Bouclé is timeless fabric that has been used for decades.

Coco Chanel’s infamous jackets started the fascination with the fabric and now the high street offers countless iterations of the luxury look – but what exactly is it?

While you might have heard people speak about it and not known exactly what the word means, it’s actually more complex than it first seems.

Here, we break it down.

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What is bouclé?

Bouclé is a yarn and also the fabric made from it.

The yarn is made from a length of loops of similar size and these vary hugely in size.

It gets confusing however, as many online fabric stores and retailers often call it something else such as tweed or even jersey.

It’s often made from woollen fibres, but it can also be found in linen, cotton and sometimes silk.

What does bouclé look like?

Bouclé is made from natural fibres and offers a textured look. It’s spun with double-twisted yarns of varying lengths and thicknesses, so it looks uneven.

Sometimes it has metallic fibres of gold or silver, but mostly they’re in contrast to the main colour that runs through the fabric.

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Is bouclé fabric durable?

Bouclé isn’t just used in a fashion and interiors because of how it looks, but its durability too.

T’he twisted wool fibres are incredibly durable,’ Seattle-based interior designer LeeAnn Baker told Better Homes & Gardens.

Is bouclé fabric expensive?

As bouclé is often used in modern Couture, it can be expensive.

Making bouclé requires couture sewing techniques and takes time, so it’s not cheap.

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