Laser Cutting: Edges, Shapes and Synthetic Fabrics

Laser cutting runs in our own plants, in the same building as bonding and sewing, and the machine does two things in one pass: it cuts the shape and it seals the edge it makes. The cut edge is closed by the cut itself, so on a synthetic fabric no overlocking and no binding are needed. The minimum is 100 pieces per style per colour, with sizes mixed inside a colour, sampling takes 3–7 days and bulk runs 15–25 days after approval and deposit.

What a Sealed Edge Changes About the Garment

An edge that needs no finish changes what the garment can do. There is no overlock ridge and no binding tape, so the edge sits flat and adds no bulk, which is why a laser-cut raw edge is used as a design feature on plackets, pockets, hems and vents, and why laser-cut pocket welts and vents give sealed openings with no fraying on synthetics. On a light shell or a bonded style, laser-cut vents keep the garment below the weight a sewn equivalent would reach.

It also changes what happens after washing. A raw edge that would normally need a finishing operation behind it holds its outline without one, because the edge was closed as it was cut. That is the point of the process and also its limit: the effect comes from the fibre, and our own description is that laser cutting is used mainly on synthetic fabric, where the cutting action seals the edge it makes. The same constructions appear across our bonded and seamless range.

Where Laser Cutting Sits Next to Knife Cutting

Not every part of a garment goes to the laser. Standard panels are cut on the computerized cutting machine, and a four-column hydraulic cutting press is used where a press is required; the laser is reserved for parts where the shape carries the design or the edge has to be sealed. In practice the body and sleeve panels of a basic style are knife-cut, while a shaped armhole, a curved neckline, a pocket welt or a vent goes to the laser.

The split is worth stating in a brief, because it decides which parts need their own pattern file and which do not. It also decides where approval sits. Knife-cut panels are checked on the cutting table against the marker; laser-cut parts are approved on the sample, where the edge can be felt and the outline can be measured. Stitchless builds such as our seamless polo programme use these parts as construction rather than only as a design detail.

The Shapes It Is Used For

Laser cutting is asked for on a small number of part types, and each one asks for something different from the fabric. The table sets out what each type needs from the cloth and what has to be fixed on paper before the machine runs.

Legging openings and the armholes of base layers are the natural candidates, because a sealed edge there removes a seam that would otherwise sit against skin; the same parts are illustrated in our yoga and activewear references. Where a fabric is not suited to the process, the part goes back to knife cutting and the edge is finished another way.

Proving the Edge on Your Own Fabric

Cut parameters are set for the specific fabric and thickness, logged in the production manual, and not guessed; they are set again when the fabric lot changes. That is why a laser-cut part cannot be approved from a description, or from a similar style in a similar cloth. The trial is run on your fabric, at your thickness, in your colour, and the edge is judged by hand, because whether it reads soft or firm against skin comes from the fibre and only the sample answers that.

The composition question comes before the trial. Laser cutting here is used mainly on synthetic fabric, where the cut seals the edge and no fraying follows, and not every fabric suits the process; a cotton or a blend has to be checked on its own rather than assumed from the last programme. Weight and composition are worth settling at the same time as the shape, and our fabric GSM calculator helps confirm what the cloth actually is before the brief goes out.

What the Paper Pattern Has to Fix First

Because the cut edge is the finished edge, the pattern has to be final before the first panel is cut. Dart positions, seam lines and the position of every opening or cut-out are settled at paper stage, and the pattern, size chart and measurement spec are signed by both sides before anything is cut. Moving a pocket opening or a vent after cutting does not mean adjusting a seam at the machine; it means recutting the panel.

The same logic runs through sizing. A graded size set has to be confirmed with the laser-cut parts in place, since an opening that reads well on a medium can look cramped on the smallest size and lose its proportion on the largest. Once the pattern is released, cut parameters are logged per style, so a repeat order is cut the same way as the first run rather than re-interpreted.

Sending Laser-Cut Parts to Quote

Tell us which parts should be laser cut, what the edge is for, whether that is a finished hem, a vent, a pocket opening or a panel going into a bonded seam, and add the fabric name, weight and composition, the quantity per colour and the size range. A marked pattern or a reference garment is enough to start from. We confirm the fabric is suited before the part is quoted, and we say so if it is not. Trade terms are EXW, FOB Shenzhen or Yantian, or DDP.

Other processes on the same floor: the manufacturing overview, bonding and seam sealing, heat transfer printing.

Frequently asked questions

Which fabrics can be laser cut?

Laser cutting is used mainly on synthetic fabric, where the cutting action seals the edge it makes and no fraying follows. Not every fabric suits the process, so composition is checked before a part is quoted rather than assumed from a previous programme, and a cotton or a blend is proven on its own. The trial is run on your cloth, at your thickness, in your colour, and the edge is judged by hand on a sample, because whether it reads soft or firm comes from the fibre.

Does a laser-cut edge need overlocking or binding?

No. The laser cuts and seals in one pass, so the edge is closed as it is made and no overlocking or binding is applied behind it. The edge sits flat and adds no bulk, which is why it is used as a design feature on plackets, pockets, hems and vents, and why laser-cut pocket welts and vents give sealed openings with no fraying on synthetics. On light shells it also keeps the garment below the weight a sewn equivalent would reach.

Can laser cutting replace knife cutting for a whole garment?

It does not, and it is not meant to. Body and sleeve panels are cut on the computerized cutting machine, and the laser is reserved for parts where the shape carries the design or the edge has to be sealed, such as a shaped armhole, a curved neckline, a pocket welt or a vent. Splitting the work that way also splits the approval: knife-cut panels are checked against the marker, while laser-cut parts are approved on the sample.

What has to be decided before the pattern is cut?

The cut edge is the finished edge, so the pattern has to be final first. Dart positions, seam lines and the position of every opening or cut-out are settled at paper stage, and the pattern, size chart and measurement spec are signed by both sides before cutting starts. A pocket opening moved after cutting is not an adjustment at the machine, it is a recut panel. The graded size set is confirmed with the laser-cut parts in place.

How does laser cutting work with bonded seams?

The two processes are used together. Panels are laser cut to sealed edges and then joined with adhesive film, so the edge going into the bond is already closed and there is no overlock or binding to interfere with the join. Laser-cut raw edges are also used on their own as a finish on plackets, hems and vents in bonded styles. Bonded programmes start at 200 pieces per style per colour rather than the 100 pieces a standard cut-and-sew style carries.