Herringbone

Herringbone starts from an ordinary twill weave — the diagonal rib created when weft yarn floats over two or more warp yarns before going under — but reverses that diagonal direction at regular intervals, usually every few threads, so the fabric reads as a repeating V or chevron pattern rather than one straight diagonal line. The name comes from its resemblance to a fish skeleton, and the weave shows up in cotton, wool, and cotton-poly blends across weights from lightweight shirting to heavier coating fabric.

In apparel decoration, herringbone mostly turns up in dressier button-down shirts, some workwear pants, and sport-coat-style jackets where a plain twill or oxford would look flat and a herringbone adds subtle, almost textural pattern without shouting.

That zigzag surface has more texture than a straight twill or plain weave, so pros lean toward embroidery over fine-detail screen printing for logos here — the alternating diagonal breaks up small type and thin lines the same way any pronounced weave texture does. A bold, simple mark holds up fine; dense small text usually doesn't.

Buyers often assume herringbone is a color or print pattern rather than a weave structure. It's neither dyed on nor printed on — it's built into how the yarns cross, which means it looks identical whether the fabric is solid or later garment-dyed.