Fabrics
High-Tech Jacquard Jersey
Content: 100% cotton
Fabric Origin: Italy
Weight: 6 oz
This ultra-lightweight, multi-color jacquard uses two-ply, long-staple, double-mercerized cotton woven on circular machines at a high-tech Italian mill. It’s strong and color-fast, with a subtle sheen and smooth hand. The interlocking geometric pattern is as evolved as a striped jersey can get.
Recycled Cotton
Content: 100% Recycled Cotton
Fabric Origin: USA
Weight: 6.5 oz
Our recycled cotton tee is made from 100% cotton waste, in a US factory with fair practices, for a reasonable price. We put a lot of work into finding this combination of qualities--which was the only way this was worth producing. The results are a tee that wears so well you don’t have to think about it, and actually delivers on its promise of being made entirely from what would have otherwise been thrown away.
Oxford Shirting
Content: 100% Cotton
Origin: Portugal
Weight: 4 oz
Oxford cloth was originally a product of the Scottish textile industry of the 1800’s, when innovation was the key to staying in business. One of four shirting materials named for prestigious universities (the others were Cambridge, Harvard and Yale), Oxford outlived its contemporaries and became a menswear staple due to its strength and versatility. Originally marketed as formalwear, it was adopted by polo players in the early 20th century, lending the fabric an athletic pedigree. This eventually led to its popularity on postwar college campuses, where students realized its casual potential. Our Portuguese version delivers the combination of substance and adaptability that makes Oxford great. It’s light and breathable, and maintains its structure without being stiff.
Seaside Cotton
Content: 60% Cotton, 40% Nylon
Origin: Italy
Weight: 8.1 oz
Our Seaside Cotton is an essential, nylon-and-cotton blend fabric that blocks wind and is highly water-resistant while remaining breathable and lightweight. This season we’ve used it for a coaches’ jacket in a slightly shorter cut that’s fully mesh-lined. Spring is not what it used to be. This jacket gets you through the late-season snow and rain that's sure to come, but will still be comfortable once things warm up.
Cotton Terry
Content: 100% Cotton Terry
Origin: India
Summers on Long Island are idyllic, and its beaches are consistently listed among the best in the country. Therefore we think our Long Island mascot, Captain Duck, is a fitting image to adorn a beach towel. It's made in India with Shingora, a family-run factory that uses recycled water to minimize waste. As much as we love that fact, we're even more proud that they help send the daughters of their employees to school, something that, unfortunately, is not guaranteed for all girls in India. You thought you were just buying a goofy towel, but it turns out you're helping educate a young lady on the other side of the world. Well done.
Swimwear Nylon
Content: 100% Nylon
Origin: Italy
Weight: 3.4 oz
Swimwear is one of those clothing categories where cheap manufacturing tends to predominate since its most obvious requirements--lightweight, quick-drying fabrics--are easily attainable in low-cost synthetics. Durability and tailoring, however, are critical factors that are often overlooked. Our newest swimwear silhouette is technically a board short, just one that looks to the past for inspiration, with a double-snap closure (in place of ties) and medium length. Surf brands used to be responsible for the best swimwear you could find, but lately seem to have closed their eyes to aesthetics. It’s part of what inspires NOAH’s commitment to making high-quality trunks in colors and patterns you actually want to wear.
12oz Practice Cloth
Content: 100% cotton
Origin: Canada
Weight: 12oz
Practice Cloth is the tough, rugby-jersey fabric that’s a staple of every season at NOAH. Made from the highest grade, US-grown cotton, its unique knit is designed to withstand the rigors of contact sport. This means that it will also last for years, keep its shape, and get better with time, wear, and repeated washing. We now use a sturdy 12 oz version for lightweight outerwear. The heavyweight knit gives it structure but is easy-wearing.
Cordura
Content: Cordura Nylon
Origin: Non-USA
Weight: 1000 Denier
The Cordura brand dates back to World War II, but came into its own in the 70's, when new dyeing and weaving techniques allowed them to offer a wide variety of colors and constructions of their signature nylon fabrics. The incredibly strong materials that Cordura was making led to new standards of durability, and the outdoor gear and luggage worlds took notice. Cordura is still the leader in tough, functional pack fabrics, and it's our choice for bags for a simple reason: we know we can rely on the cloth to stand up to years of heavy use. They also happen to offer a wide range of colors. NOAH bags are proudly made in the USA with Cordura fabrics.
Madras
Content: 74% Cotton, 26% Linen
Origin: Italy
Weight: 10.2 oz
We’ve always been fans of madras’ bold, multicolored patterns for summer, but its incredibly loose construction has always limited its versatility as a fabric. So we created our own, Italian-made version. With a denser weave sturdy enough for a summer sport coat that won’t wrinkle or sag, it delivers madras’ classic aesthetic with the right amount of lightweight structure.
Heavyweight Canvas
Content: 100% Cotton Canvas
Origin: USA
Weight: 18 oz
LL Bean’s classic Boat Tote was originally designed to haul block ice, but has since come to symbolize the kind of ruggedness you want in a simple-but-functional holdall. Our version offers an even tougher heavyweight canvas body with incredibly strong webbed handles that, along with its six exterior pockets (and interior zip pocket for valuables), allow it to hold almost more than one person can carry.
Seersucker
Content: 100% cotton
Origin: Italy
Weight: 8.8 oz
This Italian seersucker is densely woven with a bit of two-way stretch, which gives it enough structure and resilience to stand up to active use. It will also keep its bumpy texture over time (unlike cheaper versions, which can go flat after a winter in your closet). It delivers all the buoyancy and air flow that make this former hot-weather workwear material so essential for summer.
Ultralight Cotton
Content: 100% Cotton
Origin: Japan
Weight: 3.5 oz
The military-inspired structure of classic safari jackets may not be the first silhouette you'd think of for fine shirting fabric. But pairing the two means the ultralight performance and sophisticated visual profile of the material can have a life beyond dress shirts. It also creates a summer option that’s not yet another button-down.
Striped Denim
Content: 100% Cotton Denim
Origin: Japan
Weight: 6.5 oz
Finding dynamic denim--in different weights, constructions and colors--seems to have only grown more difficult, despite industry demand. We wanted a simple, lightweight, summer version, and wound up having it custom-made in Japan in a lightly faded blue or yellow stripe. It’s a subtle alternative to white denim as the weather warms up.
Ripstop Chino
Content: 100% Cotton
Origin: Italy
Weight: 8 oz
Ripstop was invented as an alternative to silk parachutes during World War II, and incorporates a grid pattern of thicker threads into its weave to prevent small tears from spreading. A staple of military, camping, and outdoor gear since, it’s been refined into versions like this one from Italy, where the reinforcing threads are very finely woven. This allows the fabric to remain lightweight, slim and fluid while being able to handle the stresses of movement and contact.
Ultralight Nylon
Content: 100% Nylon
Origin: Italy
Weight: 3.2 oz
Useful running gear requires versatility, and NOAH's ultralight nylon can do winter or spring duty. It offers enough shelter from wind and water to add legitimate protection over a solid under-layer in the cold months, but is lightweight enough to wear over a tee when conditions are much milder. Combined with strategic, adjustable ventilation inspired by cycling gear, it's trusty, adaptable and packable, and will keep you comfortable without making you overheat.