The difference between Vitale Barberis Canonico’s Greenhills super 160’s and Revenge super 150’s custom suiting fabric collection.

My Spring/Summer Fabric Drop: VBC’s Revenge vs. Greenhills — the Showdown No One Asked For

Every spring, like clockwork, the new Vitale Barberis Canonico (VBC) fabric books show up at my door — and every spring, productivity immediately takes a nosedive. I block off a day, grab a coffee, and spend hours thumbing through page after page of the world’s finest fabrics. Forget Christmas morning — this is my version of unwrapping presents.

This year’s drop came with something new: a little “marketing” flair from VBC. They’ve started including details on how much fiber was used to produce each collection — including their two heavyweight champs: the Greenhills Super 160’s and Revenge Super 150’s.

Why I’m Still a VBC Fanboy

I’ll admit it — I’m a VBC loyalist. The mill has somehow cracked the code: luxurious hand-feel, remarkable fabric stability, and an almost suspiciously fair price point. For high-end custom tailored suits or bespoke suits, the Revenge collection has long been my go-to. It hits the sweet spot between refinement and practicality.

The Greenhills Super 160’s sits one tier higher. On paper, it’s only a “10 super number” jump from Revenge — but the price nearly doubles. If you blindfolded me, I’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Sure, the Greenhills feels a touch softer and is a bit lighter (240–250 grams vs. Revenge’s 270–280 grams), but in terms of stability and color depth, they’re nearly identical.

And no — I haven’t yet made a bespoke suit for myself in Greenhills. Even as someone who lives and breathes this stuff, I’ve struggled to justify the upcharge. But after reading VBC’s backstory this year… I might finally be convinced.

The Origin Story: Revenge Is a Dish Best Woven

According to VBC lore, years ago during a rough wool season, Loro Piana outbid them for most of the available fibers, leaving VBC — how should I put this — “fiberless.” So, the following season, VBC got its payback. They returned the favor, outbidding Loro Piana and scooping up the best of the wool crop.

What did they do with it? They spun it into one of the finest fabrics ever made and named the collection “Revenge.”
Now that’s petty and productive — my favorite combo.

These days, VBC and Loro Piana are both vertically integrated, so the bidding wars are history. But the Revenge collection still carries that same spirit. It’s made from 16.2-micron Australian wool, harvested under strict breeding and care practices to ensure fiber consistency. Each year, they produce about 11,000 bales, each weighing roughly 120 kilos — which translates to around 104 kilometers of yarn per kilo. (That’s enough to wrap your house in luxury… twice.)

Greenhills: The Unicorn of Wool

Then there’s the Greenhills Super 160’s, which makes Revenge look downright common. The wool for this collection comes from a small farm in Mudgee, Australia, where VBC raises a rare breed of sheep specifically for this purpose. They bought the farm over 50 years ago just to study and perfect this fiber.

The sheep are free-roaming, the wool is minimally processed, and the total annual yield? About 80 kilos. That’s less than one bale of what’s used in the Revenge line.

By that math, Greenhills is 11,000 times rarer than Revenge.
So why is it only twice the price? Don’t ask me — I’m still trying to figure that one out.

The Super Number Myth

Here’s where things get interesting. In the world of bespoke tailoring, “super numbers” are a touchy subject. We’ve all been trained to think that higher equals better — Super 120’s good, Super 150’s better, Super 200’s divine. But in reality, the difference is often more about feel than function.

From my experience, once you get past Super 150’s, you start sacrificing durability for softness. The Greenhills is incredibly refined, but is it that much better? Visually, not really. The colors and patterns are classic VBC — tasteful solids, understated checks, and pinstripes. In fact, most of these patterns have near-identical versions in their Revenge and Perennial books. Unless you’re touching the fabric, you’d be hard-pressed to tell them apart.

So the real question is: does that lighter, finer feel make enough of a difference for a custom suit in Los Angeles — especially given our warm weather? Is it worth doubling the price?

Honestly, I’ve resisted finding out… but I think I’m going to cave. The curiosity is killing me. I’ll be cutting my first bespoke Greenhills suit soon — not because I need it, but because I need to know.

Stay tuned. I’ll report back once I’ve worn it enough to spill espresso on it.

The difference between a super 150’s vs 160’s custom suiting fabrics