What Is Piqué Fabric?
Piqué, also written pique, is a knit fabric with a raised, textured surface — a fine waffle or honeycomb pattern you can see and feel. It is the classic polo shirt cloth, and the texture is not decoration: it is what makes a polo breathable, structured and forgiving of creases in a way a flat knit is not.
It is pronounced pee-KAY, with the stress on the second syllable. The word is French, from piquer, to prick or quilt, describing the pricked-looking surface. You will see it written both piqué fabric and pique fabric, with the accent and without; they are the same cloth, and the accent is usually the first casualty of a supplier's keyboard.
How the texture is made
Piqué is knitted, not embossed. The raised pattern comes from the stitch structure itself: certain needles are held out of action on selected rows so that some loops are drawn longer than others, and those longer loops stand proud of the surface in a repeating geometric grid. Because the texture is knitted in, it cannot wash out or press flat, which is the difference between piqué and a fabric that has merely been finished to look textured.
Why polos are made from it
Three properties, and they all follow from the same texture.
- Breathability. The raised pattern holds the cloth slightly off the skin, so air moves between the two. This is why piqué became the tennis shirt fabric in the 1920s and 30s rather than a flat knit.
- Structure. The thicker, more stable construction holds a collar upright and keeps a placket flat, which is most of what separates a polo that looks smart from one that looks slept in.
- It hides creasing. A textured, matte surface breaks up light. Flat jersey shows every fold; piqué does not, which matters for anything worn in a workplace or packed in a bag.
Piqué vs jersey for a polo
| Piqué | Jersey | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Raised waffle or honeycomb texture | Smooth and flat |
| Look | Classic, matte, traditional polo | Modern, casual, closer to a t-shirt |
| Structure | Holds collar and placket shape | Softer, drapes more |
| Breathability | Higher, texture lifts cloth off skin | Lower, sits against the skin |
| Shows creases | Less, texture breaks up light | More |
| Softness next to skin | Slightly textured | Softer and smoother |
| Suits | Corporate, hospitality, classic retail polos | Fashion polos, relaxed premium basics |
Interlock sits between the two: smooth like jersey on both faces, but heavier and more stable, so it holds shape without the visible texture. It is a common choice for performance polos where a printed or sublimated finish needs a flat surface.
The variants you will be quoted
- Honeycomb or waffle piqué — the standard, with a visible cellular grid.
- Birdseye piqué — a finer, denser dotted texture, often in two colours of yarn.
- Double pique — a heavier double-knit version with more body, and no curling at cut edges.
- Micro piqué — a very fine texture, usually in polyester for performance polos, which looks almost smooth at arm's length.
- Slub piqué — knitted from irregular slub yarn for a deliberately uneven, vintage surface.
Weight, and what it does
Cotton pique polos generally sit heavier than t-shirts because the construction is thicker at the same yarn count. Most land between roughly 180 and 220 GSM, with heavier double piqué running higher. Lighter than about 170 and the collar struggles to stand; much heavier and the garment stops being comfortable in the heat it was designed for.
The other half of a polo's weight problem is the collar, and it is where cheap polos fail first. A collar knitted separately to a firmer gauge, rather than cut from body fabric, is what keeps it upright after twenty washes. If a quote does not say how the collar is made, ask, because it is the part your customer will judge.
One point of confusion worth clearing
There is also a woven piqué, sometimes called marcella, used for the bib fronts of dress shirts and for bow ties. It is a different fabric made by a different process on a different machine, and it shares only the name and the raised look. When a garment factory says piqué without qualifying it, they mean the knitted kind, which is what polos are made from.
What a factory needs from you
"Piqué" narrows it to a family and leaves the decisions open. What we ask for: the weight in GSM, the composition including any elastane, which piqué — honeycomb, birdseye, double or micro — how the collar and cuffs are to be made, and a reference polo whose feel and collar you already like. As with every other knit, the reference garment settles more than the numbers do.
We knit and sew piqué every week at our own floor in Narayanganj, from a 100-piece minimum per style. If you are working on polo shirts or uniforms, send the polo you want to beat and we will match the cloth and the collar rather than guess at them.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce piqué?
Pee-KAY, with the stress on the second syllable, following the French. It is not pronounced peek or pick. The word comes from the French piquer, meaning to prick or to quilt, which describes the pricked-looking raised surface of the cloth. You will see it spelled both piqué and pique in supplier correspondence, because the accent is usually the first casualty of a keyboard; they mean the same fabric and nobody in the trade will think twice about either spelling.
What is piqué fabric used for?
Overwhelmingly polo shirts, which is what most people mean when they ask. Beyond that, knitted piqué turns up in school and corporate uniforms, hospitality wear, some structured dresses and skirts, and children's clothing where a little body helps a garment keep its shape through washing. There is also a woven piqué, called marcella, used for the bib fronts of formal dress shirts and for bow ties, but that is a different fabric made on a different machine and shares only the name and the raised appearance.
Is piqué better than jersey for a polo?
Not better, different, and the choice should follow the garment's job. Piqué has a raised waffle texture that holds the cloth off the skin, so it breathes more, holds a collar and placket upright, and hides creasing because the texture breaks up light. That makes it right for corporate, hospitality and classic retail polos that must still look smart at the end of a day. Jersey is smooth and flat, softer against the skin and drapier, which reads modern and casual and feels closer to a very good t-shirt. Choose piqué for smartness and structure, jersey for softness and drape.
What GSM should a polo shirt be?
Most cotton piqué polos sit between about 180 and 220 GSM, heavier than a t-shirt because the piqué construction is thicker at the same yarn count. Below roughly 170 GSM the collar struggles to stand up, which is the single most visible failure in a cheap polo. Heavier double piqué runs above 220 and gives more body, at the cost of comfort in heat, which matters if the polo is going to be worn all day in a warm climate. Weight is only half the answer though: how the collar is made matters at least as much.
Does piqué shrink or lose its shape?
Cotton piqué shrinks like any cotton knit unless the fabric has been compacted before cutting, so ask what finishing it has had and confirm residual shrinkage with a wash test on your own sample before bulk. Shape loss is usually a collar problem rather than a fabric problem. A collar knitted separately to a firmer gauge holds up over repeated washing; a collar cut from body fabric goes soft and curls, and it does so within a few months. If a quote does not specify how the collar is constructed, that is the question to ask before price.
What is double piqué?
A heavier, double-knit version of piqué, knitted on two sets of needles rather than one. It has more body and more stability than standard single piqué, does not curl at cut edges, and gives a more substantial, structured polo. It costs more because it takes roughly twice the knitting and uses more yarn per square metre. It suits polos that need to look formal or survive industrial laundering, such as hospitality and uniform work, and is usually more than a fashion polo needs.
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