Did you know what the non-fluffy stripes on towels are for? Internet has an answer

You can go about your day in bliss, and an internet user will ask a question that will get you wondering and questioning everything you thought you knew about life. Such are the times we live in. Did you know the non-fluffy stripes on towels aren’t just there to confuse you? So what are they? A quirky design feature? A decorative afterthought? A secret logo for a club of towel enthusiasts? The internet has finally cracked the case, and the answer might just surprise you.

what is the purpose of this part of a towel? pic.twitter.com/q4UYACVMDP

— Nate (@natemcgrady) March 13, 2025

It turns out, those mysterious, non-fluffy stripes actually serve a very practical purpose. Well, more than one purpose, actually. Internet has several theories, and honestly, all of them make sense!

Yahoo News has quoted Courtney Cole, an interior designer at TileCloud, saying, “This part of the towel is actually called a ‘dobby border’ – which so many people don’t know. Because it’s woven more closely than the rest of the towel, it will help with fraying and will keep the edges from curling over time. This means that the towel with the dobby border will likely last longer than those that don’t have it.”

The interior designer added another reason for those stripes. “There’s also a branding-friendly reason for the addition. It also gives manufacturers a structured area for branding and embroidery, which is why you’ll see logos and monograms there with hotels and other places like spas,” she said.

According to Kidz Herald, it’s a hanging loop. “The woven strip found at the ends of most bath towels is more than just a decoration. It serves a practical purpose – it’s a hanging loop! This loop allows you to easily hang your towel on a hook, keeping it within arm’s reach and allowing it to air dry after use. No more soggy towels left on the bathroom floor!”

Another Reddit user explained, “In hotels, when loads of different towels are stacked on top of eachother, accommodation services can tell the size of the towel by how many stripes it has (which is easily visible). Source: I’ve worked in a hotel and it blew my mind when I found out.”

So, which theory do you go by?