I probably have mentioned Cotton Incorporated before, because I have a sincere adoration for the people who work in their Los Angeles office. Years ago, or maybe a year ago (sometimes my memory is poor), I was trying to source a very specific type of cotton knit and contacted their field office. They sent me a color card, full of the next year’s color forecasts, a sourcing guide for all sorts of mills and converters, indexed by fabric knit/weave, and a bunch of other stuff (I told you about my memory). All at no cost, and that’s a dream come true when you realize just how expensive it is to purchase any sourcing reference book.

Over the years, I have come back to Cotton Inc. for other resources. From obtaining a list of garment dyers, fabric printers and small minimum fabric wholesalers, I have used Cotton Inc. extensively. If you’re ever in Los Angeles (and presumably New York), they have fabric libraries in their offices where they showcase swatches of fabrics from all the participating companies. The fabric library is organized by type of weave or knit and includes all the information you need, including fabric composition, weight, width and stock number and manufacturer info.

Where resources like this come in handy is when looking for something very specific. Sometimes it is difficult to wade through all the companies offering a specific type of fabric, and it really helps to be able to ask someone who is familiar with a multitude of companies. It saves a lot of time, and you know they have what you are looking for.

They also have a very extensive technical library on fabric finishing, dyeing, knitting and all that good stuff that is fascinating to read if you really want to understand fabric.

If you’re ever looking for something related to cotton, or cotton blends, check them out.