Robes, shirts, pinafores, and jackets. If you go to church, you’ll be familiar with all of these. It’s amazing the different colours, styles, and fabrics of uniforms you’d find on a choir as they’ve become very versatile in their choice of choir uniforms. Ankara fabric especially, has been the rave for a few decades and there would be room for more creativity if people took a second look at other fabrics. With this in mind, we would love to show you our 5 ideal fabrics for Choir uniforms.
1. Garbadine

The doubly woven, corded, yet light feel you get when you touch robes and graduation gowns especially, is from gabardine fabric. Because of its durability, it’s a common fabric for choir robes as its easy to maintain. We know most choirs don’t bother doing laundry in months because of its ability to dispel stain and liquid. A little spread in the sunlight does the trick!
2. Crepe

Crêpe, or Crepe, or Crape is a synthetic fabric with different types. In the early 1800s, crepe referred to tightly woven, heavily corded fabrics mostly used for coats and trenches. With the advent of technology, however, crepe has graduated into a whole world of fabric possibilities with mixtures of plastic, wool, and cotton, making it one of the most versatile fabrics in the textile industry for different uses, including choir uniforms.
In durability, crepe comes in different textures, qualities, and of course, colours, making it suitable for most uniform styles. There are some as light as linen but with harder textures and feel, and some others are woven twice or thrice, giving buyers options to the level of thickness they would prefer. Styles like knee-length dresses, tops, and skirts would be suitable with the crepe fabric.
3. Challis
For a contemporary choir, challis is an excellent choice of fabric for a Choir uniform. Originally a wool and silk blend, challis fabrics now come in a different combination of cotton and silk, and even synthetic fabrics such as rayon, giving it a smooth, slick, and lightweight feel. Challis fabrics also come plain and patterned, so there’s a wealth of style ideas for choir uniforms.
4. Batik

The Batik fabric, popularly known in Nigeria as Adire is made from plain cotton, linen, and sometimes denim fabrics, that are dyed in the traditional method of tye-and-dye in pits of indigo solution. More recently, this fabric has been gaining renewed momentum as a desirable uniform fabric. So, why not a choir uniform? This is an excellent choice for indigenous choirs who want to connect more with the culture of the motherland. Fun styles to play with include blouses and tops, trousers and skirts, jackets.
5. Ankara

We know you know why we saved this for last. Ankara is the go-to fabric for any “ankoo” (Nigerian way of describing a fabric worn by a group of people, derived from the English phrase, “and Co”) and if you haven’t seen a choir on Ankara, maybe you don’t live in Nigeria. Used amongst all spheres of people, particularly in West Africa, we can say that Ankara is the most versatile fabric for any occasion in this part of the world. What’s more, it’s availability in different qualities for different financial capabilities makes it a hit! And a Choir, trendy
Check out these style ideas for choir uniforms:
