The difference between denier, stabiliser and tulle
Different fabrics are used for different parts of the bra, and understanding which fabrics go where will help you buy the correct fabrics for the correct parts of the bra you are designing. Whether that be for personal use for dealing with factories for your brand.
TULLE
Tulle was first created in 1817, in the small town of Tulle in France, which is part of how the fabric received its name.
The bra that looks barely there, uses this whisper of a fabric, yet a sturdy fabric that will provide support, has a slight mechanical stretch (it has no elastane in the fabric) which gives support but makes your boobs look a rounded shape. It has a hexagon like structure, you can make bras just out tulle or because of it’s trace like quality you can use tulle to line bras, therefore keeping fit consistent if the outer fabrics differs slightly in stretch.
Tulle is not net, it’s much softer and not scratchy and has a lovely drape. Craft tulle, has like a diamond shape holes whereas tulle has the hexagon/honey comb shape hole. So what I’m saying don’t use craft tulle for lingerie design.
You can also get embroidered tulle.
STABILISER
Stabiliser/Stabilizer or otherwise known as ‘Marquisette’ is rigid fabric and does not fray when cut. It is used under the centre front and around the cradle of the bra so the fabric doesn’t stretch and offer support. To look at it, it looks like a grid. Due the rigidness of this fabric I wouldn’t use it in cups as it doesn’t go around the curves of the boobs as well as denier or tulle.
DENIER
Denier or known as 15 denier, is not the same as stabiliser, it has more stretch so I wouldn’t use it in the centre front. It looks similar but denier usually has a slight sheen to it (like tights or stockings do) and looks like a tighter weave. It can be used to line cups and will offer a roundness to the bra but may not offer the support you need for bigger cups. You can tell a denier fabric as it can have the tendency to run like tights/stocking do when the fabric gets caught. (unfortunately I don’t have any denier fabric to show you)