Tag Archives: Lab Coat Fabric

Lab Coats on Hangers

It’s All In The Details: Dobby Weave Lab Coat Fabric

Radically improving lab coats starts with dramatically improving the fabric, particularly the touch and feel, which has to do with both raw materials and weave. Not all fabrics are created equal, after all.

Lab coat innovator Medelita recently created their proprietary M3 fabric, which is made from the highest quality raw materials and has a signature diamond dobby weavewhich results in a beautiful subtle texture. 

What is a dobby weave?

Dobby weaves are limited to simple, small geometric patterns which are repeated frequently. This is a tedious process which took considerable time. Countless samples must be woven and tested, before being sewn into sample garments, all in an effort to make a fabric that is both comfortable and appealing to the eye. 

Dobby Weave

See the small diamond pattern in the fabric?

After multiple trials using different diamond scales, different yarn deniers, and different raw materials, the company finalized their classic diamond fabric weave many years ago. This design detail is just one of the many aspects of the M3 fabric that improve on the core attributes of any fabric: softness, comfort, durability and style. 

It’s All In The Details: Bacteriostatic Fabric Technology

The latest proprietary performance fabric from Medelita boasts a large number of technological features, from wrinkle a fluid resistance, to bacteriostatic properties. But what does bacteriostatic really mean, especially compared to other similar words like “antibacterial” and”antimicrobial”?

All day, every day, you are shedding skin cells that get trapped between the fibers of your garments and trap bacteria – this is what causes musty odors that get trapped in your clothing. Fabric made with bacteriostatic properties naturally these skin cells so that they simply fall off your clothes, instead of becoming trapped. The result? An odor free lab coat experience!

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When it comes to performance fabrics, brands claiming that their products are antibacterial or antimicrobial are right – sort of. The problem is, that technology will wash right out of your clothing after just a couple times through the laundry – converting your “performance fabric” back to just regular old fabric.

In contrast, fabric that has bacteriostatic properties will never wash out, because this feature is actually embedded into the fibers of the fabric itself. It has to do with the way that the fiber is woven, in a way that dead skin cells cannot cling to the fabric.

It’s All In The Details: Long Staple Fibers

Have you ever bought an expensive sweater only to have it pill up the first time you wash it? Pilling refers to the small balls of fluff that form when you start to use a garment, and they can quickly make a garment look cheap and tawdry. Good quality clothing is less likely to form pills on the fabric than cheap garments – but why exactly is this the case?

It turns out that the difference is in the length of fibers used to weave and make the fabric. Fibers are categorized into short staple, long staple, and extra long staple fibers, and the type of fibers used to make the fabric in your clothing is the number one determinant of whether your clothing will resist pilling.

Garments made with long-staple fibers offer a perfect compromise between luxury and affordability. When making decisions about your medical apparel based on comfort, be aware that the longer the fiber, the smoother and softer your clothing will be.

For example, Medelita’s M3 fabric is made of long staple polyester fibers that give it an incredibly soft touch. Lab coats made of this fabric will avoid pilling and are going to be the most comfortable available.