You designed maternity pieces that should stretch where they need to and hold where they shouldn't. The fabric stretches everywhere.
The hidden risk
Stretch without recovery is sag. Suppliers sell 'stretch' as a single metric — but recovery (snap-back) is what makes maternity wear wearable past one trimester. Without recovery spec, fabrics stretch-and-stay.
How to judge
Spec recovery, not just stretch. 50% stretch with 95% recovery beats 80% stretch with 80% recovery for a 9-month garment.
What the supplier must provide
Provide stretch + recovery data — not just stretch percentage.
How DONGFAN handles it
DONGFAN's maternity fabric library always pairs stretch with recovery — so a maternity dress snaps back through the pregnancy, not just stretches through it.
Buyer checklist
- Specify recovery, not just stretch
- Test snap-back after stretch
- Audit stretch-only claims
- Walk the garment through mock trimesters
- Compare recovery across fabrics
- Document recovery per style