Before we make a run of any piece, a sample of it comes to Manila. It goes through seven checks there, and a run is made only from a sample we have approved.
The look up close
We study the stitching, the embroidery, the colour and the surface of the knit. We compare each with what we asked the factory to make. The knit should be soft and matte, not shiny.
A UV card in full sun
We lay a UV card under the knit in full Manila sun and watch the card. It is a quick check we can see with our own eyes. It comes before the lab test, never in place of it.
Three hours of wear in Manila heat
Someone wears the sample for three hours in Manila heat. We note how the knit feels and how quickly it dries, and whether the cut still sits well at the end.
Ten washes
We wash the sample ten times as the care label says: cold, inside out, then hung to dry. After the last wash we check its size, its colour, its seams and its embroidery.
Seams, embroidery and size are what our 100 day promise covers, so we test them before you ever wear the piece.
The fit on two different builds
The sample is tried on two people of different builds and measured against our size chart. A cut can look right on one body and wrong on another, so one fitting is not enough.
The weight
We weigh the sample, because our knit should be light. The weight tells us whether the fabric is the one we agreed on, not a heavier or thinner one.
The factory’s paperwork
Last, we read the paperwork that comes with the sample and check it against the piece in our hands. What the papers say has to match what we can see and measure.
Then the run, checked again
Our own fabric, in our own colours, also goes to an accredited lab for testing under the Australian and New Zealand standard. We publish the report on this site the day it arrives.
When a run arrives, we check it against the approved samples before anything ships. A sample is one piece and a run is many, so we make sure the run matches the sample that passed.
Until the report is in, we say only what we can show: our pieces are made to block the sun.
