Craft & materials Flame-cut or selvedge: which woven label belongs on your garment 2026-11-10 Craft & materials 5 min read Both are woven labels. Both carry your logo. The difference is the edge — and the edge sets the price, the hand feel and the product tier the label can credibly sit on. Start with the edge, not the logo A woven label is a narrow piece of jacquard fabric. Once the logo is woven, the label still has to be separated from the loom and finished, and that finishing step is what separates the two constructions we run most often. Flame-cut woven labels The label is cut to shape and the edges are fused, so the weave does not unravel. Thermal cutting leaves a slightly stiff edge; ultrasonic cutting gives a smoother one. Output is high, cost is low and colour reproduction is rich, which is why flame-cut is the default for volume apparel and bag programmes. Selvedge woven labels A selvedge label is woven to the exact width in a single pass, so the edge finishes itself as a smooth, flat hem — no fraying, no hard edge, a soft yet structured hand. Production is slower and the cost per piece is higher, which is exactly why it reads as premium on luxury apparel and fine home textiles. How the choice plays out in production Volume and price pressure: flame-cut, because the per-piece cost stays low at high output. Skin contact and softness: selvedge, because there is no fused hard edge against the wearer. Complex shapes and badges: woven badges and laser-cut forms extend the woven label into decoration. Colour depth: both handle fine detail; flame-cut tends to allow richer colour at a lower cost. A label that itches is a label the customer notices for the wrong reason. If the garment sits against skin, pay for the edge. Two more constructions worth knowing Woven badges take the same weaving technique into a shaped, stiffened badge that works as decoration as much as identification. Laser stamps add a luster and a three-dimensional read, with colour that shifts as the light moves — useful when the trim itself has to feel like an object. What to send with the enquiry For an accurate quote we need the artwork, the finished size, the intended product, the quantity and the care regime the garment will face. If the label will be washed at high temperature or dry-cleaned, say so at the sampling stage: it changes the thread and the base fabric, not just the edge. A three-day sample exists for exactly this decision. Ask for one flame-cut and one selvedge sample of the same artwork, put both on the garment, and the choice usually makes itself.
