How I learned to stop caring about the "Super 100s' label
- Andrea Lee
- Oct 12
- 3 min read
The hype and perceived supremacy of very fine lightweight cloths continue to confuse me. Speaking as someone who is extremely picky, but also extremely tough on their clothing (I’ve blown through the crotches of many pairs of trousers) I had come to realize a while ago that a cloth’s super 100s rating is far from the be-all-end-all measure of its worth.
For anyone who doesn’t know, the “Super 100s+” rating is a system that refers to the fineness of the wool yarns used to weave the cloth. The higher the number, the finer the yarn. Often, these cloths are relatively lightweight, very smooth, silky to the touch, and feature a very liquid drape. On paper, all of those qualities sound extremely desirable and make the cloth choosing process very simple. Clients can pick a high Super 100s number cloth and feel assured they made a great choice, but like most things in life, it’s not that simple.

The issues with these fine cloths are their durability loss and aesthetic upkeep. Due to their fineness, they can often be prone to wrinkling and pilling from abrasion, meaning you’d need to spend more time caring for and resting your garment between wears. Therefore, as a special occasion suit that is being worn rather infrequently and delicately, a very high super 100s number cloth would result in a beautiful garment and truly luxurious wearing experience. That being said, we see no justifiable reason for this genre of cloth to inhabit a sizeable chunk of someone’s wardrobe. Often, retailers and “custom tailors” who do not actually understand the properties of the cloths they’re selling, will prop up a super 100s number to a client as the sole measure of quality when it comes to cloth. In reality, the cloth selection process is much more nuanced and dependent on the intricacies of each client’s lifestyle, body, circumstances, etc.
Neither my personal nor my professional wardrobe contains a single piece of clothing made of worsted wool cloth bearing a high Super 100s grade. Why? Because I value the properties that only non-Super 100s cloths can deliver. These include durability, a heavier weight, more substantial drape, lower maintenance, and a robust hand feel. All of the cloths that make up my personal garments and 90% of my client commissions are from British mills and merchants. Operations like Harrison’s, Standeven, Smith Woollens, Bateman Ogden, and Fox Brothers all predominantly offer ranges that don’t push a Super 100s rating as the top priority.

If the Super 100s number does not matter, what then determines what cloth is right for you? Well, this is where having a relationship with a tailor that actually understands the properties of the cloths they’re working with is essential. For example, if you’re like me and you are on the larger side and runs hot like I do, I would suggest a high twist, open-weave, dry hand cloth, such as something from the Smith Woolens Abacus range or Standeven’s Explorer. Neither of these range’s cloths wear the badge of a Super 100s rating, but in many ways, that’s a pro rather than con. Due to their high twist open weave nature, they are guaranteed to provide a much cooler feeling, better wear experience, and longer garment lifetime due to their increased breathability, abrasion resistance, and lower maintenance. A Super 100s cloth can definitely result in a beautiful suit, but all that beauty is lost when the wearer is consistently concerned about the back of the knees creasing after sitting for a while and the crotch seam blowing out after walking for any extended period of time.

Even in colder climates like Toronto’s 8 months of winter, I have found that more robust and relatively coarser and heavier weight wool cloths make more sense than the luxuriousness or silkiness of any Super 100s cloth. For that type of suit, I like to look at cloths from ranges like Oyster, Westminster, Churchill, etc. largely for the same reasons (durability, minimal care, and abrasion resistance, etc. when compared to a finer Super 100s count cloth.
So, when it comes to suiting cloth, there never is a universal ultimate cloth for all clients. There is a perfect cloth for everyone, but the answer will be as individual as the person themselves. What’s important when commissioning anything is that you voice your experiences, preferences and concerns to your tailor, and that the tailor themselves actually understands the properties and tendencies of the cloths they offer without falling victim to industry buzzwords or terms.
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