HomeGlossarySelf-Fabric Collar
Self-Fabric Collar
Construction — one of 70 in the glossary
A collar cut from the same cloth as the body of the garment, rather than a separately knit rib or a contrast trim. On a polo it gives a cleaner, more modern line than a ribbed knit collar and keeps the colour an exact match. On performance styles it also keeps the whole garment to one fibre content, which matters for wicking and for dye behaviour. The catch is shape retention: without rib structure a self-fabric collar depends on its interlining and stitching to stay flat, so check whether the spec mentions a two-ply or fused collar.
Cut from the body cloth
A self-fabric collar is made from the same material as the shirt rather than from a separately knitted rib. The colour therefore matches exactly, including after the garment has aged, which a separately dyed rib cannot guarantee.
It gives a flatter, cleaner line than a rib collar, which is most of why modern polos have moved towards it.
On performance styles it also keeps the entire garment to one fibre content, which matters both for wicking consistency and for how the shirt behaves under a heat press.
The shape-retention problem
A rib knit collar holds its shape because ribbing is structurally springy. A self-fabric collar has no such structure, so it depends on interlining, stitching and fabric weight to stay flat.
That is why a poor self-fabric collar curls at the points after a few washes while a good one does not.
Look for a spec mentioning a two-ply, fused or self-fabric interlined collar. A single layer of jersey with a topstitch is the one that will curl.
Common questions
- What is a self-fabric collar?
- A collar cut from the same cloth as the body of the garment rather than from a separately knitted rib. The colour matches exactly and the line is flatter.
- Is a self-fabric collar better than a rib collar?
- Cleaner-looking and better colour-matched, but less structurally stable. A rib collar springs back into shape on its own; a self-fabric one relies on its interlining and stitching.
- Why does my polo collar curl?
- Usually because it is a single-layer self-fabric collar with no interlining. Look for a two-ply or fused collar on the spec sheet if curling matters.
See also
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