Velvet or Velveteen is a unique fabric known for its softness and shimmer. Its distinctive softness comes from its unusual arrangement of the fibers. It is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed with a short dense pile.

By the 17th century plain velvets made on treadle looms and figured silks made on drawlooms were being made in various countries throughout Europe, the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire as well as in India and China.

All these fabrics are woven with short raised loops. The big difference with Velvet is in fact that the loops are cut. This creates small hairs that give velvet its characteristic shine.