STYLE
Reading a Garment Label and Knowing What Matters
October 2, 2026 · Alo Editorial · 9 MIN READ
The four lines are fibre composition, weight or GSM where it is stated, construction finish, and care instructions. Read them in that order and most of the disappointment in a purchase — leggings that pill, sweaters that stretch, jackets that lose loft — disappears before the purchase rather than af
A garment label contains around forty pieces of information and about four of them will change what you do with the garment. The rest is legal text, origin codes and the composition breakdown that matters far less than people assume. Knowing which four lines to read, and in what order, turns buying from guesswork into a decision.
The four lines are fibre composition, weight or GSM where it is stated, construction finish, and care instructions. Read them in that order and most of the disappointment in a purchase — leggings that pill, sweaters that stretch, jackets that lose loft — disappears before the purchase rather than after.
Line four: care, and the three instructions that protect the garment
Care instructions are the fourth line and the three that matter are temperature, drying and a specific cleaning instruction. The rest — do not bleach, do not iron the trim, use similar colours — is boilerplate that applies to everything and predicts nothing.
Temperature predicts garment life more than anything else. Heat is what fatigues elastane, what shrinks wool and what damages a brushed or sueded finish. A label saying cool wash is telling you the garment is designed for a low number of cycles, or that its finish is fragile. A label permitting a hot wash is telling you it is designed for many.
Drying is the second. Line dry flat protects both shape and finish. A tumble on low with dryer balls restores a flattened nap. A tumble on high destroys a brushed finish, a rib knit and a sueded surface permanently. If the label says line dry, that instruction is specific and it is not conservative boilerplate.
The specific cleaning instruction is the third, and each type predicts a specific behaviour. Dry clean only usually means solvent-sensitive: a finish, an adhesive or an elastane content that will be damaged by water. Do not use fabric softener means the surface finish matters and will be coated. Wash inside out means abrasion protection. Use a laundry bag means the garment is fragile at a specific point.
Ignore the origin and the recycled-content claims for the purposes of this read. They are not care-relevant and they are marketing. Look at them later, for reasons that have nothing to do with how the garment behaves.
Photograph the label before you wash the garment for the first time. The label fades, gets cut off, or gets detached by a careless first wash, and the moment you need it is the moment you will have lost it. A single photo in your phone takes four seconds and it is the only durable record of how to care the thing you paid for.
Line one: composition, and the elastane myth
Composition lists are ordered by weight, descending. The first fibre named is the majority fibre, and this matters more than most shoppers realise, because the two common fibre families behave completely differently with moisture.
Natural fibres absorb. Cotton, bamboo viscose, modal, linen and wool take moisture into the fibre itself. This means they feel pleasant when dry and feel heavy and cold when wet, and they dry slowly. Synthetic fibres push moisture along the surface. This means they feel less pleasant when dry and much better when wet.
Elastane percentage is the number people over-read. Above about 20 percent, elastane starts to dominate how the garment feels and how it recovers, and it also shortens the garment's life because rubber fibre fatigues. A 15 percent elastane blend is a reasonable target for a legging. A 30 percent blend is a piece that will lose its shape sooner.
The composition that causes the most disappointment is high cotton in a legging. A cotton-rich legging feels excellent in a shop and unpleasant by the tenth minute of a hot class, and no amount of marketing fixes it. This is not a quality question. It is a fibre question, and the label tells you in three words.
For outerwear, the same logic in reverse. A down content percentage tells you the fill-to-feather ratio, and anything under about 60 percent down means you are paying for a synthetic blend marketed with a down word on the label. A polyamide shell with elastane content tells you whether the jacket will survive being stretched over a mid layer.
Read the whole line rather than the headline fibre. A garment labelled as cotton may be 62 percent cotton and 33 percent polyester, and that blend behaves differently from pure cotton in exactly the ways that matter for a garment you will sweat in.
Line two: weight, and line three: construction
Fabric weight is usually not on the label at all, which is a shame, because it is one of the most decision-relevant numbers on a garment. Where it is stated, look for GSM. Where it is not, infer it from the fibre blend, the fabric name and the season the garment is sold for, and check the weight by hand.
Hand weight is a real technique. Hold the fabric and let it hang. A mid-weight knit falls into a soft fold and holds it. A lightweight knit collapses and creases. A heavy structured fabric stands slightly away from the hand when you let it hang. This takes about ten seconds and it predicts drape, opacity and warmth more reliably than the fibre name.
Construction is the third line, and it is where the cheapest quality differences live. Look at the seams. A flatlock seam sits flat against the skin; a coverstitch is a visible decorative line; a regular seam with a raised allowance is the one that chafes. On a legging, the seam type in the seat and the inner thigh determines whether you will be aware of it.
Binding and finishing matter as much as the seam. A bound edge uses a strip of fabric folded over the raw edge, which stops the edge from curling and rolling. An overlocked edge is cheaper and will curl with wear. On a waistband and a cuff, the difference is visible within a few months.
Lining and lining tape are the quiet indicators. A taped or bonded seam inside a jacket means the seam is sealed, which matters enormously in rain. A jacket with a lining tape along the shoulder seam is a jacket designed for weather rather than for a mild day.
Power flatlock seams are the premium signal in a base layer. They are flat, they do not add thickness, and they do not chafe under a tight top. On any garment you will wear against skin for an hour, they are the construction detail most worth paying for and the one least often mentioned.
The four lines, in reading order
A label carries around forty pieces of information and about four of them change how you will use the garment. What follows is the ordered read, with the reason each line is included and what it predicts.
- Composition lists are ordered by weight; the first fibre named is the majority fibre.
- Natural fibres absorb and dry slowly; synthetics move moisture along the surface.
- Above about 20 percent elastane, recovery dominates feel and garment life gets shorter.
- A cotton-rich legging feels good dry and unpleasant once you start sweating.
- Low down content in a puffer means you are paying for a synthetic blend.
- Weigh the fabric in your hand: a mid-weight knit holds a fold, a light one collapses.
- Flatlock seams lie flat; a raised seam allowance is the one that chafes.
- Bound edges stop a waistband or cuff rolling; overlocked edges curl with wear.
- Temperature, drying and the specific instruction are the three predictive care lines.
- Photograph the label before the first wash; it will be gone by the time you need it.
What a label actually tells you
A label is a specification, and most people read it as a disclaimer. Read it as a specification and four questions answer themselves: will it hold its shape, will it last, will it be comfortable when I am warm, and will I ruin it in the wash. That is the whole purchase decision, and it is written on the inside of the garment in a language you do not have to be an expert to read.
A label is a specification. The only skill required is knowing which four lines are load-bearing.
What does the order of fibres on a care label mean?
Composition lists are ordered by weight, descending, so the first fibre named is the majority fibre. This matters because natural fibres absorb moisture and dry slowly while synthetics move it along the surface, so a cotton-majority garment feels different when wet from a synthetic one.
Is higher elastane content better?
Not above a point. Around 15 percent is a reasonable target for stretch and recovery in a legging. Above about 20 percent, elastane starts to dominate how the garment feels and fatigues faster, so the garment loses its shape sooner in exchange for a stretchier initial feel.
What does flatlock mean on a garment label?
It is a seam construction where the seam allowance is knitted or woven into the fabric rather than enclosed, so the finished seam sits flat against the skin and does not chafe. It is the premium construction in any garment worn against skin for a long period, such as a base layer.
Why does line drying matter so much?
Heat is what fatigues elastane, shrinks wool and permanently flattens a brushed or sueded finish. A line-dry instruction is specific to that garment's construction rather than conservative boilerplate, and a low tumble with dryer balls is a different and generally safer instruction than a normal tumble.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- What does the order of fibres on a care label mean?
- Composition lists are ordered by weight, descending, so the first fibre named is the majority fibre. This matters because natural fibres absorb moisture and dry slowly while synthetics move it along the surface, so a cotton-majority garment feels different when wet from a synthetic one.
- Is higher elastane content better?
- Not above a point. Around 15 percent is a reasonable target for stretch and recovery in a legging. Above about 20 percent, elastane starts to dominate how the garment feels and fatigues faster, so the garment loses its shape sooner in exchange for a stretchier initial feel.
- What does flatlock mean on a garment label?
- It is a seam construction where the seam allowance is knitted or woven into the fabric rather than enclosed, so the finished seam sits flat against the skin and does not chafe. It is the premium construction in any garment worn against skin for a long period, such as a base layer.
- Why does line drying matter so much?
- Heat is what fatigues elastane, shrinks wool and permanently flattens a brushed or sueded finish. A line-dry instruction is specific to that garment's construction rather than conservative boilerplate, and a low tumble with dryer balls is a different and generally safer instruction than a normal tumble.
WORTH A LOOK
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
Written by Alo Editorial. Every fit and fabric claim in this guide is checked against the pieces we actually sell — if something does not apply to your size, body or climate, our customer care team will say so. Corrections get published, not quietly deleted.
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