Fabric
Grade for the fabric you're cutting, not the fabric the rule was written for.
Patterns drape differently on different fabrics. Traditional grade rules don't see the difference. Our engine does.
Why fabric belongs in grading
A grade rule that holds for a 220 g/m² cotton woven will produce a different fit when applied to a 4-way stretch performance knit, a 14 oz heavyweight denim, or a 320 g/m² recycled fleece. The body is the same. The pattern is the same. The result is not.
In categories where fabric variation is the dominant fit variable (like denim, knits, athletic and performance, technical outerwear, sustainable and recycled materials), single-fabric grade rules systematically under-perform. Brands respond by adding sampling rounds, adjusting blocks per fabric class, and absorbing the cost in technical design hours.
How we work with fabric
Nabla Labs treats fabric properties as a direct input to the grading optimisation, alongside the body distribution and the pattern itself. We work with measured material properties when you have them, whether from in-house testing or your fabric supplier. When you don't, we estimate properties from descriptions, reference samples, and a continually-extended internal material library.
The output is a grade that adapts to fabric, not despite it. When you change supplier, switch to a recycled blend, or add a new fabric to a familiar pattern, the grade follows.
Where this matters most
Denim (woven variability across rinses, weights, stretch additives)
Performance and athletic (stretch, recovery, moisture-wicking knits)
Sustainable and recycled blends (where fit behaviour often differs from the virgin equivalent)
Outerwear and technical (where heavy weights and laminates change drape)
Compression and shapewear (where pressure prediction is fit)
"Fabric-aware grading is the difference between a pattern that worked once and a pattern that travels."
Talk to us about fabric-aware grading for your category