Suitable
What is piqué?
Piqué is the technique that creates the characteristic relief you know from a polo shirt: a fine pattern of small raised areas, usually in the shape of a honeycomb or waffle. That relief is not just decorative. It holds the fabric a fraction away from your skin, which lets air through and makes the shirt less likely to stick.
What kind of fabric is piqué?
Piqué is not a material but a technique, and it comes in two variants. There is a woven piqué, where the relief is created by varying weft and warp threads, and there is a knitted piqué. The polo shirt as we know it is almost always the knitted variant; woven piqué you mainly encounter in formal clothing, such as the waistcoat and shirt that go with a tailcoat suit. Cotton is usually used as the raw material, sometimes supplemented with polyester or a blend of fibres.
Advantages and disadvantages of piqué
Piqué is lightweight and breathable, which is exactly why it is used for sports and summer clothing such as polo shirts, chino trousers and casual shirts. It is also hard-wearing and keeps its shape well, even after intensive use and many washes. The subtle relief looks elegant and timeless. On the other hand, the structure feels somewhat firmer than a smooth knitted shirt, which not everyone finds pleasant on the skin. Piqué is also prone to creasing, so sometimes a quick iron or steam is needed. And because of that same airiness, it is not a fabric for the colder months.