Sourcing Quality

A new year – a new theme. That’s how we’ve done it at Maloja since the very first day. It’s also why, since 2004, we have managed to create 15 completely new collections with such a wide range of motifs. In the summer we gave you a brief glimpse into the creative development processes for the current 16th collection, “Laya – Where the Mountains Are”. Now we’re using examples of various products to show you how we select and test different materials and of course how important sustainability is for us in the process.

Material Sourcing

The range of materials we use for our products is vast, which is why, when looking at the absolutely massive array of materials on offer, we take extra care to select the ones that are ideally suited to making the products in precisely the way we envision them. Depending on the field of activity, we ask ourselves: How thick does the material need to be? Do we need stretch? How abrasion resistant and durable is it? How light? How heavy? Other factors include quality, comfort, longevity, sustainability...
On top of that we also look at the body as a sort of topographical map: What areas need insulation? Which ones need weather protection? Where does a garment need to breathe? If we find the most appropriate material for all of these areas, great, but often the available possibilities multiply when we find the right mix of materials. For example, with the ShonM. jacket we use a light, windproof nylon material, a breathable stretch material and PrimaLoft® padding for insulation. All tolled, our current collection uses 118 different materials.

Gore-Tex Pro

If there is any product on the market that embodies “absolutely waterproof”, then it’s Gore-Tex. For years we have put our faith in this technology and used it in our wide range of functional products, but to go and test the material itself at Gore’s rain tower was a new experience for us.
v Gore-Tex Pro, a product we are now using as of this collection, is one of the highest-level and most technical material categories at Gore and must therefore be able to withstand the harshest conditions: In the so-called “Storm test”, water literally comes from all sides, sometimes as a light mist and sometimes as driving rain. Our designer also had to withstand all of those storms and the KlausM.jacket proved that it is absolutely waterproof, right down to the last stitch.

Naturally

We have always tried to use natural fibres to the greatest extent possible in our garments, which is why we are constantly developing new blends that optimally combine the various advantages of natural fibres with one another while also expanding the range of fibres we use. In our current collection we feature hemp, modal, tencel, yak and merino wool, but the largest proportion of the collection is made up of organic cotton: In our streetwear it is used in roughly 85 percent of the products we offer. It is also very important that our supply chain is as short as possible: 75 percent of our products are manufactured in Europe, either at operations run by our Lithuanian partner, bioRe®, or at GOTS-certified production facilities in Portugal.