First, the wool fibers must be laid into a fine fiber fleece. This is done by the so-called „carding machine“. Depending on the quality and the colour you want to achieve, the raw wool is mixed on this machine according to special recipes. This fiber fleece is then divided into strips and rounded into a roving at the so-called “Nitschelwerk”. A roving is not yet tear-resistant. Therefore, the roving is inserted into the ring spinning machine, that creates a tear-resistant woolen yarn (as we know it) by continuously twisting and simultaneously stretching the roving. 

After gaining the woolen yarn, it is woven into a fabric. This process is also done by machines at a speed where the weaving is almost invisible to the naked eye. Nevertheless, the trained weavers have a lot to do. Sometimes a thread can break and has to be reworked. 

Now comes the decisive production step that turns a simple wool fabric into a special loden fabric.  

The woven fabric is pulled over rollers under the influence of moisture and heat, causing it to felt. This is known as “fulling”. This process causes the woven fabric to shrink in length and width, depending on the intensity of the fulling. For example, a 2.50 m wide woven fabric can become a loden of only 1.50 m. 

The intensity of the fulling then also determines the properties of the loden. The stronger and longer the fabric is milled, the more water- and wind-repellent it becomes, as the surface of the fabric is better “sealed”. Nevertheless, it never loses its breathability due to the temperature and moisture-regulating properties of the wool. 

After fulling and after the loden has been washed clean again, it is clamped into the shearing machine. This cuts the short fibers that are created during the fulling process to a hundredth of a millimeter. 

Finally, the loden is placed in the decatizing machine. This process is similar to hot steam ironing. This final step is important to ensure that the finished garment retains its shape.