Let's Talk About Stretch Vinyl
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We all know the fabric: stretch in at least one direction, smooth and glossy finish with a plastic-like look.
What even is this. What is it called. Whatever it is, it ain't latex, folks. I've heard this material called all sorts of things -- Latex, stretch vinyl, PU coated knit, PVC, stretch patent, stretch pleather, stretch enamel..... Unfortunately, none of these names are very exact, but some are more common than others, some more correct or incorrect than others, so let's talk about this fabric, what it is used for, how to pick a good version, and perhaps least importantly but the biggest pet peeve to me specifically, what this stuff is called and why. |
Red Hipster PU Coated Spandex Fabric from Blue Moon Fabrics, just in case you need an example.
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Stretch Enamel Anatomy
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.
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.
Latex is completely wrong. I know it has a latex-like look, but if someone is asking for help making a cosplay out of latex vs a cosplay out of stretch PVC/enamel/patent/etc., these questions are going to have very different answers. Latex is a material in and of itself, made out of rubber sheeting. Yes, it is often glossy in a similar way to a high quality stretch enamel, and yes it stretches, but that's about where the similarities end. Latex isn't a fabric as such, and cannot be treated like one. It can't* be sewn, and instead the seams are bonded rather than sewn. It breathes even less than synthetic knits coated in more synthetics (stretch enamel), and typically requires special handling and care. It's not a material most cosplayers will ever use, let alone find a costume made out of it for 20USD on Amazon (due to material costs and the specialty nature of turning it into garments, latex garments tend to be pricey).
*I know someone will call me on this, so yes, there are ways to sew latex, but they are few and far between. Generally, you are bonding the seams rather than sewing, unless you are doing something like inserting a zipper where it cannot be bonded and the zipper tape acts as a stabilizing fabric. Latex is prone to getting perforated and thus ripping, but can bond with itself without issue, hence the usual technique.
Latex is completely wrong. I know it has a latex-like look, but if someone is asking for help making a cosplay out of latex vs a cosplay out of stretch PVC/enamel/patent/etc., these questions are going to have very different answers. Latex is a material in and of itself, made out of rubber sheeting. Yes, it is often glossy in a similar way to a high quality stretch enamel, and yes it stretches, but that's about where the similarities end. Latex isn't a fabric as such, and cannot be treated like one. It can't* be sewn, and instead the seams are bonded rather than sewn. It breathes even less than synthetic knits coated in more synthetics (stretch enamel), and typically requires special handling and care. It's not a material most cosplayers will ever use, let alone find a costume made out of it for 20USD on Amazon (due to material costs and the specialty nature of turning it into garments, latex garments tend to be pricey).
*I know someone will call me on this, so yes, there are ways to sew latex, but they are few and far between. Generally, you are bonding the seams rather than sewing, unless you are doing something like inserting a zipper where it cannot be bonded and the zipper tape acts as a stabilizing fabric. Latex is prone to getting perforated and thus ripping, but can bond with itself without issue, hence the usual technique.
Stretch vinyl (or stretch PVC) is the name I am most likely to use with a general audience. You may notice that the name of this post is stretch vinyl, but I tend to use stretch enamel throughout. This is because stretch vinyl is the most common name for this type of fabric, so it is easy to search, and maybe 75% of the time, it is a fairly accurate term. I don't consider this definitive because not all stretch enamel has a coating of vinyl -- many have a polyurethane coating -- but it is a very understandable term despite the inaccuracy in some cases. Most people know what this means, and most of the time, it describes the material. The rest of the time? Well, it's close enough.
PU coated knit is a much more technical-sounding term, and has the inverse issues of "stretch vinyl." Most people are unfamiliar with the term, and it only describes some of the fabrics in this category. You can find it used (such as the Blue Moon example posted above), but typically, that's because it's a shop describing what their fabric is actually made out of, not describing a category of fabric.
If you're an old school cosplayer, you may remember that this type of fabric was almost always called "PVC" back in the day. Just PVC, no "stretch" in front of it. PVC is short of poly vinyl chloride, aka vinyl, and basically just acts as a synonym for the word vinyl. It comes in many forms and can be used for anything from records to pipes to tablecloths to diner seats to yes, the stretch stuff for your visual kei boy back in 2004. If you talked about vinyl back then, it could be clear vinyl or some other type of vinyl fabric, but somehow, PVC stuck as the term for the stretch stuff specifically. This is such an old use that I haven't seen it in many years, so I doubt it will be a problem, but of course, you can see why this usage can be an issue, especially now.
Stretch patent is an unusual one. I've seen it used a handful of times, but it isn't very common. You are more likely to find upholstery type vinyl using the "patent" term. This, of course, comes from patent leather, where real leather is coated in some sort of varnish or, more commonly today, plastic, often polyurethane, in order to create a smooth, glossy finish. You may find the term useful if you are having trouble finding the exact material you need, but it is not the most common use.
Stretch pleather is also sometimes used as a big umbrella term. This would encompass any stretch leather-like fabric, including those with a leather texture, not just the ones imitating patent leather's smoothness and shine. It's an accurate term for the fabric, but imprecise, because searching for it will pull up more materials that are meant to have leather texture than it will materials that are smooth and glossy. Stretch pleather is great! But like your favorite search engine, my mind also goes straight to leather textured faux leather rather than smooth textured faux leathers.
Stretch enamel is the Japanese term. If you're on a Japanese fabric website, or watching/reading a cosplay-themed anime/manga, this is the term you will encounter. It separates out the smooth, glossy fabric from the textured, leather-like fabrics, while leaving room for different materials to be used in making it.
Should we collectively agree on a name?
This will never happen but.....
I'm putting my vote in for stretch enamel fabric. Call me a weeaboo if you like, but this is the only existing term that describes describes the properties without including things it is not (this term is only used for gloss materials, not matte or leather textured stretch materials) and doesn't describe it using base materials, which that particular version may or may not contain. Stretch patent comes in a close second for me, since it does the same, but it is too tempting to call it "stretch patent leather," which implies real leather content. (Yes patent leather is coated in plastic, but the base is still leather.) May be a bit hypocritical given that I like the stretch enamel term and it doesn't contain enamel, but considering that enamel itself is a hard material and not a fabric, it's more obvious to people who don't know better that it doesn't actually contain enamel but rather has an enamel-like finish. Unfortunately it's a more obscure term in English, so I don't tend to use it often since you can't search for that, but I wish it were more common. I'll still keep calling it stretch vinyl in most cases, but I still use stretch enamel in private.
This will never happen but.....
I'm putting my vote in for stretch enamel fabric. Call me a weeaboo if you like, but this is the only existing term that describes describes the properties without including things it is not (this term is only used for gloss materials, not matte or leather textured stretch materials) and doesn't describe it using base materials, which that particular version may or may not contain. Stretch patent comes in a close second for me, since it does the same, but it is too tempting to call it "stretch patent leather," which implies real leather content. (Yes patent leather is coated in plastic, but the base is still leather.) May be a bit hypocritical given that I like the stretch enamel term and it doesn't contain enamel, but considering that enamel itself is a hard material and not a fabric, it's more obvious to people who don't know better that it doesn't actually contain enamel but rather has an enamel-like finish. Unfortunately it's a more obscure term in English, so I don't tend to use it often since you can't search for that, but I wish it were more common. I'll still keep calling it stretch vinyl in most cases, but I still use stretch enamel in private.
How to Choose Stretch Enamel
There's a few things you can do to check if your stretch vinyl is good quality, and you can't always tell online, so always get a swatch if you can.
First, look at the backing type. This isn't always the case, but a good rule of thumb is that if the backing feels a bit coarser and is white regardless of coating color, it's lower quality, and if it feels smoother and is the same color as the coating (or close), it's higher quality.
Also look closely at the surface finish. Typically, in lower quality fabrics, you can see the texture of the backing fabric through the coating. It may look fine in stock photos online, so this is one that you can have to check in person. The surface won't be as smooth and glossy because of this texture showing through.
I also always stretch the fabric. If the stretch is smooth without it seeming like the coating is threatening to crack, you're good. If you stretch it and the texture behind gets increasingly obvious or the coating actually does crack, be wary.
There's a few things you can do to check if your stretch vinyl is good quality, and you can't always tell online, so always get a swatch if you can.
First, look at the backing type. This isn't always the case, but a good rule of thumb is that if the backing feels a bit coarser and is white regardless of coating color, it's lower quality, and if it feels smoother and is the same color as the coating (or close), it's higher quality.
Also look closely at the surface finish. Typically, in lower quality fabrics, you can see the texture of the backing fabric through the coating. It may look fine in stock photos online, so this is one that you can have to check in person. The surface won't be as smooth and glossy because of this texture showing through.
I also always stretch the fabric. If the stretch is smooth without it seeming like the coating is threatening to crack, you're good. If you stretch it and the texture behind gets increasingly obvious or the coating actually does crack, be wary.
Knowing the construction also helps you to know the main failure point -- the coating coming off the backing. Even the highest quality versions typically eventually disintegrate, since the coating no longer adheres to the backing with wear. Often this is because the coating doesn't stretch at the same rate and in the same way as the backing fabric, so it eventually works itself loose. Moisture can also speed up this process, as can friction. If you notice your stretch enamel garments start to fail in areas that are handled, stretched, or rubbed more often (such as underarms, inner thighs, etc.), this is why. Higher quality material, though, will last longer than lower quality. I wish this stuff didn't have a shelf life, and this is why I'm experimenting with using non-stretch upholstery vinyls for things that don't need stretch, but those have their own challenges.
Where to Buy Stretch Enamel
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.
I also like MJTrends a lot (they also sell real latex if you're interested!). The quality tends to be half a step down from Blue Moon, but like MissNancy48, it can vary. The colors can be a bit limited, though.
The Yaya Han stretch vinyl is good if you can still find it. I'm not sure if this is one that Michaels picked up, but they do have her metallic gold stretch vinyl, which is one of my personal favorites for golds.
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.
I also like MJTrends a lot (they also sell real latex if you're interested!). The quality tends to be half a step down from Blue Moon, but like MissNancy48, it can vary. The colors can be a bit limited, though.
The Yaya Han stretch vinyl is good if you can still find it. I'm not sure if this is one that Michaels picked up, but they do have her metallic gold stretch vinyl, which is one of my personal favorites for golds.
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.
How to Work With Stretch Enamel
Sewing, pinning, fit/stretch amounts
Stretch enamel does have a few quirks when working with it. Like any stretch material, it is prone to skipped stitches, so be sure to use a walking foot and stretch needles or a tear-away stabilizer (I like parchment paper!) and stretch needles and use stretch stitches.
Like other coated materials and like real leather, any holes you make in it will remain there forever. Be sure to sew slowly and carefully and to make mockups so you don't end up having to seam rip anything. This also means that pinning is difficult, since pin holes also remain forever. Clips tend to be best, but you can also very carefully pin inside the seam allowance so the permanent holes do not show on the finished garment. If you're attaching pieces to the interior of a piece away from a seam (say, an applique or some trim) where clips do not reach and pin holes would show, you can use double-stick tape to hold pieces in place. There is both temporary and permanent leather tape you can use, but I recommend sewing even with the permanent type.
Also, due to the way coated fabrics work, you may have less stretch than you think in the material, since the coating may not stretch as far or may become overstretched before you reach the maximum stretch amount of the backing fabric. Be sure to take this into consideration when patterning, and you may need to add seams or darts when you otherwise wouldn't with a stretch material.
Sewing, pinning, fit/stretch amounts
Stretch enamel does have a few quirks when working with it. Like any stretch material, it is prone to skipped stitches, so be sure to use a walking foot and stretch needles or a tear-away stabilizer (I like parchment paper!) and stretch needles and use stretch stitches.
Like other coated materials and like real leather, any holes you make in it will remain there forever. Be sure to sew slowly and carefully and to make mockups so you don't end up having to seam rip anything. This also means that pinning is difficult, since pin holes also remain forever. Clips tend to be best, but you can also very carefully pin inside the seam allowance so the permanent holes do not show on the finished garment. If you're attaching pieces to the interior of a piece away from a seam (say, an applique or some trim) where clips do not reach and pin holes would show, you can use double-stick tape to hold pieces in place. There is both temporary and permanent leather tape you can use, but I recommend sewing even with the permanent type.
Also, due to the way coated fabrics work, you may have less stretch than you think in the material, since the coating may not stretch as far or may become overstretched before you reach the maximum stretch amount of the backing fabric. Be sure to take this into consideration when patterning, and you may need to add seams or darts when you otherwise wouldn't with a stretch material.
Alternatives to Stretch Enamel
A fabric that will deteriorate no matter what, is expensive, and is made of plastic? Why would anyone use this?
The answer is that there really isn't anything else like it. Latex can cause allergies, and you can't easily use latex alongside a fabric in the same garment. There are various mystique spandexes and other types of foiled or coated spandexes, but those don't get quite the same high gloss effect that stretch enamel does, and also will have a different drape. Upholstery vinyl can get the high gloss effect, but it's thick and stiff and also doesn't stretch. You can experiment with flatlining thin clear vinyl fabric with a colored fabric to get the look you want, but again, this won't stretch, and the slight gap between the two may not be the effect you want. There's also iron-on clear vinyl, mostly used for projects like waterproofing a woven cotton fabric to make makeup bags and such, but the look isn't quite as shiny, and again, it doesn't stretch. I'm also not sure about the longevity of this, since it's a fused material.
I personally love working with stretch vinyl, even if it's a pain sometimes, and use it somewhat often. If it has the look and properties you need, there isn't quite anything like it. A lot of anime and game designs are drawn as if they are made of stretch vinyl, and in rare cases, we know for a fact that some designs are meant to be made of it (looking at you, the 2.5 Dimensional Seduction angels!).
A fabric that will deteriorate no matter what, is expensive, and is made of plastic? Why would anyone use this?
The answer is that there really isn't anything else like it. Latex can cause allergies, and you can't easily use latex alongside a fabric in the same garment. There are various mystique spandexes and other types of foiled or coated spandexes, but those don't get quite the same high gloss effect that stretch enamel does, and also will have a different drape. Upholstery vinyl can get the high gloss effect, but it's thick and stiff and also doesn't stretch. You can experiment with flatlining thin clear vinyl fabric with a colored fabric to get the look you want, but again, this won't stretch, and the slight gap between the two may not be the effect you want. There's also iron-on clear vinyl, mostly used for projects like waterproofing a woven cotton fabric to make makeup bags and such, but the look isn't quite as shiny, and again, it doesn't stretch. I'm also not sure about the longevity of this, since it's a fused material.
I personally love working with stretch vinyl, even if it's a pain sometimes, and use it somewhat often. If it has the look and properties you need, there isn't quite anything like it. A lot of anime and game designs are drawn as if they are made of stretch vinyl, and in rare cases, we know for a fact that some designs are meant to be made of it (looking at you, the 2.5 Dimensional Seduction angels!).