What exactly is olefin?

Olefin is the textile trade name for fibres made from polypropylene – in some markets the fabric is also called olefin fibre or PP fibre. The name comes from chemistry: olefins are the group of compounds that propylene belongs to, the basic building block of the fibre.

What sets olefin apart from most other textile fibres: its good properties sit inside the fibre, not on it. Water repellence, mould resistance and colourfastness are material properties – not a finish applied afterwards that washes off after two summers. That's exactly why olefin has become the go-to choice for outdoor textiles: garden furniture cushions, boat upholstery, patio rugs.

What is olefin made from – and is it the same as polypropylene?

Yes, chemically olefin is polypropylene. The plastic is melted, pressed through fine spinnerets into continuous filaments, then spun into yarn and woven.

The decisive step happens right at the start: the colour pigments are mixed directly into the molten mass before the fibre is even formed. The technical term is solution-dyed. Think of it like a carrot – orange all the way through, not just coloured on the outside like a radish. A conventionally dyed fabric, by contrast, only carries its colour as a layer on the surface of the fibre, and it's exactly that layer that fades in the sun.

Why is olefin water-repellent even though it isn't impregnated?

In short: Polypropylene is hydrophobic – the fibre can barely absorb water at all, physically speaking. Its moisture absorption is under 0.1 percent, the lowest figure of any common textile fibre.

By comparison: cotton can soak up to a quarter of its own weight in water. With olefin, water beads off the fabric or runs straight through it without staying in the fibre – that's why our cushions dry so quickly after a rain shower, and why mould finds no damp fibre to grow in. One detail that surprises many people: olefin is lighter than water. A piece of olefin fabric floats.

Is olefin fabric harmful to health?

This question comes up remarkably often – the short answer: polypropylene is considered one of the safest plastic fibres there is. The same plastic is used in food packaging, yoghurt pots and medical products.

Two points give further reassurance with olefin specifically: first, the fibre needs no chemical impregnation – many water-repellent textiles achieve their bead-off effect via fluorinated coatings (PFCs), whereas olefin brings it naturally. Second, because of solution dyeing, there's no classic dye bath with fixing chemicals involved. Olefin is also odour-neutral and doesn't retain moisture that bacteria could thrive in. The one honest caveat: like any synthetic fibre, olefin shouldn't come into contact with open flame or very hot objects – more on that in a moment.

What does olefin feel like – scratchy like plastic?

This is the question we get asked most often at trade fairs, usually with a sceptical look. And it's a fair question: when people hear "polypropylene", they think of watering cans, not seat cushions.

Modern olefin fabric has a textile, slightly grippy character – closer to a firm cotton canvas than a tarpaulin. Our seamstresses, who work with it every day, appreciate exactly that: the fabric holds its shape, frays in a controlled way, and can be worked with clean, double-reinforced seams. That said, feel is subjective. That's why we send out free fabric samples – touching it beats any description.

How long does the colour last – does olefin fade in the sun?

In short: because the colour sits inside the fibre rather than on it, it can't fade the way a surface dye can. That makes olefin one of the most colourfast outdoor fabrics around.

You see this most clearly in a direct comparison with cheap polyester cushions from DIY stores: after one to two summers in full sun, those are often visibly faded, while solution-dyed olefin keeps its colour depth. If you want the full fibre comparison – including the areas where acrylic comes out ahead: Olefin, Acrylic or Polyester? Outdoor Fabrics in an Honest Comparison.

Where are olefin's weaknesses?

A material guide with no weaknesses would just be advertising, so here's the honest version: olefin is heat-sensitive. Polypropylene already melts at around 160 degrees Celsius – ironing, tumble dryers and hot grill coals near the fabric are off limits. In practice this is rarely an issue, since olefin dries faster in the air than a dryer would even take.

Second limitation: compared to acrylic, olefin feels a touch less "luxuriously soft", and the colour range is somewhat smaller due to the solution-dyeing production process – but in return the fabric costs noticeably less and beats acrylic on everything to do with moisture.

How do you clean olefin fabric?

Nothing complicated: lukewarm water, mild soap, a soft brush – that removes the vast majority of stains, because dirt can't penetrate the fibre, it just sits on top of it. Wipe off sunscreen, bird droppings or red wine promptly and nothing will be left behind. The complete routine, including winter storage, is in the guide How to Care for Outdoor Cushions Properly.

Can I buy olefin fabric – even by the metre?

Olefin sold by the metre is hard to find at retail – the fibre is mostly supplied directly to manufacturing businesses. That's why we don't sell our fabric by the metre, but as finished, made-to-measure pieces: you enter length, width and thickness in the configurator, and our workshop sews the cushion from 100% olefin – from sun lounger cushions to XXL outdoor mattresses.

If you want to check the fabric before ordering: fabric samples are free, and all available colours and qualities are shown in the fabric overview.

Is olefin environmentally friendly?

Honest answer: olefin is a petroleum-based synthetic fibre – if you're looking for a natural product, this isn't it. Within the synthetic fibres, though, olefin performs comparatively well: production takes less energy than polyester or nylon, solution dyeing eliminates water-intensive dye baths entirely, and pure polypropylene is readily recyclable.

But in our view, the most important point is a different one: longevity. A cushion that lasts many seasons is more sustainable than three DIY-store cushions that end up in the bin one after another – regardless of which fibre they're made from.

Why did Lulu-Belle choose olefin?

When we started making made-to-measure cushions in 2020, we tested acrylic, polyester and olefin side by side – not in a lab, but the way our customers actually use them: left outdoors, rained on, dried out again. Olefin won that test, because moisture is the real enemy of a cushion, not the sun. A cushion sits on a lounger, gets wet, sometimes stays outside overnight – and that's exactly where the fibre shows its strength: it doesn't absorb water, doesn't develop mould, dries quickly.

Six years and several thousand hand-sewn cushions later, we'd make the same decision again.

Olefin in one sentence

A polypropylene fibre whose water repellence, mould resistance and colourfastness all come from the material itself – ideal for anything that lives outdoors and gets wet, as long as no iron comes anywhere near it.