Polyester vs. Polyamide: The Real Difference in Swimwear Fabric (More Technical)
Fabric
23 September 2026
4 min read
If you've ever picked up two bikinis that look almost identical — same print, same cut — and felt an unexplainable difference in how they sit in your hand, you've probably touched two completely different fabric families. In swimwear, that difference usually comes down to one question: is the base yarn polyester or polyamide (nylon)?
boutique buyers sourcing a collection
Almost every swim fabric on the market falls into one of two camps:
Both contain spandex for stretch. Both show up across the industry, from budget beachwear to premium designer swim. But they behave — and feel — quite differently.
Polyamide fabrics have a noticeably softer, silkier hand feel and a fluid drape that hugs the body without looking stiff, in both matte and shiny finishes. It's the fabric behind most higher-end European swimwear lines, and it's a big part of why those pieces read as elegant rather than athletic.
Polyester fabrics tend to have a bit more surface shine and a firmer, more structured feel — great for performance-leaning silhouettes, but less "second skin."
This softness and drape is one of the main reasons polyamide/elastane fabric costs more per meter than polyester/elastane: it simply feels and looks more premium on the body.
Here's the part most buyers never get explained — and it's actually the more interesting story. It's not really about the yarn quality; it's about how the fabric is built.
80/20 polyamide/elastane fabrics are produced on warp knitting machines (tricot or raschel machines). These machines knit with multiple parallel yarn guide bars, which makes it possible to feed elastane in both directions — along the length of the fabric (the wales) and across it (the courses). That's what lets the elastane ratio climb up to 20%, and it's why 80/20 fabrics stretch generously in every direction. This is what the industry calls true 4-way stretch.
90/10 polyester/elastane fabrics, on the other hand, are produced on circular (weft) knitting machines. On these machines, elastane can only be fed in one direction — across the fabric width. There's no lengthwise yarn feed for it. The result: plenty of crosswise stretch, but noticeably less lengthwise give. That's why 90/10 fabrics tend to feel a bit more "fixed" vertically, even though they still move well side to side.
None of this is visible to the eye at first glance — but it's the reason two fabrics that look similar behave so differently on the body, especially in high-movement pieces like swimwear.
For pieces that need to move naturally with the body — sculpting bikini bottoms, one-pieces with real torso shaping, anything designed to feel like a second skin — that extra lengthwise stretch and the softer hand feel of 80/20 polyamide fabric make a real difference.
To be fair, polyester has its own strengths: it generally holds up better against chlorine and sun fading over time, which is why you'll often see it in performance swim and pool-side basics. But for the fit, drape, and elegance swimwear is built around, the extra stretch and softness of polyamide is hard to beat.
It depends on the use. Polyamide has a softer hand feel and a more fluid drape, which is why most fashion swimwear uses it. Polyester generally resists chlorine and sun fading better, so it is common in performance and pool swimwear.
80% polyamide / 20% elastane at 170 g/m², milled in Turkey, OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certified and REACH compliant, in matte (Alesta), shiny (Velena) and neon (Dresden) qualities, plus a selection of ready prints.
Every colour has its own colour fastness values for chlorine, sea water and light. You can find the laboratory test reports in our colour catalog.
Yes. Physical colour cards are sent on request, and you can order samples of any style and colour before bulk production.
Start your collection from 100 pcs per model per colour