Expert: Fused versus Floating Canvas

by Damien Mullen
Fused versus Floating Canvas

The canvassing or padding to be found in a suit jacket may not be visible on first glance, but it plays a vital role in producing the desired look and feel of a jacket.

With all ready-to-wear suits, you'll find a fused canvas within. Fused canvassing is a recent development that came along with mass manufacture and uses an inferior quality material that is firmly attached to the fabric. This leads to a much more rigid feel and a sensation that you are wrestling against your jacket, rather than enjoying it flowing with you. Fuse jackets are also prone to "bubbling" where air pockets work into the fusing and create an unattractive rippled or bubbled finish to the jacket.

However, with a Mullen & Mullen bespoke suit jacket, you'll find a floating canvas within. This canvas is made of a wool and horsehair or camel hair, and helps provide the drape and feel that makes a Mullen & Mullen bespoke suit so fantastic.

So what is a floating canvas as opposed to a fused or any other kind of canvas? A floating canvas is securely, but loosely stitched to the fabric and allows the garment to move with you. This results in the fabric having a more natural drape, comfortably resulting in a figure-fitting manner. This also means that with wear the jacket will become ever more comfortable and feel like an old friend everytime you slip it on.

Naturally all of our suits use a floating canvas which helps to make them a pleasure to wear.

Interested? Ask us anything.
 Email us at hello@mullenandmullen.co.uk or call our York store on 01904 633 049 (9-5 GMT) for friendly no-obligation advice.

 
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Considering Bespoke?

Every commission begins with a conversation. Here are answers to some of the questions we're often asked.

Business suits start from £999 for single or double breasted, and from £1,299 for a three-piece with waistcoat. Wedding suits start from £999, averaging around £1,500 depending on cloth and detailing.

The standard turnaround is 10 weeks from first fitting to collection. An express service is available in 5 weeks for an additional fee.

Yes. Alongside the York and London showrooms, Mullen & Mullen serves Sheffield and Manchester by arrangement, with fittings available at a client's home or office.

An independent, family-run business with over 50 years of combined experience in the industry, we pride ourselves on exceptional value: quality that speaks for itself without the inflated price tag. Fittings are in person and unhurried, built around a conversation about how a garment should look, fit, and feel, from a standout velvet jacket to a quietly sharp business suit.

The York showroom is at Unit 3, Middlethorpe Business Park, Sim Balk Ln, YO23 2BD, open by appointment Monday to Saturday, 9:30–5:30.

The London showroom is at 35 Sackville Street, Mayfair, W1S 3EG, open by appointment only.

Yes. Fittings can take place at a client's home or office instead of a showroom, at no extra call-out fee.

Bespoke shirts start from £180, made from English and European mill cloths with a choice of over 60 collar and cuff styles.

A bespoke suit is cut to a client's own measurements rather than a standard size, through a multiple-fitting process designed to get the fit right before it's finished. Cloth, lining, buttons, and detailing are all chosen individually rather than fixed in advance.

This individual approach also means better quality and longevity. A bespoke suit is made to fit and move with you, making it a garment built to last for years, not seasons.

Yes, alongside our bespoke suits, we also make bespoke shirts, overcoats, velvet dinner jackets, and shooting attire. Whatever the garment, the same approach applies: an unhurried, in-person fitting process built around getting the look, fit, and feel exactly right.