Material Matters: Visiting Our Jersey Manufacturing Partner in Guangzhou, China
Every Kloke garment is developed with a hands-on approach at our Melbourne workshop. From there, we partner with trusted manufacturers both locally and abroad to bring each style to life. We maintain close relationships with all our manufacturing partners and visit them regularly to oversee the process.
Just outside of Hong Kong, two brothers launched a clothing manufacturing business in the 1980's, laying the foundation for what would become one of our most valued manufacturing relationships. Today, the family workshop runs under the careful guidance of one brother and his nephew, specialists in cut-and-sew jersey items, they have maintained a rigorous commitment to quality, despite industry pressures to compromise.
Our journey with Andy and Leo began 10 years ago, long before our first production run. After admiring their craftsmanship for years, we finally began our collaboration three years ago. Selective about their partnerships, Andy and Leo are interested in building meaningful, lasting business relationships rather than transactional ones.
Fabric sourcing is a collaborative effort. Together, we select yarns from local mills, like the high-quality organic cotton we use to produce our t-shirts, and local mills supply greige fabrics that are either pre-dyed as yarn or dyed post-knitting to match our precise colour standards.
Andy and Leo's technical foundation means we can collaborate on specialised techniques like custom-knitted ticking stripes, special prints, and pigment-dyes designed to fade beautifully with wear. The premium jersey sweats in our upcoming AW25 collection showcase this expertise perfectly with raw flatlocking techniques, reminiscent of military finishes.
The workshop operates with a calm, organised energy. Its a space shaped by care — from the way work flows through the production floor to the long-standing relationships at its core. The factory is SEDEX certified, meeting internationally recognised standards for ethical trade and working conditions.
Our long-time merchandiser, Libby, has worked with the factory and Leo for over 20 years — a quiet testament to the positive, enduring culture within its walls.
"What stands out is their integrity", notes our in-house design team, as technicians carefully inspect each newly knitted roll of fabric during a recent visit. That same attention to detail flows through every stage of the process, and ultimately into the clothes we make.
We stay closely connected to production, not just in process but in partnership. From fabric development to finishing, our team works alongside skilled manufacturers who share our vision and understand the nuance of each design. It's this ongoing collaboration, built on trust, experience and shared standards, that shapes the quality our pieces are known for.