Guide to finding quality Suit Fabric in Vietnam

Many Vietnamese tailors shops claim they sell suits with the finest fabric in Vietnam. Many of these shops even claim “Our fabrics are imported from Italy, Japan or America etc.”

140usd for Italian 100% Cashmere Wool suit or 30usd for imported Egyptian Cotton anyone? Really?

If an offer is too good to be true, it most probably is. Sometimes, there is a fine line between getting a good deal and getting cheated.

There is also not many customers who are well informed with knowledge about fabrics. Many have limited access to information. Mainly unreliable sources or travelers (not professionals!) in forums or blogs.

This is why so many tailor shops in not just Vietnam but Asia get away with such lies.

In Hoi An, the tailoring capital of Vietnam, many shops choose the easy option of lying to customers and then buying shirt and suit fabrics from nearby local vendors (see illustration on left).

This way, tailor shops do not need to spend on fabric inventory and save cost.

Wow! Cost Savings! Sounds Good?

Sadly, fabric in Vietnam sold in your average market is generally poor in quality.

Many tailor shop owners actually do not have much knowledge about fabrics. It is also a Vietnamese culture to think a cheap deal is a great deal. Many owners love to bargain a lot at fabric shops too.

Problem is demand for poor fabrics is high and demand for good value is low. All because of the mindset that cheap fabrics is better. Just because it’s cheaper. This way, both the tailor shop and the fabric vendor can enjoy a bigger markup if the customer cannot tell the difference.

So it makes sense that fabric shops sell poorer fabrics cause demand is high and profit margins are higher. Besides the tailor shop owners can’t tell the difference anyway!

Many do not know that most designer clothing are actually made in Vietnam. In fact, many experts have predicted that the already huge clothes manufacturing industry is poised to surge in Vietnam and overtake China.

Today, many reputable fabric mills from Japanese, Korean and Chinese are scrambling into Vietnam to meet the surge in demand for fabrics. The demand are mainly from these huge garment factories, many of which are designer labels.

The same quality fabric in Vietnam are then rebranded and sold under seperate entity under the fabric mill and distributor!

However, to have access to these quality suit fabric suppliers, we have to maintain good relation, have proper factories and promise them consistent orders. Something that not many tailors in Hoi An or Vietnam are unwilling to do.

These mills or factories have high standards when it comes to processing fabrics, so you can be assured you receive quality products.

We work directly with the same mills as your designer labels. By working direct, we skip the middlemen so you can bring cost savings to customers.

Yes, this is not a Vietnamese brand but if you insist on imported fabric, VBC is your best bet. There is high inventory supply of their S110s in Vietnam and you can sometimes get a good deal for their fabric in Vietnam.

For most other fabric brands, they charge fixed price worldwide. But in Vietnam, these similar fabrics will cost at least 20% more due to import taxes & VAT. Vietnam has to do this to protect its dominance in the clothing and fabric export industry.

This means it cost less to buy these same fabrics back in your country!

Drago is the other Italian fabric with decent prices in Vietnam. If you care about the threadcount, the prices of their Vantage series are of relatively good value. For clients who really care about threadcounts (Super value), Drago offer fabrics of minimum threadcount of 130s. To my guess, this might be partly due to the exceptional value of VBC Perennial (S110s) which dominate the Asian market.

For unknown reasons, the prices of Drago fabrics are the same as prices of Drago fabrics in Hongkong or Singapore. Drawback is however that the waiting time for many fabrics are slightly longer as the main distributor stock up limited articles.

Having being acquired by Piacenza 1733, Cerruti has had some good days in Vietnam. However, mostly old Cerruti articles or stocks are being distributed in Vietnam. For their higher end series such as iParty, you can get very good prices as many distributors are trying to phase them out. That is if you care more about quality rather than brand.

I am however excited about how Piacenza will work out in Vietnam because their cashmere offerings, while expensive, are of exceptional value. The only existing bunch of Cerruti is the Oxygen (Wool Linen Silk) bunch.

That said, prices of many other European suitings like Loro Piana, Zegna, Scabal,  and Dormeuil are priced several times  (about 3-4 times) the price of the same fabric in tax havens like Singapore or Hong Kong. In layman terms, prices of these fabrics are higher mainly because distributors here do not buy in bulk and keep stock.

This might be a brand unheard of outside of Vietnam but this is one of the best suit fabric in Vietnam. Many are also the same ones used for top designer brands.

The main company own several garment factories and fabric mills in Vietnam and created a separate brand “Dolce & Taylor” to redistribute fabrics so they can reduce their costs for raw materials.

If you do not care about brand, their 100% wool fabrics is comparable to many “Made in Italy” brands. A fair price for their 2-piece suits will be US$400,

Kevinlli is a recent reliable brand recently and is the sister company of tailoring chain Mon Amie. They also distribute a lesser known fabric in Vietnam called Vercelli.

Even though I have little information about this brand, after researching on their instagram pages it seems that the fabric seems to originate from India. That said, the “Designed in Italy” Slogan is misleading.

While this mill is Thai owned and made in China, the prices of fabrics are reliable and of good quality. Distribution in Vietnam is strong perhaps due to its value proposition. The fabrics are also very moderned and designed by Italian fabric designers.

In Vanda Tailors, we do sell the Cavani Murano Wool Linen Silk series and endorse this fabric series.

This brand is popular for its 95% wool-5% bamboo combination which is very suitable for summer suits. They do not carry a wide range of designs so they can focus on their production quality.

Update (June 2023): This fabric cannot be found easily these days.

In my opinion, English or Italian fabrics are expensive for a reason. Especially Italian fabrics, you will be attracted to the touch of it, so do request the owner to let you feel both the House wool or even wool blends and the Italian Wool. End of the day, it will be the price difference.

While both countries produce quality fabrics, Italian mills are generally associated with luxury and craftsmanship while Chinese mills are known for affordability and cost effective mass production.

The moment you have felt the Italian fabric, you will know why its costs more.

Still, a quality 100% wool suit fabric in Vietnam is not dirt cheap.  So you have to do your homework like conducting the burn test to avoid being scammed. You also have to like the fabric because ultimately, the person wearing the suit is yourself.

When you research reputable Vietnam Tailors, there are other elements such as production you should know about. But blatant “100% italian wool” lies is a sign that will often result in a cheap quality suits.

So the next time, if any tailor shop promises you 100% wool fabric in Vietnam  or even Italy or England at great prices, ask yourself if it’s too good to be true.