Colonist put on fabric, one with stripes (8)
I believe the answer is:
sergeant
'one with stripes' is the definition.
(someone with sergeant's stripes on their uniform)
'colonist put on fabric' is the wordplay.
'colonist' becomes 'ant' (I've seen this in another clue).
'put on' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'fabric' becomes 'serge' (serge is a kind of fabric).
'ant' after 'serge' is 'SERGEANT'.
(Other definitions for sergeant that I've seen before include "CARRY ON FILM" , "NCO or police officer ..." , "Reagents (anag)" , "Rank above corporal" , "Army rank" .)