Linen for the beach and daytime, satin for indoors and after dark, bijou knit for the suitcase and the wind, cotton for every day: that is how Amaya picks fabric for Cape Town. Linen breathes and creases, satin drapes and shows wind, bijou knit stretches and does not crease, and cotton washes easily, so the occasion, the hour and the forecast decide which one you wear.
Amaya makes dresses, sets, tops and pants in Sea Point in these 4 fabrics. This guide puts them side by side so you can choose before you order, and tells you how to wash each one so it lasts 10 summers.
The 4 Amaya fabrics side by side
| Fabric | Feel | Wind | Heat | Creasing | Care | Best for | Amaya examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linen | Dry, cool, a little textured | Holds still if the cut has body | Breathes; the coolest of the 4 at 27°C | Creases, and that is the look | Cold hand wash, hang in the shade | Beach, daytime, a 15:00 garden ceremony | Aura Dress, mini linen, R1 800 |
| Satin (polyester or viscose) | Smooth, fluid, cool to the touch | Shows every gust; keep it indoors | Fine indoors; not for midday sun | Creases in a car seat; drops out on a hanger | Cold hand wash, hang in the shade, cool iron on the reverse | Evening, matric dance, winter black tie, a rooftop after dark | Portofino Dress, cream satin, R1 950 |
| Bijou knit | Soft, with stretch and some weight | Sits still; the best of the 4 in a south-easter | Warmer than linen; right for 09:00 and 21:00, not 14:00 on sand | Does not crease | Cold hand wash, hang in the shade, no iron | The flight, the drive, a rooftop, a set | Byblos Knit Skirt and Top Set, R1 790; Pacha Cowl Dress, R1 650 |
| Cotton | Crisp or soft, familiar | Behaves if it has weight | Breathes; close to linen | Creases less than linen | Cold hand wash, hang in the shade; the easiest to wash | Every day, a market, a short set | Chasing the Sun Short Set, R1 790 |
Linen
Linen breathes, which is why Amaya cuts its beach-to-dinner dresses in it. At 27°C on Clifton 4th it is the coolest fabric on this list, and it dries on you after a dip. It creases, and Amaya treats that as the point: a linen dress that has been to the beach looks like it has been to the beach. In wind, linen with some body in the cut holds still, which is why the Aura Dress, mini linen at R1 800, has weight in the hem.
Wear linen to: the beach, the Promenade, brunch, a 15:00 garden ceremony. Not to: a formal indoor evening.
Satin
Satin drapes. Amaya's satin is polyester or viscose depending on the style, and both fall in a straight line, catch the light and photograph well under venue lights. Satin also shows wind: on a rooftop at 16:00 it tells everyone which way the south-easter is blowing. Indoors and after dark it is the best fabric Amaya makes for photos. The Portofino Dress is cream satin at R1 950.
Wear satin to: a matric dance, an evening wedding, winter black tie, a 20:00 dinner. Not to: the beach, or pre-drinks on a lawn in October wind.
Bijou knit
Bijou is Amaya's name for its crease-free knit. It stretches, it does not crease and it comes out of a suitcase looking pressed. In a south-easter it sits still, which makes it the fabric Amaya reaches for on the Promenade after 14:00. It is warmer than linen, so it belongs at 09:00 and 21:00 rather than at 14:00 on sand. The Byblos Knit Skirt and Top Set is R1 790 and the Pacha Cowl Dress is R1 650.
Wear bijou knit to: the flight, the 1-hour drive to a winelands wedding, a city rooftop, any day the forecast says wind. Not to: midday on the beach.
Cotton
Cotton washes easily, breathes and creases less than linen. It is the everyday fabric in the Amaya range: the one that goes to the market on Saturday, into a cold hand wash on Sunday and back on by Tuesday. With some weight in the fabric it behaves in a breeze. The Chasing the Sun Short Set is cotton at R1 790.
Wear cotton to: a market, a farm wedding when the invitation says casual, the second day of a trip. Not to: black tie.
How to wash and care for each fabric
The same 3 rules apply to all 4 Amaya fabrics: cold hand wash, no tumble dryer, hang in the shade. Cape Town sun fades colour in 1 afternoon, so the shade is not optional. Then 1 extra rule per fabric.
- Linen: iron it damp if you want it flat, or let the crease be the look. Rinse salt water out the same day.
- Satin: cool iron on the reverse, never on the front. Hang it the night before; most creases drop out on the hanger.
- Bijou knit: no iron. Fold it for storage rather than hanging it for months.
- Cotton: the easiest of the 4. A warm iron if you like it crisp.
Between sizes: knit down, linen and satin up
Amaya runs S to L with some one-size styles, and the size guide has the measurements. If you sit between 2 sizes, go smaller in bijou knit, because it stretches and is cut to sit close, and go larger in linen or satin, because neither fabric gives and a fitted woven dress that is 1 cm too tight shows it when you sit down. If the size is still wrong, the first exchange is free within 14 days.
Which Amaya fabric for which Cape Town occasion
- Clifton 4th and a beach dinner: linen. The Aura Dress.
- Winelands garden wedding at 15:00: linen or cotton. Bijou knit if you are driving 1 hour.
- City rooftop at 19:00: bijou knit if the wind is up, satin if it has dropped.
- Matric dance or winter black tie: satin. The Portofino Dress.
- The flight in and the first morning: bijou knit or cotton.
- Sea Point Promenade in the south-easter: bijou knit.
Amaya pieces leave the Sea Point studio in 1 to 2 working days. Delivery is R99 in South Africa and free over R1 500: Cape Town 1 to 2 working days, Johannesburg and Pretoria 2 to 3, the rest of South Africa 3 to 5. Collect in Sea Point for free. The first exchange is free within 14 days. Amaya takes Card, Instant EFT, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Payflex. See the full range, or WhatsApp Max on +27 83 703 8502 with the occasion and the date.
Updated October 2026. We update this guide every season.
