Development & Production

Family-run productions in Italy & northern Portugal

In this article, we would like to give you a deeper insight into the development and production of our clothing. The journey from design to the finished product is a long one. We have to make a lot of decisions and, of course, make compromises from time to time in order to be able to produce beautiful, high-quality styles under fair conditions. To achieve this, we work exclusively with family-run production facilities based in Italy and northern Portugal - many of which have been in family hands for generations.

Knitwear in all its facets - from the very beginning, knitwear 'made in Italy' has been at the heart of every collection. We have had our knitwear produced exclusively in Italy from the very beginning. We also work with producers there who specialize in woven, denim and leather. The majority of our wovenwear and all jersey products, our swimwear and our accessories are manufactured in northern Portugal. To ensure the shortest possible transportation routes here too, we have opted for production sites that are as close to each other as possible. This not only simplifies our annual on-site visits, but also enables a resource-saving supply chain, as transport routes can be combined in this way. Our largest production facility in Portugal, for example, employs a maximum of 20 people, who work on our products with a great deal of time and dedication. Every item of clothing is made by hand. Depending on the material group, this can of course lead to small deviations within a size from time to time.

Material and fabric selection

We use natural materials for our yarns and fabrics, preferably from suppliers in Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece and Turkey. Whenever possible, we opt for sustainable options - for example, by using recycled cashmere, recycled cotton, Lyocell and Ecovero viscose. We select materials and fabrics in a variety of ways. Visits to trade fairs are an important source of inspiration for woven and jersey. Our agents and production partners are also passionate about helping us with the selection process.
When sourcing our materials, we also try to work with the same manufacturers for as long as possible and source materials from the respective countries of production, or alternatively from Europe.
Each item of clothing is made up of a large number of components and goes through a very long production chain. Ideally, as many components as possible can be obtained from one source and are then only assembled by one manufacturer. However, this is not always possible in order to do justice not only to the look, but also to the feel and durability of our styles.

Lining
From AW 24/25, we will be working with a German fabric dealer for the logo lining of our coats. The location in Germany and the quality standards have completely convinced us. The fabrics are woven and certified at various locations in Europe.

Buttons
We source our buttons from Portugal. We use stone nut buttons for the majority of our styles. Alternatively, we work with buttons made from recycled plastic with a horn look to avoid the use of real horn. We have also visited and inspected these production facilities and are in regular contact with our partners.

Denim

In our Autumn/Winter 24/25 collection, we have started an exciting new chapter: for the very first time, we are presenting denim in our collection.

The first pieces, our jeans JEAN and our shirt GIGI, are the result of a long and intensive journey. The search for a suitable producer and the entire development process demanded a lot of work, expertise and dedication from our design and production team. Our aim was to implement every detail perfectly and to fulfill our high standards. One of the materials used in the production of our denim is recycled cotton, which is produced and washed with the utmost care in Portugal.

The love is in its details. Every element of our denim pieces has been carefully thought through: from branded trims to our AK stitching and leather patches - every detail is an expression of our brand identity and our quality standards. Our selected producer, with whom we already have a trusting working relationship, fulfills all of our quality criteria and implements our vision perfectly.

Certificates

Certificates play a crucial role in the textile industry as they guarantee the quality, sustainability and safety of textile products. In a world where consumers are becoming more conscious shoppers and more critical of environmental impacts, certificates have become an important tool to build trust and monitor compliance with standards. Whenever possible, we opt for sustainable and certified options - for example by using recycled cashmere, recycled cotton, Lyocell and Eco Vero Viscose. We try to source our animal fibers from certified ethical breeding suppliers.

Mulesing-free
Mulesing is the removal of the skin around the tail of sheep without pain and is unfortunately a common procedure in the fashion industry to prevent infestation with fly maggots (myiasis). Since AW 24/25 we only use mulesing-free certified wool.

Leather Working Group
As a matter of principle, we only work with partners who are part of the Leather Working Group. The Leather Working Group is a non-profit organization responsible for the world's leading environmental certification of the leather manufacturing industry. It works on sustainable practices to reduce the environmental impact of leather production. Our partners are members of the Leather Working Group and are awarded at least a "Silver" rating, but usually the highest "Gold" rating. The leather we use is certified to high environmental standards, its origin is traceable and it is a verifiable waste product from the food industry. It is also chrome-free tanned, which means it has been treated with vegetable and synthetic substances to give it its soft, supple surface and make it durable. Although this process is considerably more cost-intensive than conventional chrome tanning, it is also much more environmentally friendly.

GOTS, Better Cotton, OEKO TEX
Some of the materials we use are already GOTS, BCI or OEKO TEX certified. However, before we can publicly certify the end products, the entire supply chain must be checked. We are continuously working to fulfill all conditions step by step and to combine sustainability, quality and design within our label.