Stiffened fabric a couple of male animals required (7)
I believe the answer is:
buckram
'stiffened fabric' is the definition.
(fabric that has been stiffened)
'male animals required' is the wordplay.
'male' becomes 'buck' (male deer).
'animals' becomes 'ram' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'required' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'buck'+'ram'='BUCKRAM'
'a couple of' acts as a link.
This may not be correct. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
(Other definitions for buckram that I've seen before include "Rough fabric sized to be stiff" , "Coarse stuff" , "Coarse stiffened cloth" , "Bookbinding material - cub mark (anag)" , "Stiffened open-weave fabric" .)