Concerning fabrics for vestments

Admirers of Church vestments would be surprised to learn that the majority of ecclesiastical fabrics are either entirely or largely comprised  of man-made yarns, or "synthetics".  Fabrics of the highest quality, however, continue to be made from silk ... and these are very expensive.

Contrary to a common prejudice, not all synthetic fabrics are second-rate and unpleasant to wear.  Synthetic fabrics vary widely in quality.  Those who hold the view that a brocade fabric is always better than a plain fabric might be disappointed to learn that widely available ecclesiastical brocades from Europe (particularly Italy), India, the United States &c are not infrequently of indifferent quality.

At the Saint Bede Studio, we use a better quality of fabrics for all our work. A great deal of our time is spent searching for quality fabrics from various parts of the world.  We judge the fabrics we use to be suitable for vestment work not only by their appearance but on their stability and durability.