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A fine suit fabric made of light and dark (often white and black) yarns in close alternation, sharkskin may be plain weave or twilled. It has a smooth hand and a salt and pepper look. Most often worsted, sharkskin may be woolen or from blends. How it relates to the look of genuine sharkskin is somewhat debatable. Some sources claim it’s because of its smoothness (sharks do not have scales); others its subtle iridescence; and still others its fine mottling.

An unrelated fabric of filament yarns is also called sharkskin (see Sharkskin, filament type).

Uses: Suits


Sharkskin