We test every fabric batch by hand before it enters a release. GSM is a starting point — a 220 GSM ring-spun cotton and a 220 GSM open-end cotton feel nothing alike.
Our evaluation process covers four things: drape (does it fall cleanly off the shoulder, or does it cling?), recovery (does it spring back after stretching, or does it distort?), pilling resistance (run a finger across the surface and feel for raised fibres), and wash retention (a single cold wash and dry cycle to check for shrinkage and surface change).
The fabrics that make it into a Fovealworks drop pass all four tests. The ones that don't are returned, regardless of price or availability.