folks.
It ain't latex, folks.
Should we collectively agree on a name? This will never happen but.....
Fabric anatomy (how this stuff is made)
Whatever we call this material, it's helpful to know how it is made and what exactly it is. The fabric consists of two parts: a backing and a coating. The backing is the fabric itself. This gives the material structure and determines the stretch properties of the material. The coating is what makes it not just a plain knit fabric and creates the glossy surface you see when the fabric is used.
Since I am specifically talking about stretch fabrics, the backing fabric is a knit. You can find non-stretch faux leathers with different types of backing fabric, but the stretch type will always be a knit. Typically, this is a polyester fiber, sometimes mixed with spandex to create more stretch and recovery, and the knit is very fine as to create as smooth of a surface as possible. The coating is often polyurethane or PVC vinyl (hence the name stretch vinyl). Matte stretch pleathers and stretch pleathers with leather-like texture are made the same way, just with a different surface finish.
If the backing fabric wasn't there, there wouldn't be anything for the coating to stick to, as it's a thin material that doesn't really work as a material on its own. If you have ever taken a similar material and peeled up the bit of coating material on the edge (or worse, had a similar material disintegrate on you), you would understand why.
Whatever we call this material, it's helpful to know how it is made and what exactly it is. The fabric consists of two parts: a backing and a coating. The backing is the fabric itself. This gives the material structure and determines the stretch properties of the material. The coating is what makes it not just a plain knit fabric and creates the glossy surface you see when the fabric is used.
Since I am specifically talking about stretch fabrics, the backing fabric is a knit. You can find non-stretch faux leathers with different types of backing fabric, but the stretch type will always be a knit. Typically, this is a polyester fiber, sometimes mixed with spandex to create more stretch and recovery, and the knit is very fine as to create as smooth of a surface as possible. The coating is often polyurethane or PVC vinyl (hence the name stretch vinyl). Matte stretch pleathers and stretch pleathers with leather-like texture are made the same way, just with a different surface finish.
If the backing fabric wasn't there, there wouldn't be anything for the coating to stick to, as it's a thin material that doesn't really work as a material on its own. If you have ever taken a similar material and peeled up the bit of coating material on the edge (or worse, had a similar material disintegrate on you), you would understand why.
Once you know how the fabric is made, you can see the issues of specificity in naming it.
Knowing the construction also helps you to know the main failure point -- the coating coming off the backing.
How to choose a good one (look at backing type, thickness of coating/how well you can see the backing texture through it, stretch it to test, you have to buy a swatch you can't always tell online)
I have a few favorite suppliers of stretch enamel, and use one almost exclusively.
Blue Moon Fabrics (ad: affiliate link for 5% off) is a shop based in the Los Angeles fashion district that carries almost any variety of stretch fabric you can think of. Their PU coated spandex is the Hipster line, and it comes in a variety of colors, including a few variations such as quilted and perforated versions. Theirs is a bit unusual for containing spandex fibers in the backing fabric, as most listings I see online only list polyester and PVC or PU. (I got an affiliate link because I love them so much, not the other way around where I'm only using them because of the link!)
MissNancy48 on Etsy is where I go if Blue Moon doesn't have the color I need. Double check the quality, since some of the stock photos look a bit suspicious in terms of quality, and since I don't know who their supplier is, different colors may have different qualities. I can say that the coral and the royal blue are high quality from personal experience.
Some other places to look: the Yaya Han stretch vinyl is good if you can still find it. MJTrends also tends to have higher quality, but it can vary and they have limited color selection.
Blue Moon Fabrics (ad: affiliate link for 5% off) is a shop based in the Los Angeles fashion district that carries almost any variety of stretch fabric you can think of. Their PU coated spandex is the Hipster line, and it comes in a variety of colors, including a few variations such as quilted and perforated versions. Theirs is a bit unusual for containing spandex fibers in the backing fabric, as most listings I see online only list polyester and PVC or PU. (I got an affiliate link because I love them so much, not the other way around where I'm only using them because of the link!)
MissNancy48 on Etsy is where I go if Blue Moon doesn't have the color I need. Double check the quality, since some of the stock photos look a bit suspicious in terms of quality, and since I don't know who their supplier is, different colors may have different qualities. I can say that the coral and the royal blue are high quality from personal experience.
Some other places to look: the Yaya Han stretch vinyl is good if you can still find it. MJTrends also tends to have higher quality, but it can vary and they have limited color selection.
Keep in mind that this type of material will always be at least somewhat expensive. If you find a listing that is much cheaper than the 15 ~ 20 USD range, you probably won't be happy with the quality of the material. Shell out a few more dollars a yard if you can so you know that the fabric will look good, be easier to work with, and will last longer than the cheaper kind.