Cotton, linen or corduroy? The honest fabric guide: how they feel, wear and age

The overview

The fabric details come from our product pages. Where a page states no blend ratio, we don't give one either.

Cotton: the soft all-rounder

Cotton is almost pure cellulose and is known as a soft, breathable, durable fabric. It's the basis of most everyday clothing – and of our harem trousers.

• Arashi: cotton with a visible texture, dropped crotch, drawstring, ribbed cuffs.
• Shiro: lightweight cotton, balloon shape, soft stretch waist with cords.
• Aoi: soft washed cotton blend for autumn.

Honest about expectations: one verified buyer wrote that the Arashi was "lighter than I thought". That matches the Shiro's product description as lightweight cotton. If you want a heavy, thick trouser, corduroy is the better choice.

Linen: cool, honest, creases

Linen is made from the fibres of the flax plant. It is very strong, absorbent, dries faster than cotton and feels pleasantly cool in heat. It creases easily because the fibre has little elasticity – which many people value as part of its character. And linen gets softer with every wash.

Our Miyabi is a long-sleeve linen shirt. In summer you wear it on its own; in winter as the base layer under a sweatshirt – more in the layering guide.

Cotton-linen: the best of both?

A blend of cotton and linen combines the softness of one fibre with the texture of the other. The Sakura is a textured cotton-linen blend with elastic cuffs; the Kaze shirt is also a cotton-linen blend, with a stand collar. The exact linen share isn't stated on the product page, so we don't claim one.

Corduroy: ribs for the cold months

Corduroy is woven with extra yarns that are then cut into a pile. That creates the typical raised ribs, called wales. It's measured in wales per inch: the lower the number, the wider the rib. Wide wale suits trousers; fine wale suits shirts and jackets.

• Yume: corduroy, tapered leg, elastic cuffs, contrast drawstring.
• Mori: heavy wide-wale corduroy, extra-wide leg.

A small myth on the side: the popular derivation from "corde du roi", the "king's cloth", isn't supported. Where the English word corduroy really comes from is unknown.

How to read a fabric in photos

Online you can't touch. But you can look closely:

• Weave: if a close-up shows individual threads and small irregularities, that's texture – typical of linen and textured cotton.
• Creases: light creasing at the elbows and waist is normal for linen and linen blends, not a defect.
• Ribs: with corduroy, judge roughly how wide the ribs look. Wide ribs mean a bolder, warmer look.
• Drape: if the trouser leg hangs straight and heavy, the fabric is denser; if it billows slightly, it's lighter.

Our product pages show detail photos of the waist, cord and cuffs. Look at them before you decide.

How fabrics age – and why that's good

Japanese aesthetics has the word sabi: the beauty of things that gain a patina over time, like the untreated wood of the Silver Pavilion in Kyoto. In clothing, a linen shirt that has softened or corduroy whose ribs have flattened a little at the knees has something a new piece doesn't. We won't promise a fabric "lasts forever" – we have no test data of our own for that. But good clothing is allowed to show its life.

Care: what we can say

Our product pages don't include care instructions yet. Please follow the sewn-in care label in the garment. We'll add care details to the product pages and update this section.

Size and returns

Our pieces run small – if you're between two sizes, take the larger one. If a fabric feels different from what you expected, you have 14 days from delivery to return unworn items with tags. Return postage is paid by you.

Feel, don't read

The best way to understand a fabric is to wear it. Put together a set in three fabrics – say the cotton Arashi, the linen Miyabi and the corduroy Yume. With Buy 2, get 1 free, the cheapest item is free, no code. Free tracked shipping, duties included. Go to the bestsellers.

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Frequently asked questions

Sources