Suit Quality - Fused vs. Half Canvas vs. Full Canvas Construction
Fused, Half Canvas or Full Canvas Suit construction? Learn the pros and cons of each as they pertain to making the perfect high quality suit for you.
The perfect suit for you is different than the perfect suit for me. That’s why we offer so many different options when it comes to building your suit exactly the way you want. Among these options are fused, half and full canvas construction. The construction of a suit plays a large role in its quality, how it looks, how long it’s going to last and how it will age with time.
Most of the Name Brands and Large Retailers don’t focus on the construction of their suits. They don’t spend time marketing a high quality build or explaining the construction of their suits to their customers because they are using the absolute cheapest methods of construction, rather they focus on selling you a Brand.
Big Name Brand Suit Companies aren’t fooling you, that’s why you’re here to actually learn about the best suit construction for your money. So let’s jump straight into explaining the pros and cons of each and why one type of construction is better than another.
You may be wondering why the first infographic is of a fully canvassed suit. We’ll get to that in just a moment. We’re going to start off with the type of construction that everyone should be familiar with, fused or glued construction.
Fused Suit Construction (also referred to as Glued Construction)
If you own an off-the-rack suit or are familiar with the discount superstore suit specials then you should be familiar with these types of suits. These are the cheapest suits available and for good reason, they are literally held together with glue. Yeah, they’re cheap, but that doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with owning or wearing a fused suit. A fused suit means that the outside fabric layer is fused (glued) to the inside lining and other construction pieces. The fusing is what provides the jacket its shape. Fused suits however, don’t conform well to the wearer like canvassed suits. The suit may look nice, really nice even, but it won’t feel or drape over your body the same as a high quality canvassed suit would.
So why would anyone buy a fused suit? If you need a suit on a tight budget this is exactly why you would buy a fused suit. Fused suits were created to fill two needs of the market: mass production and low price per unit. Fused suits require less materials, are easy to assemble and therefore cost less to produce. With anything in life there are gives and takes, this lower priced product comes with one disadvantage-quality. Fused suits don’t feel or look as good as a canvassed suit on the same person. If you built the same suit with the same fabric, lining, buttons etc… with the only difference being fused and canvassed, the canvassed suit is noticeably of better quality in fit and feel to the wearer as well as appearance to others. This is because fused suits maintain their shape very well from when they were made, they don’t conform to the wearer.
Other disadvantages to fused suits make themselves known with time. Over time glue is more susceptible to failure than stitching. Ever seen someone wearing a suit that looked like it had air bubbles in it? This is because they were wearing a fused suit that has delaminated in areas. Dry cleaning a fused suit can also cause delamination. Fused suits weren’t designed to last a long time.
Pros:
- Inexpensive when compared to canvassed suit jackets.
- Can have a whole wardrobe of fused suits for the price of one fully canvassed suit.
Cons:
- Look stiff – they don’t conform to your body like canvassed suit jackets.
- Risk of delamination or bubbling in the chest/lapels of your jacket.
So if you’re tight on cash and can accept the downfalls of a fused suit then go ahead and buy one – I own a few and they’ve performed very well for the purposes I bought them for. If you wear a suit less than 10 times a year go ahead and save money with a fused suit.
Half Canvas Suit Construction (Best of Both Worlds, A Good Compromise)
A half canvassed suit features elements of both a fused and fully canvassed suit – The Best of Both Worlds. In terms of price and quality this is the best bargain you’ll find when it comes to suits, a compromise we can get behind. A half canvassed suit jacket has a thin layer of fusing on the front of the jacket and a layer of canvassing from the shoulder down through the chest. The thin layer of fusing provides just enough structure to look good and hold the suit together. While the canvas layer provides all the quality in feel and appearance unique to canvassed suit jackets.
This means that you’re getting the quality of a canvassed suit at a price point between fused and fully canvassed. The canvassing provides a more natural drape and shape on your body where it counts the most-the chest and lapel. The fusing is thinner so it is less stiff and provides a good cost savings. If you want the best bang for your dollar, a half canvassed suit is the way to go.
Pros:
- Better drape and shape in the chest and lapel compared to a fused suit.
- Less expensive than a fully canvassed suit.
Cons:
- More expensive than a fused suit.
- Slightly more stiff than a full canvas suit.
Full Canvas Suit Construction (Crème De La Crème of Suits)
The Best. The crème de la crème of suits. There is no better way to put it, fully canvassed suits are the best of the best. Every custom menswear line likes to toss this fully canvassed term around. A properly hand constructed full-canvassed suit jacket means business, you will be hard pressed to find a better quality suit jacket.
Our full-canvassed suit jackets are hand constructed with canvas fabric that spans the entire inside of the front panel and lapels of the jacket. The canvas acts as the middle layer, the structural layer of the jacket and is sewn in loosely so that it can float freely inside the jacket while you wear it. This results in a high quality suit jacket that drapes over your body shape naturally, adjusting and conforming to your every move. Full-canvassed suits continue to conform to your body every time you wear it and continue to look better each time you wear it.
Full-canvassed suit jackets are the most expensive because they require the most labor and time from a highly skilled tailor to create. In return for the higher price, you’ll get a world-class suit that molds to you and will last a very long time if you take care of it.
Pros:
- Conforms to your body and continues to fit better with time.
- The best jacket structure and body drape available in a suit.
- No delamination or bubbling issues – ever!
Cons:
- Generally the most expensive suit you can buy, but damn it’s worth feeling and looking your best.
You should now understand a little about each type of suit construction, how they differ in material, quality, and price. Armed with this basic knowledge you’ll be ready the next time you need to purchase a new suit.
How Can I Tell if my Suit is Fused, Half or Full Canvas?
We’re glad you asked! First you need to be ready to destroy your suit, are you? Okay, we’ll wait a minute while you go get the scissors… Perfect, you’ve got them! Lift up your jacket so that you can see the inside lining of the front of the jacket. With the scissors in your dominant hand make a small cut at the bottom of the front inside of the jacket and cut to the top of the jacket on the inside trying to keep your cut as clean as possible, don’t cut through to the outside of the front of the jacket. Now you can peek inside and to see if you can find the canvas material layer. Did you find it? Oh well, now you can sew or throw out the jacket you just ruined. PLEASE for the sake of God do not destroy a perfectly good suit just to see if your jacket is canvassed or not – does it really matter that much to you?
There’s no way to know for certain if your jacket is canvassed without cutting it open. However, there is one method called the “pinch test”, but it is in no way definitive or accurate. Pinch your jacket between the button holes with a finger on each side and try to feel for a layer in the middle. If you can feel a distinct third layer “floating” in the middle then your jacket may be canvassed. Even if you don’t feel it you could have a half-canvassed jacket where the canvas material was cut shorter. It really all just depends on how your jacket was made. And then there’s different thickness canvassing materials, thinner canvas can be hard to feel. With all of this we hope that you realize it doesn’t really matter if your current suit jackets are canvassed or not. Wear and enjoy them for what they are. If you want a half-canvas or full-canvas suit then you can always order from us knowing that what you’re receiving is genuine.
So before you buy your next suit, think about these three suit construction options. Remember to ask your menswear store or tailor what the construction is. If they don’t know, can’t tell you, or seem like they’re trying to hide something from you, they shouldn’t be in this business.
How Are Your Made to Measure Custom Suits Constructed?
With the highest attention to detail and quality in mind. All of our men’s garments are custom made to your exact body and order specifications. We offer all three levels of suit construction types so that you can choose what fits your budget and level of quality the best. We hand craft fused, half-canvas and full-canvas custom made to measure suits. With years of testing and honing our quality custom menswear we know you’ll love us – so think of us the next time you need a suit or tuxedo.
How Are Your Fused, Half Canvas and Full Canvas Suits So Inexpensive Compared to Brand Name Ones?
We’re able to provide a higher quality product at a lower price than our traditional retail store competitors because we have very little overhead. We don’t have a storefront or traditional inventory to maintain since every garment is hand made on a per order basis. This allows us to focus solely on the production and quality of each and every garment we make. It’s time you ditched the retail stores and saved up to 70%!
While our name Fraternity Suits implies that we cater to fraternity men, we cater our custom menswear to all men. When you get measured, select all the different customization options that make your suit unique, and wear your custom suit for the first time you are really joining an elite group of men – welcome to our fraternity, Fraternity Suits.
Join the menswear revolution. Become a Fraternity Suits customer today!
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