How to store velvet so the pile does not crush

How to hang velvet

• Use a padded or broad, shaped hanger. Thin wire and narrow plastic hangers dent the shoulders.
• Fasten buttons and hooks so the front lies flat and the neckline keeps its shape.
• Give it room. A velvet kameez squeezed between other suits is being pressed from both sides.
• Cover it in cotton, not plastic, which traps moisture and clings to the pile.
• Avoid clip hangers on trousers. Clips bite into the pile; fold velvet trousers once over a thick padded bar instead, with tissue under the fold.

When folding is better, and how to do it

A heavily embroidered velvet kameez can stretch at the shoulders if it hangs for a whole season, and some wardrobes simply have no hanging space left. For those pieces:

• Lay the piece flat, pile side up, and cover the pile with sheets of acid-free tissue.
• Fold as few times as possible, with a soft roll of tissue along each fold so it bends in a curve.
• Put tissue between any embroidery and the pile it would touch.
• Store it at the top of a shelf or in its own shallow box, with nothing on it.
• Refold along different lines every couple of months.

Storing a velvet shawl

A shawl has no shoulders to protect, so rolling works well. Roll it loosely round a wide tube covered in tissue or muslin, with the pile facing outwards so it is not compressed inside the roll, and slip the roll into a cotton cover. If you prefer to hang it, drape it over the widest padded bar you have and move the fold line now and then. Keep embroidered borders cushioned with tissue wherever they would lie against the pile.

What must not rest on the pile

Anything that leaves a dent in a cushion will leave one in velvet. The same rule applies in a suitcase, where velvet goes in last, on top; our guide to packing formal outfits shows how. Keep these off it:

• Other clothes stacked on top, even light ones.
• Belts, bag straps, hanger clips and pegs.
• Jewellery, brooches left pinned in place, and safety pins.
• Beaded, sequinned or heavily embroidered pieces, which print their pattern into velvet.
• Rubber bands and tight ribbons round a folded shawl.

Air it before it goes away

Velvet holds warmth and moisture after wearing. Hang it somewhere airy and shaded for a day, brush it lightly in the direction of the pile, and deal with any marks as the label allows, testing on an inside seam first; washing velvet at home explains spot cleaning and when to dry clean. Put it away only when it is completely dry, in a cool, dark place away from outside walls, since damp pile is slow to dry and quick to smell musty.

When it comes out again, steam from a short distance and a soft brush lift most storage marks; never iron the face. If you are planning a velvet piece, Fabric + Stitching lets you ask for a shape that suits your storage, such as a short kurta instead of a full suit, and we confirm what is possible in your written quote. Start a quote.