Rising production costs in Germany, dwindling availability of raw materials on the world market, increasing competition from the Asian market and other factors have severely restricted the production options for coating materials (in our case = base textiles such as polyester coated with shiny PUR or PVC) in Germany in recent years . Unfortunately, this has also included our long-standing supplier of the well-loved 300g/m² vinyl material, so that this proven supply source has gradually dried up in recent years. We currently only have remaining stocks of colors that are not in high demand - these include pink, rose, matt black and matt dark blue. This development was foreseeable after intensive discussions with the producer at the beginning of 2018, which is why we have been looking for new suppliers of similar high-quality materials with similar properties (shiny, flexible, robust, etc.) for some time.
What initially sounded like a fairly simple task has turned out to be almost impossible: Material samples from Chinese competing producers were too hard/inflexible, of inferior quality, defective or were simply delivered incorrectly even in the smallest quantities ordered for prototyping. We therefore had to rule out a long-term cooperation relatively quickly. Other suppliers call for purchase quantities beyond good and evil - for a small company like ours with a deliberately large range of colors, such order quantities simply cannot be handled without their own warehouse.
NEW: 342g/m² vinyl material
After many years of searching and many tests and prototyping, we finally found what we were looking for in South Korea. Initially produced as an alternative to our old 300g vinyl material in the same weight class, after a few test runs we have now agreed with the producer and supplier on a 342g/m² quality. This PU vinyl material consists entirely of 100% polyurethane - both the carrier layer consists of corresponding fibers and the "lacquered" coating.
Despite its slightly higher weight, the material is just as flexible as the well-known 300g alternative. A smooth, reflective and shiny surface, which, depending on the chosen color, has a slightly "squeaky" resistance when rubbed, are the properties of this vinyl material.
In the meantime, we have supplemented our vinyl material color chart accordingly. Further details on the new material can be found in our new material guide for vinyl fabrics.
NEW: Datex material (from within the EU)
Relatively new on the world market and brand new in our range: Datex material from European production. After the exit of Great Britain from the EU made it more difficult for us to obtain latex material and additionally made it more expensive, we started looking for alternative sources of supply last year. And fortunately we found what we were looking for within the European Union. And: The producer not only produces latex material up to a thickness of 0.5 mm, but also this new type of Datex material up to a thickness of 0.6 mm.
Basically it's the same as with vinyl fabric: Latex material (made from pure, natural latex, free of silicone and other additives) is applied to a textile carrier layer (in this case 27% polyamide and 4% elastane), resulting in an extremely robust mixture of materials, that is less susceptible to overstretching and tearing - but from the outside it is absolutely no different from conventional latex. It is also easier to process on our sewing machines.
Datex products are also very easy to put on and take off and reduce the sweating associated with other latex clothing. In short: Datex ensures a comfortable fit with traditional latex quality at the same time. For more details, see our material guide for latex.
NEW: Latex material from within the EU
As mentioned in the Datex material section above, we have identified a new source of latex material within the European Union. The material is available with a maximum thickness of 0.5 mm and can usually be delivered much faster than our previous latex, which is first shipped from Asia to Great Britain and from there imported into the EU. In terms of quality, the latex materials do not differ from each other, even if the color palette is different. Due to current world events, we therefore recommend that you chose EU latex for clothing that is to be made of thinner latex.
For more details, see our material guide for latex.
