Different Types of Stripes that Every Designer Should Know: A Fabric Series

You Probably Never Realized There Were So Many Different Types of Stripes!

Stripes are great design elements when they’re used in a thoughtful way! Here are 13 types of stripes that are most commonly worn in the fashion industry!

Awning Stripe

Awning stripes, aka cabana stripes make a bold statement! These are the widest of all the stripes. These stripes are always spaced evenly, with a white background. Such wide stripes can be jarring, but with the right silhouette, they’re quite elegant.

Barcode Stripe

Barcode Stripes resemble…… you guessed it- barcodes! With some color experimenting, the variegated widths yield visually incredible results!

Bayadere Stripe

The Bayadere stripe contains multi-colored stripes of quite random, varying widths. If you’re going for playful and vibrant, you may want to consider a Bayadere stripe!

Bengal Stripe

This stripe is popular in menswear shirting fabrics. The stripes in this pattern are all the same width, ¼’’ spaced, and always arranged with two adjacent and alternating light and dark colors. As far as width, they sit right between awning stripes and candy stripes.

Banker Stripe

The Banker Stripe is very similar to the Bengal Stripe, but with thinner 1/8′ white lines almost ALWAYS on a baby blue background.

Breton Stripe

The nautical Breton stripe is derived from traditional French navy uniforms, but still prominent in mainstream fashion today. This stripe is traditionally horizontal and arranged with two alternating light and dark colored stripes.

Candy Stripe

Candy stripes are usually pretty thin– spaced 1/8’’ apart from one other. These stripes are either singular or multi-colored stripes of the same width that rest on a white background. These stripes are sweet and feminine, often seen in little girls’ clothing.

Chalk Stripe

The chalk stripe is most commonly seen in suiting fabrics. Chalk stripes look thin, fuzzy, and wooly; known for their speckled discontinuity and thin line-weight.

Chevron Stripe

Chevron stripes also known as zigzag or herringbone stripes yield compelling visual effects. Vertical chevron stripes make wearers look taller, while horizontal chevrons make wearers look slimmer.

Pinstripe

Ahh, pinstripes. They’re prominent in both menswear and womenswear. These stripes are spaced widely apart and the background is always wider than the narrow stripes.

Regimental Stripe

Regimental stripes are designed with classic colors like red, burgundy, blue, navy, or yellow (colors associated with uniforms and heraldry). This stripe is usually seen in neckwear, but interesting variations still pop up in mainstream fashion.

Roman Stripe

Roman stripes are B-O-L-D multicolor stripes of contrasting widths and they are usually placed vertically. This stripe is known for its use of bright/neon colors.

Serpentine Stripe

This wavy, undulating stripe adds softness to any design. It makes the wearer appear wider than she really is, so design strategically!

Shadow Stripe

Last but not least, is the elegant shadow stripe! In this pattern, light hues of stripes are bordered by darker tones to create a nice shadow effect.

Which types of stripes do you wear the most! Comment below!

For more fabric info, read last week's article on textile printing methods and check out our Source, Design, Create Course for more Design & Development insights!

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