The small label sewn into your blouse contains a wealth of information—if you know how to read it. Fabric composition, care instructions, and country of origin all appear on these tags, providing essential guidance for purchasing decisions and garment maintenance. Yet many shoppers glance past labels without fully understanding what they reveal.
This comprehensive guide decodes fabric labels completely, from understanding fibre content percentages to interpreting international care symbols. Armed with this knowledge, you'll make more informed purchasing decisions and care for your blouses properly, extending their life and maintaining their beauty.
Fibre Content: What Your Blouse Is Made Of
Labels must legally list all fibres comprising 5% or more of the garment's weight, presented in descending order by percentage. Understanding what these fibre names mean helps you predict how the blouse will feel, wear, and require care.
Natural Fibres
Cotton: The most common natural fibre, cotton is soft, breathable, and absorbent. It wrinkles easily but withstands high-heat washing and ironing. Pure cotton blouses feel comfortable in warm weather but may lack the drape of silk or synthetic alternatives.
Silk: Produced by silkworms, silk is prized for its lustre, drape, and temperature-regulating properties. It requires gentle care—often hand washing or dry cleaning—and can be damaged by heat, perspiration, and harsh chemicals. Silk blouses represent investment pieces worth the extra care required.
Linen: Made from flax plant fibres, linen is highly breathable and ideal for hot weather. It wrinkles characteristically but becomes softer with each wash. Quality linen blouses last for decades with proper care.
Wool: While less common in blouses, fine wool like merino appears in winter styles. Wool is naturally temperature-regulating and odour-resistant but requires careful washing to prevent shrinkage and felting.
Cotton: Breathable, durable, wrinkles. Silk: Luxurious, delicate, temperature-regulating. Linen: Cooling, characterful wrinkles, extremely durable. Wool: Warm, resilient, requires careful washing.
Synthetic Fibres
Polyester: A petroleum-based synthetic, polyester is durable, wrinkle-resistant, and quick-drying. However, it doesn't breathe well and can feel hot in warm weather. Quality varies enormously—high-end polyester can mimic silk's drape, while cheap versions feel plasticky.
Nylon: Originally developed as a silk substitute, nylon is strong and lightweight. It's often used in blended fabrics for added durability but shares polyester's breathability limitations.
Acrylic: A wool substitute, acrylic appears in some knitwear. It's lightweight and easy-care but lacks natural wool's temperature regulation and can develop pilling.
Elastane/Spandex/Lycra: These names refer to the same stretchy fibre, often added in small percentages (1-5%) to provide comfort stretch. A blouse containing elastane moves more easily with your body and may resist wrinkles better than non-stretch alternatives.
Semi-Synthetic Fibres
Rayon/Viscose: Made from wood pulp through chemical processing, rayon mimics natural fibre properties—it's breathable and drapes well. However, it's often less durable than cotton or silk and may shrink or lose shape if not cared for properly.
Modal: A type of rayon with improved properties, modal is more durable and resistant to shrinkage. It's soft, drapes beautifully, and maintains colour well.
Lyocell/Tencel: Another wood-based fibre, lyocell is produced using an environmentally friendlier process than traditional rayon. It's strong, breathable, and biodegradable, with a silky hand feel.
- Higher percentages of quality fibres generally indicate better garments
- Blends often combine the benefits of multiple fibres
- Small percentages of elastane add comfort without changing fabric character
- Country of origin can indicate quality standards but isn't definitive
Understanding Care Symbols
International care symbols provide washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, and dry-cleaning guidance. Learning these symbols prevents care mistakes that can damage your blouses.
Washing Symbols
The washtub symbol indicates machine washing is acceptable. Numbers inside represent maximum water temperature in Celsius. A hand in the tub means hand wash only. An X through the tub prohibits washing—these garments require dry cleaning.
Lines under the tub indicate gentleness required: one line means permanent press/synthetic cycle, two lines mean delicate/gentle cycle. No lines indicate normal washing is acceptable.
Bleaching Symbols
The triangle symbol addresses bleaching. An empty triangle means any bleach is acceptable. Diagonal lines inside indicate oxygen/non-chlorine bleach only. An X through the triangle prohibits all bleaching.
Drying Symbols
The square symbol covers drying. A circle inside indicates tumble drying is acceptable—dots inside show heat level (one dot = low, two = medium, three = high). An X prohibits tumble drying.
A square with a horizontal line inside means dry flat. A curved line at top indicates line/hang drying. Three vertical lines mean drip dry. These alternative drying methods are often specified for delicate fabrics that tumble drying might damage.
Ironing Symbols
The iron symbol indicates ironing temperature. One dot means low heat (110°C), two dots mean medium (150°C), three dots mean high (200°C). An X through the iron prohibits ironing entirely. An X specifically over steam beneath the iron means no steam ironing.
Dry Cleaning Symbols
The circle addresses dry cleaning. Letters inside indicate which solvents are safe. An X prohibits dry cleaning. An empty circle means any solvent is acceptable. These symbols primarily guide professional cleaners, but understanding that dry clean only garments shouldn't be washed helps you avoid mistakes.
When symbols conflict with fibre content expectations, follow the symbols. Finishes, dyes, or construction details may require gentler care than the base fibre normally would.
Quality Indicators Beyond the Label
While labels provide essential information, quality assessment extends beyond printed content. Learning to evaluate construction and materials helps you choose blouses that represent genuine value.
Fabric Weight and Hand
Quality labels sometimes indicate fabric weight in grams per square metre (GSM). Higher numbers indicate heavier fabrics—not necessarily better, but useful for understanding what you're buying. Touch the fabric to assess its "hand": does it feel substantial or flimsy? Does it drape nicely or hang stiffly?
Fibre Percentages
Pay attention to fibre ratios in blends. A "silk blend" that's 20% silk and 80% polyester will behave very differently from one that's 80% silk and 20% polyester. The dominant fibre determines most of the garment's characteristics.
Thread Count Matters
Though thread count is rarely labeled on ready-to-wear clothing, you can assess fabric density by touch and by holding fabric to light. Tightly woven fabrics with fine threads generally indicate higher quality and greater durability.
Red Flags on Labels
Certain label characteristics may indicate lower quality or require extra consideration before purchasing.
Labels listing only "100% Polyester" with dry clean only instructions suggest the garment may be poorly made—quality polyester is typically machine washable. This combination might indicate unstable construction or dyes that would fail in home washing.
Vague terms like "man-made materials" without specific fibre identification comply with minimum requirements but suggest lack of transparency. Quality manufacturers typically specify their materials precisely.
Missing or incomplete care symbols may indicate non-compliance with labelling standards, potentially signalling other quality shortcuts.
Sustainability Certifications
Beyond basic content and care information, some labels feature certifications indicating environmental or ethical standards.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100: Certifies textiles are free from harmful substances, tested throughout the production process.
GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard): Verifies organic fibre status and environmental and social criteria throughout production.
Fair Trade Certified: Indicates the garment was produced under fair labour conditions with appropriate worker compensation.
TENCEL branded lyocell: The Tencel trademark indicates lyocell produced by Lenzing using their environmentally responsible process.
These certifications provide assurance beyond basic label information, particularly valuable for consumers prioritising sustainability or ethical production.
Practical Application
Apply this knowledge during every shopping trip. Before purchase, locate and read the label completely. Consider whether the fibre content suits your needs, whether the care requirements fit your lifestyle, and whether any certifications matter to you.
At home, photograph labels before removing them if they're irritating. This preserves care information for future reference. Store particularly delicate blouses with their care tags visible as a reminder of special handling required.
Understanding fabric labels transforms you from a passive consumer into an informed buyer, capable of assessing quality, predicting performance, and caring properly for your garments. This knowledge pays dividends through better purchasing decisions and longer-lasting blouses.