Quick answer: Birdseye, nailhead and sharkskin are small-pattern worsteds that read as plain from a distance, so they suit clients who want texture without a visible pattern — but they need a one-way cut and a camera check. Show the client the swatch at arm's length and close up, write the cloth reference and cutting direction on the order, and judge the sample in daylight and on a phone camera. Shi Yuan (Suit Factory) takes MTM from 1 and bulk from 50 per style for overseas tailor shops, MTM boutiques and private-label brands, not retail — send the swatch photo and cloth reference on WhatsApp.
Some clients want a suit that looks plain in a meeting and rewards a closer look. Small-pattern worsteds do exactly that. Birdseye, nailhead and sharkskin are all woven so that two colours of yarn form a tiny repeating figure. At conversation distance the eye blends them into one tone; up close the pattern appears. For a tailor shop they are an easy step up from plain navy or charcoal. For a brand they are a quiet way to make a core suit look less like everyone else's.
How do the three differ?
At a glance
Birdseye: tiny dots with a small ring, like a bird's eye — reads soft and slightly speckled; shows texture in daylight; brief a one-way cut.
Nailhead: tiny dots, like the head of a nail — very fine, close to plain; the most business-like of the three.
Sharkskin: a two-colour twill giving a fine stepped figure — a slight sheen, two-tone in some light; the sheen shifts with direction, so brief a one-way cut.
Weave names vary between mills and merchants, so write the cloth reference in full rather than relying on the name.
Watch the camera
Small, regular patterns can shimmer on a phone screen or video call — the moiré effect — when the pattern is close to the camera's pixel spacing. For a client who presents on video or will be photographed at a wedding, show the swatch through a phone camera at the counter. For a brand shooting product photos, test the cloth on camera before the photo day. Colour under different light sources is a separate check, covered in metamerism and two light sources.
The brief
Cloth reference: book, cloth number, composition, weight as printed.
Cutting direction: "one-way cut, all panels the same way" — prevents shading, especially on sharkskin.
Matching: usually not needed for the figure itself; note any visible stripe or check in the cloth.
Pressing: "press with a cloth, keep the surface" — small patterns show shine easily.
Lining and trims: chosen against the swatch in daylight; thread colour matched to the dominant tone.
Swatch approval: client signs off the swatch before the sample; see cloth swatch approval.
Whether a given cloth can be supplied for your order is confirmed on WhatsApp.
Across reorders
Two-colour cloths can shift in tone between lots more visibly than a solid. Keep the sealed sample as the shade reference when a brand reorders; the steps are in fabric lot shade consistency. Twill cloths with stronger patterns are covered in the herringbone brief and the gabardine brief.
Which track does a small-pattern suit use?
MTM — from 1 piece: a single client's birdseye or nailhead suit carries the brief on that order.
Bulk — from 50 per style: a private-label core suit in a small-pattern worsted puts the cutting direction and pressing note on the sealed sample, and the sample becomes the shade reference for the run.
The sample takes 7–14 days; production takes 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. Production days are not delivery days. The MTM track is on our made to measure suit factory page; bulk programmes on our suit manufacturer China page.
Send a daylight photo of the swatch and the cloth reference on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 and we reply with what is still open.
FAQ
What are Shi Yuan's order tracks and clocks? Shi Yuan Suit Factory (Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi, Tianjin, est. 2009) takes MTM from 1 piece and bulk from 50 per style; samples take 7–14 days and production 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. WhatsApp +65 8013 8838.
What is a birdseye suit? A suit in birdseye cloth: a worsted woven with a tiny dot-and-ring figure that looks plain from a distance.
Is sharkskin shiny? It has a slight sheen from the two-colour twill, more visible in some light. It is not a glossy cloth.
Which is most formal? Nailhead usually reads closest to plain; all three work as business suits in dark colours.
Who makes this
Shi Yuan (Suit Factory) — legal entity Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., factory at Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi District, Tianjin, Est. 2009. Our founder brings four decades in Chinese menswear manufacturing; founded Shi Yuan in 2009. acumenwear.com is the export domain for Shi Yuan Suit Factory. Order threads: WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 · houzhenying226@gmail.com. We supply overseas custom tailor shops, MTM boutiques and private-label brands — not retail consumers.
Shi Yuan Suit Factory is not affiliated with Tianjin Shiyuan Clothing Co., Ltd.
Next step: sample or inquiry
Send a daylight swatch photo, the cloth reference and how the client will wear the suit. Message us on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 with your country, monthly volume and whether this is MTM or bulk, or email houzhenying226@gmail.com. We reply with the sample route and what we still need from you.
Last checked: 2026-10-31. Figures on this page were checked against Shi Yuan's own published terms (sample policy and process pages). Anything not listed here is confirmed in writing on the order thread.
