What are the types of buttons & are there ways to join fabric together?

This article will discuss types of buttons such as the plastic button which is also called the "resin" button, mother of pearl, nacre, horn, bone, wood, coconut, walnut, iron, copper, jewelry, silver, gold, fabric, glass, and crystal. The article contains some tips and tricks on the most suitable button and which ones to avoid. The second topic that we will talk about are ways to combine or join two pieces of fabric together without the use of buttons, namely: velcro (the hook and loop), magnet, zipper, pin or needle, snap button, elastic tape, and finally the mesh hook eye. We will also talk about some benefits of each and mention the harms of each one according to our tailor experience in sewing men's clothing.

All kinds of buttons mentioned can be used for the dishdasha these days. Some button types have advantages and others have disadvantages according to our sewing experience within the men’s tailor shop. The buttons made of mother of pearl or nacre have a sweet luster and shine, however its price is ten times more expensive than the norresin mal button. In addition, you need to order it from outside Kuwait to use it for clothes making it a supply chain issue. One of its issues is that the mother of pearl buttons are sensitive to a heating iron and it breaks easily from high heat especially if you put it in the washing machine or dryer. Buttons made of wood material, such as paper buttons or coconuts, have a natural texture. Unfortunately these buttons leave a mark on the fabric over time when you're washing your clothes and the color slowly fades away. The preferred button type for us is the button made of horn or bone because it is strong and it withstands high heat and pressure based on our tailoring experiments. The look is cool and its shape is luxurious, sadly its colors are limited and its price is more expensive than usual especially in the fabric market.

There are a world of options for plastic buttons with many different colors, patterns, thicknesses and types in the global market, most of them come from China. The size and thickness of buttons makes a huge impact on the buttonhole and the look of the clothing. Today we notice a large number of people prefer to use the "snap" button because its price is low and there is more than one way to install it on clothes which operates by pressing on it for a while to hold firmly together. A button that is made of metals such as copper or iron has a high weight. These buttons attract fashion designers due to its feel and its durability, but most metallic buttons face issues when you're washing the clothes. The metal snap buttons are apparently a solid idea and can withstand such extreme conditions. You can find some rich people wearing a button made of silver or gold, some even install precious jewelry inside to showcase their wealth. If you look at history, you will realize that people 400 years ago wore a tie to hide their button because they are simple and do not possess the amount of money to buy silver or gold buttons with precious stones.

There are modern devices such as a manual button press that places a piece of fabric onto a button for a better look. The fabric button has a nice shape or look for the clothes, however with time the fabric might get loose or become a concern as replacing it becomes time consuming if you do not have extra fabric to substitute in its place. I do not recommend using any type of glass or crystal buttons because it breaks easily. As for the ways to join two pieces of fabric together, we will talk about the most important type, which is Velcro. Velcro or “hook and loop” is mainly used in military clothing, the overall technique depends on a part called the "hook", which is composed of thin hairs such as small hooks. The second component is called the "loop" and consists of a set of bristles where the "hook" clings on to it. Velcro is a brand name and it has a rough texture, we usually see velcro being used in technical applications. The magnet mechanism works on the magnetic attraction principle, the magnetic system attracts two metallic opposite poles together, thus bringing the two parts together. The zipper is a simple mechanism that works by combining two parts of the fabric with each other by pulling a zipper handle from the start to the end, to separate the two pieces you must do the opposite. The pin or needle connection is used for decoration and luxurious clothing, we also see it on the Emirati Kandora.

The snap button works by applying pressure on one side to insert the male connection within the female connection to join and it opens by pulling them away from each other or by loosening the connection via some other means. We see the snap button used in all types of clothes today especially for the dishdashas worn today since it's easy to use. The elastic band is used in clothes for people with special needs, disabled people, or the elderly - it's placed at the waist or within the sleeves, sometimes it's hidden in other places to simplify removing or wearing clothes. The eye hook is a somewhat new system that is inserted inside the waist of pants and is sometimes an alternative to the pants button. If you purchase a low quality type or install it improperly, it opens easily with time or it loosens and falls apart with frequent pulling. In conclusion, there are a lot of ways to combine fabrics with each other and we talked about a few methods or ways to do so, and we mentioned what types of buttons are available in the tailor market. I hope this simple article will benefit you by choosing the right button to design clothes and to understand the ways to sew clothes based on your needs. Lastly, always remember to communicate with an expert tailor on technical information if needed.