What Is Brocade Fabric? Types, Uses & Styling Guide (2026) | Fabriculture Inc.

What is brocade fabric?

Quick Answer. Brocade fabric is a richly decorative woven textile characterised by raised, ornamental patterns woven directly into the fabric — not embroidered on top. It is traditionally made from silk, though modern versions use cotton, polyester, or metallic threads. Brocade is prized for its visual depth, structured body, and historic luxury status across cultures worldwide.

Brocade Fabric: Key Takeaways

• Brocade is a woven fabric, not embroidered — its raised patterns are created by supplementary weft threads interlaced into the base weave during production.
• Silk brocade is the most prized variety, with Banarasi silk brocade from Varanasi, India, considered among the finest in the world.
• Modern brocade can be made from silk, cotton, polyester, metallic threads, or blended fibres — making it far more accessible than its historic reputation suggests.
• Brocade is not the same as jacquard — jacquard refers to the loom mechanism used to create complex weaves, while brocade is a specific type of figured fabric created using that mechanism.
• Brocade is challenging to sew due to its thickness, tendency to fray, and rigid structure — intermediate to advanced sewing experience is recommended.
• Brocade is best suited to structured garments and home décor applications — it does not drape as fluidly as silk charmeuse or chiffon.
• Care requires attention — most brocades should be dry cleaned or very gently hand washed in cool water; heat and agitation damage the raised pattern.
• Brocade is rarely suitable for hot-weather wear — its density and structure make it better suited to cooler seasons and formal occasions.
• The raised pattern on genuine brocade has visible thread floats on the reverse side — a key identification feature distinguishing it from printed or embossed imitations.
• Brocade has a global heritage spanning ancient China, Byzantium, Mughal India, and Renaissance Europe — making it one of textiles' most historically significant fabrics.

Brocade Fabric: An Overview

Few fabrics command attention the way brocade does. Walk into any bridal boutique, heritage museum, or high-end interior showroom, and you will almost certainly find brocade — its raised patterns, metallic shimmer, and richly layered surface announcing its presence with quiet authority.

Brocade has adorned emperors, furnished palaces, and graced the shoulders of royalty for more than two thousand years. Yet today it is also found in contemporary fashion collections, independent boutiques, and the fabric stashes of skilled home sewists worldwide.

Whether you are designing a bridal lehenga, upholstering a statement armchair, or simply trying to understand what distinguishes brocade from jacquard or damask, this guide covers everything you need to know.

From the looms of ancient China and the silk-weavers of Varanasi to the modern textile ateliers producing innovative brocades today — let's explore brocade fabric in full.

What Is Brocade Fabric?

Brocade is a class of richly decorative, shuttle-woven fabric characterised by raised ornamental designs — typically floral, geometric, or figurative patterns — that appear to stand out from the ground fabric, creating a distinctive textured, three-dimensional appearance.

The patterns in brocade are not embroidered, appliquéd, or printed. They are woven directly into the fabric using supplementary weft threads — additional threads that weave over and under the base warp threads in specific sequences to create the raised design. This structural integration gives brocade its characteristic visual depth and physical texture.

Traditionally, brocade was woven from silk — the most prestigious fibre available — often incorporating gold or silver metallic threads (called zari in South Asian textile traditions) to create the shimmering, opulent effects associated with royal and ceremonial garments. The word "brocade" itself derives from the Italian broccato and Spanish brocado, both meaning "embossed cloth."

Today, brocade is produced in a wide range of fibre combinations. While pure silk brocade remains the gold standard, modern versions incorporate cotton, polyester, viscose, and metallic threads — broadening brocade's accessibility without diminishing its visual impact.

Brocade's defining characteristics:

• Raised, ornamental woven patterns (not printed or embroidered)
• Visible thread floats on the reverse side
• Structured, substantial body
• Natural lustre, particularly in silk varieties
• Complex, detailed surface design

History of Brocade Fabric

The history of brocade is, in many ways, the history of luxury itself — woven through the courts, cathedrals, and trading routes that shaped the ancient and medieval world.

Ancient China

Brocade's origins lie in ancient China, where silk weaving reached extraordinary levels of technical sophistication during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE). Chinese weavers developed complex figured weaves that incorporated multiple colours and raised patterns, creating textiles of breathtaking intricacy. These early brocades were so valuable that they served as diplomatic gifts and currency in international trade.

The most celebrated historical Chinese brocades come from the city of Suzhou — known for its Song brocade — and Sichuan, famed for its Shu brocade, one of the three great historical brocade traditions of China (alongside Nanjing's Yun brocade).

Byzantium and the Silk Road

As silk and its weaving secrets travelled westward along the Silk Road, the Byzantine Empire (the eastern successor to Rome) became the next great centre of brocade production. Byzantine brocades incorporated elaborate Christian iconography — angels, saints, and imperial eagles — woven in silk and gold thread. These textiles were prized throughout Europe and the Islamic world, functioning as instruments of political and religious prestige.

Byzantine weavers are also credited with introducing brocade's characteristic use of metallic gold thread as a design element, a tradition that would define the fabric's luxury associations for centuries to come.

India and Banarasi Brocade

On the Indian subcontinent, brocade weaving reached its most refined expression in the workshops of Varanasi (also known as Banaras or Benares) in Uttar Pradesh. Banarasi brocade — woven from fine silk with intricate zari (gold and silver metallic thread) patterns — became synonymous with Mughal-era royal patronage, peaking in sophistication and demand during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Banarasi brocade sarees and dress fabrics remain among the most coveted textiles in South Asia, woven by hand on traditional pit looms by families who have practised the craft for generations. The craft received UNESCO recognition when Banarasi sarees were included on the Geographical Indication (GI) protected list of India.

European Brocade

During the Renaissance, Italy became the centre of European brocade production. Weavers in Genoa, Venice, Florence, and Lyon (France) produced some of the finest brocades ever created — richly patterned silks incorporating pomegranate motifs, scrolling vines, and mythological figures in silk and metallic thread. These fabrics dressed the Catholic Church and the nobility of Europe, appearing in portraits by Old Masters and adorning the interiors of the continent's greatest palaces and cathedrals.

The invention of the Jacquard loom in 1804 by Joseph Marie Jacquard revolutionised brocade production. This mechanical loom — which used a system of punched cards to control individual warp threads — could produce complex figured patterns far more efficiently than hand-operated draw looms, making decorative woven fabrics more accessible and dramatically expanding production capacity.

Modern Brocade

Today, brocade is produced worldwide using computerised Jacquard looms that can replicate traditional patterns with extraordinary precision or generate entirely new designs. India, China, South Korea, Italy, and France remain leading producers. While power-loom production has made brocade more affordable, hand-woven Banarasi and traditional Chinese brocades continue to command premium prices and represent the living pinnacle of the craft.

How Is Brocade Fabric Made?

Brocade is created through a sophisticated weaving process that sets it apart from simpler plain or twill weaves. Understanding the production process explains both the fabric's beauty and its relative cost.

For a broader introduction to fabric production across all textile types, see our guide: How Is Fabric Made? A Beginner's Guide to Fabrics.

Step 1: Yarn Preparation

Brocade production begins with the preparation of the yarns. The ground yarns — which form the base fabric — are typically silk, cotton, or a polyester blend. The supplementary weft yarns — which create the raised design — may be silk in a contrasting colour, metallic thread (zari), or a combination of both. Yarns are dyed before weaving in multi-colour brocades.

Step 2: Setting Up the Jacquard Loom

Modern brocade is woven on a Jacquard loom — either a mechanical version (using punched cards in traditional workshops) or a computerised digital Jacquard loom (standard in contemporary production). The Jacquard mechanism controls each individual warp thread independently, allowing complex figured patterns to be woven row by row across the full fabric width.

The pattern is first designed — either by hand-drawn cartoon in traditional workshops or digitally in modern production — and translated into the loom's programming.

Step 3: Weaving the Ground Fabric

The base weave — typically a satin, twill, or plain weave — is established first. This forms the "ground" of the brocade: the background colour and structure against which the raised pattern will appear.

Step 4: Interlacing Supplementary Wefts

As weaving progresses, the Jacquard mechanism lifts specific warp threads at programmed intervals, allowing supplementary weft threads to pass over the ground fabric in designated areas. These extra threads are bound into the weave at the pattern's edges but float freely across the surface within the design, creating the characteristic raised appearance.

In traditional zari brocade, the metallic thread is wound around a silk or cotton core yarn before weaving — giving it both flexibility and a brilliant reflective surface.

Step 5: Finishing

Once woven, brocade fabric undergoes finishing processes including washing (to remove weaving lubricants), pressing, and sometimes stiffening or calendering to enhance the fabric's body and sheen. Metallic brocades receive careful handling to preserve the lustre and integrity of the metallic threads.

Types of Brocade Fabric

Brocade is not a single uniform textile — it encompasses a broad family of woven fabrics differing in fibre content, pattern style, thread type, and cultural origin. Here are the six primary types every fabric buyer should know.

Silk Brocade

• Characteristics: The most refined and historically prestigious brocade variety. Woven from pure silk ground and supplementary silk or metallic threads. Features a natural, luminous sheen and smooth, elegant surface beneath the raised design. Relatively lightweight for a brocade but still substantially structured.
• Texture: Smooth silk ground; slightly raised, firm pattern areas with subtle reflective quality.
• Common Uses: Bridal wear, evening gowns, formal dress, traditional ceremonial garments, haute couture.
• Sewing Suitability: ⭐⭐ Challenging — the combination of silk's slippery nature and brocade's pattern alignment requirements demands intermediate-to-advanced technique.

Cotton Brocade

• Characteristics: A more accessible, breathable, and affordable variety of brocade woven with cotton yarns. Less lustrous than silk brocade but has a pleasant matte texture and softer hand. More forgiving to care for than silk or metallic varieties.
• Texture: Slightly rough to the touch; raised patterns have a crisp, defined appearance; naturally less shiny than silk versions.
• Common Uses: Everyday occasion wear, ethnic fashion, home furnishings, cushion covers, craft projects, upholstery accents.
• Sewing Suitability: ⭐⭐⭐ Intermediate — more stable and easier to handle than silk brocade; still requires attention to pattern matching and fraying.

Metallic Brocade

• Characteristics: Brocade woven with metallic threads — gold, silver, copper, or multi-colour — creating a highly reflective, glamorous surface. Often woven on a silk or polyester ground. The metallic threads are typically zari (real gold/silver-coated threads in traditional production) or Lurex (a metallic-coated polyester yarn in modern production).
• Texture: Stiff and heavy; metallic threads create a bold textural contrast with the ground fabric. Can feel slightly scratchy against bare skin.
• Common Uses: Festive and celebration wear, bridal occasion garments, evening bags and accessories, decorative home accents, stage and theatrical costumes.
• Sewing Suitability: ⭐⭐ Challenging — metallic threads are prone to breaking; requires fine needles, reduced machine speed, and careful pressing with a pressing cloth.

Banarasi Brocade

• Characteristics: The jewel of India's brocade tradition, woven in the workshops of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Banarasi brocade is traditionally produced on handlooms using fine silk yarns with pure gold or silver zari thread, creating intricate floral, paisley (buteh), and vine scroll (jaal) patterns. Authentically handwoven Banarasi brocade is among the finest and most expensive textiles produced anywhere in the world.
• Texture: Luxuriously heavy and rich; the zari creates brilliant metallic shimmer against the fine silk ground; the woven motifs have distinctive depth and precision.
• Common Uses: Bridal sarees (particularly for Hindu, Muslim, and Jain wedding ceremonies), lehengas, dupattas, formal kurtas, luxury dress fabric for special occasions.
• Sewing Suitability: ⭐⭐ Challenging — extremely precious; requires careful handling, pattern planning, and professional finishing; often taken to specialist tailors rather than home-sewn.

Note: Authentic Banarasi brocade carries a Geographical Indication (GI) tag confirming its Varanasi origin. Imitation "Banarasi-style" fabrics are widely available at lower price points — the GI tag is the assurance of authenticity for buyers in India.

Floral Brocade

• Characteristics: A pattern classification rather than a fibre-specific category — floral brocade refers to brocade fabrics featuring botanical motifs: flowers, leaves, vines, and garden scenes. Can be woven in silk, cotton, polyester, or metallic thread. This is the most widely recognised and commercially popular brocade pattern style globally.
• Texture: Varies by fibre content; floral motifs typically stand out clearly against a satin or plain ground, creating the characteristic three-dimensional relief effect.
• Common Uses: Dresses, blouses, jackets, cushion covers, curtains, upholstery, bridal accessories.
• Sewing Suitability: ⭐⭐⭐ Intermediate — pattern matching at seams is essential for professional results; motif placement on garment pieces requires planning.

Contemporary Brocade

• Characteristics: Modern brocade produced using digital Jacquard technology on polyester, viscose, or blended fibre grounds. Designed to make brocade's visual richness more accessible in terms of price, wash care, and sewing ease. Contemporary brocades often feature abstract geometric patterns, oversized graphic motifs, or colour combinations not achievable with traditional weaving methods.
• Texture: Ranges from relatively lightweight and semi-flexible (polyester contemporary brocade) to heavier structured varieties; generally less stiff than traditional silk or metallic brocade.
• Common Uses: Fashion-forward garments, statement blazers, structured skirts, cocktail dresses, accent cushions, modern interior design.
• Sewing Suitability: ⭐⭐⭐ Intermediate — more forgiving than silk or metallic brocades; polyester-base varieties are easier to care for and handle but still require sharp needles and careful seam finishing.

Properties of Brocade Fabric

Advantages and Disadvantages of Brocade Fabric

Common Uses of Brocade Fabric

Brocade's combination of visual grandeur and structural body makes it a natural fit for applications where impact and presence are the priority.

Bridal and Wedding Wear

Brocade is perhaps most globally recognised as a bridal fabric. From Banarasi silk brocade sarees and lehengas in Indian wedding ceremonies to silk brocade gowns in Western bridal fashion and embroidered brocade in Chinese qipao and Japanese obi sashes, the fabric's ceremonial associations span cultures. The raised pattern and metallic shimmer create an inherently celebratory aesthetic that photographs beautifully.

Occasion and Formal Wear

Beyond bridal, brocade is a natural choice for any occasion demanding visual impact: evening gowns, cocktail dresses, formal blazers, and occasion jackets. A well-cut brocade blazer styled with simple trousers is one of fashion's most enduring smart-formal solutions. Brocade structured skirts paired with a minimal blouse balance pattern impact with modern restraint.

Traditional and Cultural Garments

Brocade plays a central role in the traditional dress of cultures across the world. In India: sarees, lehengas, dupattas. In China: cheongsam (qipao) and ceremonial robes. In West Africa: elaborate brocade boubous and grand occasions attire. In Japan: obi sashes. In the Middle East: formal thobes and jalabiya. Each tradition has developed distinct brocade weaving conventions reflecting local aesthetics and cultural values.

Jackets and Blazers

Structured outerwear in brocade fabric is one of contemporary fashion's most versatile luxury statements. A single-button brocade blazer in a neutral metallic colourway transitions from business formal to evening occasion effortlessly, requiring minimal styling to achieve a polished result.

Home Décor and Upholstery

Brocade's durability and visual richness make it an excellent choice for home interiors. It is widely used for upholstery on occasional chairs, ottomans, and headboards; for decorative cushion covers; for ornate curtain panels and pelmets; and for table runners, placemats, and wall hangings. The fabric's body allows it to hold its shape in these structured applications without requiring heavy interfacing.

Accessories

Small-scale brocade applications include evening bags and clutches, headbands and hair accessories, shoe uppers (particularly in formal and bridal footwear), and decorative book covers or journal bindings.

How to Style Brocade Fabric?

Brocade is a statement fabric. The fundamental rule of styling it well is this: let the fabric lead, and let everything else follow.

Modern Minimal Approach

Pair a brocade element — a blazer, a structured skirt, a fitted top — with understated, neutral basics. Dark trousers or a slim straight skirt in black, charcoal, or ivory provide a clean foil that allows the brocade pattern to take centre stage without competition. Keep accessories simple: a metal cuff or fine gold necklace works; layered pattern-on-pattern does not.

Occasion Dressing

For formal events, allow a brocade garment to function as the hero piece of the outfit. A full-length brocade gown or a brocade lehenga set needs little beyond elegant footwear and understated jewellery to achieve a fully formal look. For cocktail events, a brocade shift dress or structured midi skirt paired with strappy heels and minimal accessories is reliably polished.

The Modern Power Blazer

One of brocade's most contemporary applications is the statement blazer. An oversized brocade blazer in a traditional floral or geometric pattern — worn over a fine-knit or silk blouse with tailored trousers — bridges heritage craft and modern tailoring beautifully. This is a confident office-to-evening look with wide appeal across cultures and markets.

Seasonal Styling

Brocade's weight makes it best suited to autumn, winter, and early spring. In warmer climates — or for summer occasion wear — lighter cotton brocade or contemporary polyester brocade in more open weaves provides the visual impact of brocade with reduced heat retention. Avoid heavy silk or metallic brocade in genuinely hot, humid conditions.

Home Décor Styling

In interiors, brocade works best as an accent fabric rather than a dominant covering. A brocade cushion on a neutral linen sofa, a brocade upholstered accent chair against a plain wall, or a brocade curtain panel flanking a window all create visual interest without overwhelming the space. Stick to one or two brocade elements per room and allow neutral ground tones to balance the pattern's impact.

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Is Brocade Fabric Good for Sewing?

Brocade is a rewarding but demanding fabric to sew. It suits confident intermediate and advanced sewists best. With the right preparation and technique, it produces garments of exceptional quality and visual impact.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate to Advanced (varies by type — cotton brocade is more manageable; silk and metallic brocade require advanced skills).

Why Brocade Is Challenging to Sew

• Weight and rigidity: Brocade's heavy, structured body requires stronger machine tension settings and can overwhelm lightweight machines.
• Fraying: Cut edges fray aggressively and require immediate finishing.
• Pattern matching: The woven pattern must be carefully matched at seams — particularly at centre fronts, side seams, and across sleeves — requiring additional fabric and careful cutting planning.
• Metallic threads: In metallic brocade, woven metallic threads can break under machine tension if speed is too high or needle size is incorrect.
• Pressing: The raised pattern can be permanently flattened if pressed incorrectly.
• Essential Sewing Tips for Brocade

Needles: Use a sharp or jeans needle (80/12–90/14) for cotton and polyester brocade. For silk brocade, a microtex sharp (70/10–80/12) is preferable. For metallic brocade, use a metallic needle specifically designed to accommodate metallic thread without shredding.

Thread: Use strong, good-quality polyester thread matching the ground colour of the fabric. Avoid thread that is weaker than the fabric weight.

Cutting: Always use sharp fabric scissors or a rotary cutter. Cut one layer at a time for accuracy. Trace around pattern pieces with tailor's chalk rather than pins where possible to avoid distorting the fabric. Allow generous seam allowances (at least 1.5 cm / 5/8 inch).

Seam Finishing: Finish all cut edges immediately after cutting using a serger, zigzag stitch, or Hong Kong seam finish to contain fraying. Do not leave brocade edges unfinished.

Pressing: Press from the reverse side only using a pressing cloth. Use steam carefully — excessive steam can flatten the raised pattern permanently. Let the fabric cool completely before moving.

Underlining: Lining brocade garments with a smooth, lightweight silk or satin lining is strongly recommended. This protects the thread floats on the reverse side from snagging, improves wearability against skin, and adds structure and finish.

Machine speed: Reduce machine speed for metallic and silk brocades to prevent needle breakage and thread snapping.

If you're still developing your sewing skills, explore our guide to Best Fabrics for Beginners Learning to Sew — and return to brocade when you've built the foundational techniques it rewards.

How to Wash and Care for Brocade Fabric

Brocade is a structured, often embellished fabric that requires careful maintenance. The care approach depends significantly on fibre content.

Key care principle: When in doubt, dry clean. Brocade — especially silk and metallic varieties — rewards professional care, and the cost of dry cleaning is far less than replacing a damaged garment.

Brocade vs Jacquard vs Damask

These three terms are frequently confused. Here is a definitive breakdown.

The simple way to remember the distinction:

• Jacquard = the loom (the machine that creates complex woven patterns)
• Brocade = a fabric type (raised pattern; made on a Jacquard loom)
• Damask = another fabric type (flat, reversible pattern; also made on a Jacquard loom)

Both brocade and damask are types of Jacquard-woven fabrics. Brocade has raised supplementary patterns; damask has flat reversible patterns. Jacquard simply describes the loom mechanism, not the fabric itself.

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What Is Brocade Fabric?: FAQs

Q1. What is brocade fabric made of?

Ans. Brocade fabric is most traditionally made from silk — both for the base ground fabric and the supplementary weft threads that create its raised patterns. Modern brocade is also made from cotton, polyester, viscose, and metallic threads (gold, silver, or Lurex), or combinations of these fibres to achieve different effects and price points.

Q2. Is brocade fabric expensive?

Ans. Brocade occupies a very wide price spectrum. At the premium end, authentic handwoven Banarasi silk brocade with real gold or silver zari threads can cost thousands of dollars per metre and may take weeks or months to weave by hand. High-quality machine-woven silk brocade from established textile producers in India, China, Italy, or France commands significantly lower but still substantial prices. Cotton brocade offers good value for money, generally sitting in a moderate price range accessible to most fabric buyers. Contemporary polyester brocade is the most affordable entry point, widely available at competitive price points in fabric stores worldwide.

Q3. Is brocade fabric suitable for summer?

Ans. Generally, no. Most brocade fabrics are too heavy, thick, and structured for comfortable warm-weather wear. Their density restricts airflow and traps body heat. For summer occasions requiring brocade's visual impact, lightweight cotton brocade or looser-woven contemporary brocade in breathable fibres are the most comfortable options available.

Q4. How do you wash brocade fabric?
Ans. Brocade care depends heavily on fibre content. Silk brocade and metallic brocade (with zari or Lurex) are best professionally dry cleaned to preserve both the woven pattern and the metallic thread's lustre. For hand washing (where the care label permits), use cool water below 30°C and a pH-neutral delicates detergent. Agitate very gently; never wring or twist. Rinse thoroughly in cool water, press water out by rolling in a towel, and dry flat on a clean surface. Cotton and polyester brocade are more forgiving and often survive a gentle machine wash in a laundry bag.

Q5. Is brocade fabric difficult to sew?

Ans. Yes, brocade is considered intermediate-to-advanced in sewing difficulty. Key challenges include its weight, aggressive fraying at cut edges, the need to match the woven pattern at seams, and the requirement for specialist needle types in metallic varieties. Cotton brocade is more forgiving; silk and metallic brocade demand advanced skill and preparation.

Q6. What is the difference between brocade and jacquard?

Ans. The distinction between brocade and jacquard is a classic textile terminology confusion. Jacquard refers to the mechanical or digital loom system invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1804, which uses individual thread control to produce figured — or patterned — weaves of unlimited complexity. It is not a fabric; it is a technology. Brocade is a specific fabric type that uses supplementary weft threads to create raised, three-dimensional patterns above the ground fabric's surface. Brocade is made on a Jacquard loom, but so are damask, tapestry, and many other figured fabrics. "Jacquard fabric" as used commercially typically refers to any fabric with a woven-in pattern — which includes brocade as a subcategory.

Q7. What is the difference between brocade and damask?

Ans. Both brocade and damask are figured woven fabrics made on Jacquard looms. The key difference: brocade creates raised patterns using supplementary weft threads, giving it a three-dimensional surface. Damask creates its pattern through contrasting warp and weft satin weaves within the same fabric — producing a flat, reversible design with no raised texture.

Q8. What is Banarasi brocade?

Ans. Banarasi brocade is a prestigious silk brocade woven in Varanasi (Banaras), India, traditionally using fine silk yarns and real gold or silver zari metallic thread. It features intricate floral, paisley, and vine scroll patterns and is particularly prized for bridal sarees and formal occasion wear in South Asian culture.

Q9. What is zari thread in brocade?

Ans. Zari — sometimes spelled zaree or zari — has been central to Indian luxury textile weaving for centuries. Traditional real zari is produced by drawing real silver into ultra-fine wire, coating it with gold, and then winding it around a silk or cotton core thread to give it flexibility for weaving. This gives authentic zari its brilliant, warm metallic lustre and its status as a premium material. Modern zari — called "imitation zari" in the trade — uses a gold-coloured polyester film wound around a core yarn. Imitation zari is widely used in affordable brocade production; it is less brilliant and durable than real zari but significantly more accessible in price.

Q10. Can brocade fabric be used for upholstery?

Ans. Yes — brocade is an excellent upholstery fabric for occasional chairs, decorative headboards, ottomans, and statement furnishing accents. Its durability, visual richness, and structural body make it well-suited to low-to-medium traffic upholstery applications. For high-wear seating, a more durable or backed version of brocade is advisable.