If you buy synthetic fabrics…

[VillKrill]

…what is the appeal? Is it cost or are there other reasons? I’m getting a bit fed up of seeing pictures of lovely-looking dresses, knitwear, etc, only to find out they’re all/partly made of acrylic, polyester, viscose etc. I personally try and avoid them because a) they make me sweat horribly, b) I don’t think they generally age/wash as well as natural fabrics -or look as good and c) I’m worried about the landfill they create. But they’re so ubiquitous even in higher end brands that I’m clearly in the minority! Am I missing something? Are there advantages to them (other than not being attractive to moths!)?

I'm like you and mostly buy natural fabrics. I usually don't like the look or feel of synthetic materials.

However they do have the huge advantage that they don't usually need ironing. This alone is enough to make me consider them.

Cost. Although not always cheaper. My cotton shirts are usually £40 ish.

Easy to wash and dry. I don't do lots of different washes, everything goes on 40 degrees on the quick daily cycle which takes 40min. I separated lights and darks but that's it. I line dry where possible, in winter the cotton things generally have to be finished off on the radiator/part dried by ironing before they're hung out.

In winter polyester is great for keeping me warm when I'm sitting around not doing much. The lack of breathability helps keep my body heat in.

It helps stop creases. I only iron 100% cotton shirts, skirts, dresses. I don't want to have to iron everything I own it takes too much time, so I welcome things with a percentage synthetic in the mix.

I do like 100% cotton and wool mixes too. But if I like something and it happens to be synthetic that's fine.

I mostly prefer natural fabrics because they feel nicer. However, from what I've read, I don't think it's as straightforward as 'natural good, synthetic bad'. Cotton production for example can be highly dubious, both ethically and environmentally; likewise cheap cashmere. Synthetic fabrics also tend to dry faster so less likely to need tumble drying.

I also don't mind too much if there's a small amount of polyester in trousers as it can help the fabric drape better.

Also, there are different kinds of polyester. Some polyester items (often found in very cheap shops) looks cheap and nasty, but you can also get polyester that looks as good as natural fabric.

The trouble with man made fabrics is that they don't keep you warm in the winter, and they don't keep you cool in the summer.

However, my least favourite fabric is viscose, which in my experience, doesn't stand up well to washing. I prefer Polyester to viscose.

Have you only just noticed this?
Synthetics have been around for ages, there are cheap ones and better quality ones. Natural fibres have an environmental impact too.

Not to get too personal about it but DH’s underwear is synthetic — it’s made from recycled ocean plastics. It’s excellent stuff and the sustainability creds are pretty impressive.

It’s like the 80s — not all synth is bad synth.

In the case of acrylic and man made fibres in fleece it Washes and lasts longer. I'm thinking 10 year old plus jumpers are probably better going than natural fibres if either I or the kids destroy the natural fibre clothes in 6 months.

Viscose is awesome stuff!! every bit as breathable as natural fibres and ive seen it argued better for the environment. Easy to wash and dry. No ironing.

Polyester outside of a decent fleece I'm mostly with you on.

As others said, it often doesn't wrinkle as much as other fabrics, and the drape can be really amazing on high-end synthetic fabrics. I think like anything else there are high end and low end synthetic fabrics.

Also I remember a world pre-lycra where it took 10 minutes of lying on the floor and wrestling to get your skinny jeans on, so I'm very grateful to lycra and spandex

I have to confess to being a bit of a wool / cotton snob but then I’m not allergic, don’t have moths and don’t mind ironing.
Tbh we all need to rethink our consumption of clothes regardless of material.

I like viscose, and definitely don't avoid it like I do the unbreathable synthetics. It often drapes well and doesn't shrink or go misshapen.

I try and avoid acrylic and polyester but actually quite like viscose. It is actually called a semi synthetic and made from wood pulp not plastic so I don’t find it sweaty at all and it has a lovely drape.

Mostly it's cost, or I choose by cut rather than fabric, e.g. I really like the look/fit e.g. of bodycon dresses. If you have an hour glass or slim pear figure, there's nothing more flattering, really.

I prefer natural fabrics but have some polyester too. I shop a lot in charity shops and will buy something that I like whatever the fabric type is. Polyester does have the advantage of drying more quickly.

Viscose is awesome stuff!! every bit as breathable as natural fibres and ive seen it argued better for the environment. Easy to wash and dry. No ironing.

I was classing viscose as a natural fibre. Think it's made from wood pulp?

Thick stretchy viscose mixed with elastane is ok, but thin viscose is awful. I've found that it creases badly and tends to go out of shape, so you end up with an uneven hemline after a few washes.

I love viscose.
I do wonder about the environmental credentials of recycled polyester as mentioned upthread. Recycled or not, surely it releases tiny plastic particles into the water on every wash, just like regular polyester

I'm another viscose fan. I think it often drapes better than cotton, so I prefer it in dresses. I also don't iron, ever, and viscose wrinkles less. I like linen bed sheets but I can't stand linen clothes because they just always look unruly, regardless of the nice feel.

My pet hate though is a nice natural fabric which is lined with polyester. You want the layer next to your skin to breathe!

25 years teaching Textile Science. Here’s the environmental impacts;

Cotton (unless organic including the manufacture) is the most polluting of all fibres.
Viscose is made from wood pulp but uses lots of nasty chemicals. It generally creases like mad unless knitted or very heavyweight. It is slightly breatheable but still can make you sweaty.
Polyester can be ‘engineered’ to be breathable but generally isn’t. It can also be recycled.

Regarding the plastic particles, we really could do with washing machine manufacturers to include filters in the machines. From what I've read the in wash solutions dont do a lot

Modal is just viscose by another name.

Lyocel/Tencel are really viscose, but more environmentally friendly than viscose.

Viscose isn’t really a natural fibre. It’s source material is natural but it has to use a whole load of chemicals just to make it into a fibre. Sometimes it is discharged into an acetate solution which is what makes an acetate fabric.

I'm not a snob so...

I like the feel and look of viscose, natural of fibre or not. It drapes well, as pp said. Despite preferring wool/mohair I cannot bear it, even with a layer underneath. My mother is a vegan so most wool/leather etc is out for her. I am unsure about cashmere re cruelty so, although I like it, I don’t buy it. What I’m saying is that there are lots of reasons for buying synthetics.

Having been through the menopause it's natural fibres all the way. I prefer cotton and linen to anything else.

Cheap.
Dry easily.
Stretchy so if your weight and size fluctuates that can be helpful