Kravet Fabric Buying Guide: Bedding, Outdoor Fabric, and the Mesh/Viscose Search Mix-Up

If you're here because you need Kravet fabric fast—or because the search results for "Kravet bedding," "Kravet outdoor fabric," and even "mesh fabric dresses" have you confused—here's the short version: Kravet is an interior textile company, not an apparel fabric store, and your biggest risk isn't speed; it's choosing the wrong construction. After 200+ rush orders across eight years, I've learned that Kravet's outdoor and performance fabrics are worth the premium if you match them to the end use. For bedding, order early and plan for a workroom. And if you're searching for mesh or viscose dresses, those are fashion fabrics—but since you're here, I'll explain how mesh fabric is made too.

Why I'm Confident Saying That

I coordinate emergency sourcing for interior finishings. In the last eight years, I've handled 200+ rush jobs, many of them Kravet orders. In March 2024, 36 hours before an installation, a designer needed 14 yards of a Kravet outdoor fabric that was backordered four weeks. We found stock at a distributor in another state, paid about $240 in overnight freight—$280 maybe, I'd have to check the invoice—and the install started on time. That job worked because the fabric had already been specified correctly. The deadlines I've missed? Almost always due to ambiguous specs, not slow vendors.

What most people don't realize is that "standard turnaround" often includes buffer time that vendors build into their production queue. It's not necessarily how long YOUR order actually takes. Kravet's cut-yardage is usually faster than custom upholstery production, but if you're relying on a "10 to 12 business days" quote, count on the full window.

Kravet Outdoor Fabric: Choose by Construction, Not by Look

Kravet's outdoor fabric is one of the strongest choices in the high-end interior market. Most outdoor yardage is solution-dyed acrylic or polyester, often under brands like Sunbrella or Crypton. Solution-dyed is the keyword: basically, the color is added before the fiber is extruded, so it won't wash out or fade as quickly as piece-dyed fabric. If you're comparing options, ask for a weathering report that references AATCC TM 16 for lightfastness and ASTM G154 for UV exposure. If a salesperson can't or won't provide that, treat the fabric as decorative, not durable.

One thing I tell every client: don't use an outdoor fabric indoors just because it's waterproof. It's overkill. For a residential sofa that sees daily use, a Crypton performance velvet is usually better than an outdoor texture, because it's softer and easier to clean.

Kravet Bedding: You're Buying Fabric, Not a Duvet

Searching "kravet bedding" can be misleading. Kravet doesn't sell ready-made bed-in-a-bag sets. It sells upholstery and drapery fabrics that a workroom or custom bedding maker can turn into duvets, shams, and headboards. So when you order, you're not picking a "bedding collection"—you're picking a fabric with specific drape, weight, and repeat. For example, a linen-blend drapery fabric will make a relaxed duvet, while a cotton sateen will give you a crisper look. Always request a physical cutting before committing. In a photo, a 4-inch pattern repeat can look like a solid; on a king duvet, it becomes a design disaster.

And What About Mesh Fabric Dresses and Viscose Fabric Dresses?

If you landed here because you want to sew a dress from Kravet, please don't. Kravet fabric isn't apparel-grade—mesh and viscose dresses belong in the fashion fabric world. But let's clear up the confusion.

How Mesh Fabric Is Made

You asked how mesh fabric is made—here's the non-technical version. Most mesh is warp-knitted on a Raschel knitting machine. Yarns run vertically down the fabric, and needles form loops that interlock in an open grid. The open spaces are what make it breathable. You can also make mesh by netting or weaving, but knitted mesh is what you're buying when a dress has that stretchy, fishnet-like layer. It's almost always polyester or nylon, which is why it doesn't wrinkle easily.

Viscose Fabric Dresses: Soft, Drapey, but Not Indestructible

Viscose is a semi-synthetic fabric made from wood pulp, often labeled as rayon. The process dissolves cellulose with chemicals, then extrudes it through tiny holes to make filaments. It's soft, breathable, and very drapey, which makes it popular for flowy dresses. But viscose has a real weakness: it loses strength when wet, and it can shrink. A viscose dress should be dry-cleaned or hand-washed cold, never thrown in a hot dryer. It's also not a performance fabric—if you expect the same durability as Kravet's outdoor textiles, you'll be disappointed.

The Counterintuitive Part: Time Is the Easy Problem

In my experience, rushing is not where most Kravet projects fail. The expensive failure is ordering a gorgeous, non-performance fabric for a high-traffic surface. I once saw a client pick a pale silk velvet for a family-room sofa. It arrived on time, looked stunning for about nine days, then developed a permanent crease and snag where someone sat down. The fabric wasn't defective—it was simply the wrong construction for the job.

Here's something vendors won't tell you: the first quote for rush service almost always includes a buffer. If they quote $350 for 48-hour service, the $350 sometimes covers a service they can deliver in 24 hours. That buffer is their safety net, not your guarantee. I've tested this with multiple suppliers. When I need true overnight, I ask "what is your fastest guaranteed time, not your typical time?" and I get a different answer.

When Kravet Is Not the Right Call (Honest Limits)

Kravet is a great fit for high-end interiors, and I recommend it for residential designers and commercial projects that need documented performance. But it's not universal.

• If your budget is tight, Kravet may not be the most efficient choice. There are less expensive to-the-trade lines that will perform fine.
• If you have less than a week and the fabric isn't stocked, don't assume magic. Ask about available stock before you sell the timeline to your client.
• If you need apparel fabric, walk away. Kravet does decorative textiles, not garment textiles.
• If your client wants a specific "it" color, order the cutting first. Color on screen is unreliable. Pantone's Delta E system is useful here: a Delta E below 2 is basically invisible to most people, and above 4 is visible. Ask your supplier if they can match to a pantone reference within that tolerance. If they say "should be fine," that means no tolerance.

Prices change, so verify current yardage pricing at kravet.com as of January 2025. And before you order, ask the one question that saves more projects than any rush fee: "Is this fabric in stock, and what dye lot is it?"