How We Make It: Atlas Sweaters at Vista
We’re inventors, and we love learning how and where things are made. Manufacturing is such a critical part of great products, and are our means for translating design into real products. We wanted to share behind the scenes on how our product is made, and let you meet our incredibly innovative partners.
Vista Apparels Limited
Name of Factory:
Vista Apparels Limited
Location:
Dongguan, Guangdong, China
What we make there:
Atlas Full-zip, Atlas 1/4 Zip, Atlas Merino Crew and V-neck Sweaters
Team:
Ryan, Emily & Mr. Penh
Why we chose them:
Vista Apparel has been making our Mercury Sweaters (2014-2015), All Seasons (2016) and Atlas Sweaters (2017 + ) for 5 years now. Vista’s factory is based in Dongguan, China in which is about a 90-minute train ride north from Hong Kong. They have a unique combination of some of the most advanced knitting machines like Shima Seiki WholeGarment machines used in our 3D Print-Knit products, as well as expertise and the craft to manually make certain components of our product. This blend of invention and convention, craft and automation result in incredibly technical, durable and beautiful knitwear.
Vista is located in the Dongguan manufacturing region, a hotbed for apparel and high-tech electronics manufacturing.
Some components need to be made on manual knitting machines that allow small production runs of small pieces such as zipper facings.
The yarn winding room is where spools of yarn are rewound and waxed to allow for error-free production.
We're able to make a wide range of products on these computerized knitting machines which create component panels of sweaters that are then manually linked together.
Some procedures are best done by hand. Manual linking is a highly-skilled process that individually links panels together for a seam that can't be felt.
Fine gauge knitting machines used in our Atlas Sweaters.
A perfect blend. Extra-fine 19.5 micron Australian merino wool, polyester and elastane for a resilient, warm and soft sweater.
The finishing room where sweaters are steamed and inspected. Washing occurs at a separate centralized washing facility which properly filters washed out dye and particulate fibers.
A needle bed on a large-gauge knitting machine for high-loft products.
