Materials

All used raw materials

Linen (LI)

The tradition of making linen goes back thousands of years; it is the oldest natural fibre used by human beings. As early as 5000 to 4000 B.C., the Egyptians, Babylonians and other cultures systematically cultivated flax plants for linen production. The process is still the same today.

Linen is used for lightweight summer clothing because the fabric feels cool and fresh on the skin. Because of the rigid fibres, the material is very durable. The smooth surface of the fibre is resistant to dirt and bacteria, making it good for people with allergies.

(Linen blended with cotton improves the fabric´s tendency to wrinkle and makes the trousers easier to care for.)

Cotton (CO)

For several thousand years, cotton has been a very popular raw material for clothing. Cotton´s many naturally beneficial properties – including high absorbance, durability, sturdiness and a soft feel – make the fabric practical for many different uses. Cotton trousers can be worn all year round.
Adding small amounts of elastane improves the fabric´s durability and elasticity.

Wool (WV)

In the 14th century, people in Spain began cultivating the finest sheep´s wool: merino. During the 18th century, Australia followed suit in the field of sheep breeding. Today, there are about 120 million sheep in Australia (11% of the world´s sheep population).
Their unusually good absorption qualities and outstanding insulation make wool trousers the ideal accompaniment. They have excellent elasticity and springiness, which prevents wrinkling. The softness and wearing comfort depend on the fineness of the wool. Lamb´s wool and fine merino wool are especially soft.

A special weaving process can be used to blend wool with cotton threads so that the inside of the fabric has a soft, non–scratchy surface that is pleasant to the touch. Merino wool is often combined with synthetic fibres; this reduces pilling, further reinforces the weave and makes the fabric machine washable.

kApok (KP)

Kapok, also known as Java cotton, comes from the fruit of the kapok tree, which is considered a sacred plant in many countries. Because of its gigantic size, up to 70 m in height, it was planted by early colonists as a border tree. The fibres are made from the wool–like seeds in the mature fruit. With a thickness of 0.035 g/cm³, kapok is the lightest–weight natural fibre in the world (6 times thinner than cotton fibres), and was long considered impossible to spin because of its lightness.

As a result, this water–resistant natural fibre was previously only used as filler, padding and insulation. Kapok is a 2–4 cm long hollow fibre that is 80% air, which ensures natural thermoregulation. Its outstanding climate features have only recently become usable in the clothing industry. By combining the fibres with high–quality, hand–picked cotton, manufacturers have designed a new fabric that is about 10% lighter than normal cotton and has a remarkably silky feel. To date, no allergic reactions to kapok have been reported. Trousers made of a cotton–kapok blend are recommended for people with allergies, because a bitter substance stored in the fibre has an antibacterial and antimicrobial effect.

Synthetic fibres

In 1925, German chemist Prof. Staudinger discovered that textile fibres are made up of many small molecules that are combined into macromolecules. This discovery was a breakthrough for the clothing industry, and it led to the production of the first synthetic fibres in 1931. To this day, the same formulas and processes are used, and are constantly being optimized.

The following is a brief description of the synthetic fibres we use.

pOlyester (PES)

This is the chemical fibre with the most useful properties, and the one most commonly used in the clothing industry. In addition to standard polyester fibres, there are various types available for different applications – they can be highly durable, flame–retardant, pilling–resistant, and so on. Each fibre has a specific application area.

Depending on how it is processed, the fibre surface can be very smooth and cooling or textured and warming. It absorbs almost no moisture, which guarantees very good moisture transport. The feel can be anywhere from soft to hard, which affects the wearing comfort. The fibres also have outstanding elasticity and flexibility. Adding polyester to a fabric increases its colour intensity, since the thread itself is coloured. For natural fibres, only the surface can be dyed.

eLastan (EL)

As the name indicates, elastane is known for its incredibly high elasticity. A single filament can be stretched by up to 800%, and when it is released it springs back to its original size. Elastane is especially suitable for preventing wrinkling and for increasing the stretch of a fabric.

eLastomultiester or T400 (EME)

T400 is a synthetically produced fibre. It is created through the interaction between at least two macromolecules in two or more different phases. The most important functional unit of the T400 are the ester groups that, with proper processing, immediately spring back to their original shape after being stretched to one and a half times their size. That means the fibre is especially elastic.