Piqué: An Overview of the Textured Fabric
Many people have seen them before: towels or tea towels with an embossed waffle-like pattern – piqué (also written pique or pikee). Unlike terry towelling, there are no loops here to absorb large amounts of water, but rather small “cells” that create a massaging effect. Depending on the size of the cells, the material can look either elegant or rustic.
How It Is Made: How Piqué Is Created
Piqué is a cotton fabric with alternating raised and recessed areas. This creates a textured pattern reminiscent of waffles – which is why piqué is often also called “waffle piqué”. This effect is produced by using not just one warp thread (lengthwise) during weaving, but two, as well as two weft threads (crosswise).
This means that piqué is not a single-layer fabric, but a double weave. Piqué always has a right side and a reverse side, with the right side (face) requiring twice as much material as the reverse side (backing).
There are different types of piqué construction (qualities), which also produce different levels of density:
- True piqué: woven from two warp and two weft threads, giving it the characteristic waffle texture
- Faux piqué: made from only one warp and one weft thread. The weft thread is pushed upwards by the fine warp thread, creating the waffle pattern
Piqué looks quilted, but it is woven. The term comes from French: “piqué” means “quilted”.
Piqué: Light and Summery
In Germany, waffle piqué is less common in the bathroom than terry towelling, but it is ideally suited to drying off, especially in hot weather. Unlike terry towelling, it provides less warmth and is thinner. With its light texture, it moulds itself to the body, creates a massaging effect and absorbs water reliably.
It is no coincidence that towels made from piqué are popular in Mediterranean countries such as France, Italy and Spain. In some cases, the waffle texture is so fine that at first glance the towel does not even look like one. Thanks to the double weave, however, piqué can absorb a great deal of moisture – both after a shower and after a swim in the sea or pool. At the same time, the fibres dry quickly again, so the towel is soon ready to use once more.
Because of their low weight and volume, towels made from piqué are easy to take along and are suitable not only for a day at the beach, but are also widely used in spas.
Caring for Piqué Properly
Pure cotton piqué is durable and easy to care for if a few points are observed. Like all towels, those made from waffle piqué should also be changed regularly. Even those who usually wash at low temperatures for ecological reasons should still wash towels hotter at regular intervals – 60°C is ideal here for killing germs.
Textiles made from piqué can usually be tumble dried without any problem. This is indicated by the square symbol with a circle inside in the care instructions. Only if this symbol is crossed out should the item not be tumble dried.
Because of the special weave, piqué shrinks slightly after the first wash – textiles from the MÖVE PIQUÉE range are therefore slightly larger than stated so that, after the first wash, they reach their actual size.
What Else Is Made from Piqué
Piqué is suitable not only for towels or bath towels, but also for bath mats and lightweight bathrobes – for example, for use in wellness areas. Even tea towels and dishcloths are now available with a waffle piqué texture to clean dishes more effectively and thoroughly.
Many people will also know a very fine piqué texture from polo shirts. Here too, the double weave is used to create a fabric that is particularly robust, yet also light and breathable, while still looking elegant. Piqué is also used in evening wear: the waistcoat worn with white tie, the bib front of the white-tie shirt and the bow tie are likewise made from textured cotton piqué.