Inside Our Fabric Journey

Dogs are family to us, in the most ordinary and intimate sense.

That belief shapes how we choose our materials from the very beginning. Before any piece takes form, we start with fabric — collecting swatches, comparing textures, testing weight and hand feel. When we make a decision, we hold ourselves to the same standards used in human fashion, prioritizing comfort, quality, and skin-friendly compositions. All of the materials we work with are originally developed for human garments, not pet products.

Designing for dogs is simply an extension of designing for ourselves. It’s a shared standard, and a shared lifestyle.

Coming from a completely different industry, I started Cave Canem without any formal background in textiles. Learning all of this from scratch was overwhelming.

At a high level, fabrics are often categorized as woven or knitted. In reality, that is only the beginning. Beyond fiber content, every fabric comes with technical parameters that directly shape the final product.

• Fabric weight, measured in grams per square meter (GSM), determines how thick, structured, or fluid a garment will feel. It affects warmth, drape, and overall wearing experience.
• Fabric width impacts cutting efficiency and cost.
• For cotton fabrics, thread count adds another layer of complexity. Higher thread counts mean finer yarns and a softer, smoother hand feel, but also higher production costs.

Another thing I quickly learned is that most suppliers specialize. One mill might focus exclusively on cotton and linen, another on outdoor performance fabrics, another on silk, or wool tweeds.

Designers or assistants collect swatches that meet basic requirements and bring them back for review. If visiting in person isn’t possible, swatches can be shipped, usually at the buyer’s expense.

Once a fabric direction feels right, sample yardage is ordered for prototyping. This is typically a small quantity, two to three yards, just enough to test construction and structure. At the same time, we confirm minimum order quantities and tiered pricing. Depending on the material, minimums can range widely. Nylon might require hundreds of yards, cotton somewhat less, and wool often lower. Custom-developed fabrics, however, can require thousands of yards upfront.

That process was frustrating, but it also taught me more than any textbook ever could.

Sometimes the fabric checks every box until you look at logistics. We’ve fallen in love with fabrics only to learn they were imported from Italy, which meant additional duties and high international shipping costs on top of an already premium material. At that point, the decision becomes less about aesthetics and more about sustainability, pricing, and long-term viability.