Thread Report — Comparison

Acne Studios vs Patagonia: Fabric Composition Compared.

We pulled fabric composition data from 387 Acne Studios products and 338 Patagonia products. Acne Studios comes out clearly ahead at 77.6% average natural fibre vs Patagonia's 23.6% — a 54-point gap.

TL;DR

Acne Studios wins on both natural fibre content (77.6% vs 23.6%) and on having fewer polyester-heavy products (9.8% vs 48.8%). The headline gap is 54 percentage points of natural fibre per garment.

77.6%Acne Studios avg natural %
23.6%Patagonia avg natural %
725Products analysed

By the Numbers

MetricAcne StudiosPatagoniaBetter
Products in sample387338Acne Studios (larger sample)
Avg natural fibre %77.6%23.6%Acne Studios (over Patagonia)
% items ≥95% natural57.4%15.7%Acne Studios (over Patagonia)
% items polyester-majority9.8%48.8%Acne Studios (over Patagonia)

Average natural fibre % per garment

Acne Studios
77.6%
Patagonia
23.6%

% of catalogue that's polyester-majority

Acne Studios
9.8%
Patagonia
48.8%

% of catalogue that's nearly all-natural (≥95%)

Acne Studios
57.4%
Patagonia
15.7%

Top Fibres, Side by Side

How often each fibre appears across each brand's catalogue. A higher number means more products in the sample list that fibre on the label.

FibreAcne Studios (% of products)Patagonia (% of products)Diff
Cotton0%0%+0
Polyester0%0%+0
Viscose0%0%+0
Elastane0%0%+0
Wool0%0%+0
Nylon0%0%+0
Hemp0%0%+0

By Category

Average natural fibre % per garment, by category. Counts in parentheses show the number of products from each brand in the sample.

CategoryAcne Studios (count)Patagonia (count)Diff
Sweater93.2% (10)6.5% (10)+86.7
Shirt88.5% (31)16.4% (33)+72.1
Pants92.8% (36)24.7% (34)+68.1
Shorts81.7% (19)21% (23)+60.7
Jacket72.8% (40)14% (34)+58.8
Dress63.9% (29)37.3% (6)+26.6
T-Shirt86.9% (42)90% (17)-3.1

Where they're similar

Both brands lean on the same core fibres. cotton, polyester, elastane appear in the top five for both Acne Studios and Patagonia.

Where they differ

Acne Studios runs 54 percentage points higher on average natural fibre than Patagonia (77.6% vs 23.6%). Patagonia is markedly more polyester-heavy: 48.8% of items are 50%+ polyester, vs 9.8% at Acne Studios. If you specifically want nearly-all-natural garments, Acne Studios has 57.4% of its catalogue at that level — Patagonia sits at 15.7%. The biggest category divergence is sweaters — Acne Studios at 93.2% natural fibre, Patagonia at 6.5%.

Verdict

Acne Studios is the clearer pick on fabric composition — 54.0 percentage points more natural fibre on average than Patagonia, with 57.4% of items at the nearly-all-natural mark vs 15.7%. That said, neither brand is "natural-only" — even at Acne Studios, the majority of items contain some synthetic fibre. Always check the label.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Acne Studios or Patagonia better quality fabric?

Based on average natural fibre content, Acne Studios edges ahead — 77.6% vs 23.6% per garment across the 725 products we analysed. Higher natural fibre content generally correlates with better breathability, fewer microplastics, and longer wear.

Does Patagonia use more polyester than Acne Studios?

Yes. 48.8% of Patagonia products are polyester-heavy (50%+ polyester), compared to 9.8% at Acne Studios.

How many products did you analyse for Acne Studios vs Patagonia?

387 Acne Studios products and 338 Patagonia products — every item with a parseable fabric composition label from each brand's site.

Which has more 100% natural pieces — Acne Studios or Patagonia?

Acne Studios. 57.4% of Acne Studios products are nearly all-natural (95%+ natural fibre by composition) versus 15.7% at Patagonia.

What's the most common fibre at Acne Studios and Patagonia?

Cotton is the most common fibre at Acne Studios (in 61% of products), while Polyester leads at Patagonia (52.4% of products).

Are Acne Studios sweaters better than Patagonia's?

For sweaters specifically, Acne Studios averages 93.2% natural fibre vs Patagonia's 6.5%. That's a meaningful gap — if you're shopping that category, Acne Studios is the safer default.

→ Full Acne Studios report→ Full Patagonia report→ All brands ranked

Related reports.

Acne Studios Full Report387 products analysedPatagonia Full Report338 products analysedAll Brand RankingsEvery brand ranked by natural fibre %
Methodology: Fabric composition pulled from product pages on each brand's site. 387 Acne Studios products, 338 Patagonia products. "Natural" counts cotton, linen, wool, silk, cashmere, hemp and leather at 100%; viscose, rayon, lyocell, modal and bamboo at 50% (semi-synthetic). Polyester-majority = 50% or more polyester by label. Comparing Acne Studios and Patagonia. Data refreshed monthly.

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About the Thread ReportWhat the dataset is, how it's built, and how to cite it.All brand reportsFabric breakdowns for every retailer we track.Brand rankingsWho uses the most natural fibre — and the most polyester.Brand comparisonsHead-to-head fabric data for every viable brand pair.Research findingsOriginal findings built on the dataset.State of FabricThe annual report on fashion's fibre mix.MethodologyHow we classify fibres and compute every number.Fabric guides & researchHow to read labels, decode fibres, shop smarter.

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