Weaving

This garment has been woven by M.J. Bale partner weaver, Tessuti di Sondrio, in Italy's Lombardy region. Tessuti di Sondrio have been weaving in the town of Sondrio, a UNESCO heritage site nestled in the heart of the Italian Alps, since 1895. A certified Masters of Linen® weaver, Tessuti di Sondrio weave some of the world's most premium cloth according to the strictest environmental, social and economic governance standards in Italy. They are certified ISO 14001 and SA 8000 Tessuti di Sondrio's linen-cotton fibre for M.J. Bale is sourced from European Flax-certified and organic cotton growers only (see FIBRE SOURCE).

Grown by ecologically progressive flax farmers in France, Belgium and The Netherlands, linen is a sought-after menswear summer fibre because of its rigidity, strength, lightness and moisture-wicking properties. Woven into cloth, it is slightly rough in feel, breathable because of the hollow nature of flax and mildly absorbent – a perfect fabric for high summer. Cotton, on the other hand, is a softer natural fibre, with greater give and flexibility. It makes for a smooth spring-autumn cloth and is highly absorbent. Together, this linen-cotton blend provides the best of both worlds – a robust but just-flexible-enough cloth, with the weaker cotton fabric smoothing out the rough linen. Constructed into a tailored garment, it’s a fabric to last through the years if sparingly dry cleaned and instead steamed often.