Our production is the core piece.

Sustainability and responsible consumption reflect the spirit of the times and are much more than a short-term trend.

White fabric, folded into multiple layers and fixed in place with a red clip, preparation for the calendering process | mey®

Transparency in the supply chain

THE PRODUCTION STEPS AT MEY: FROM RAW MATERIAL PRODUCTION TO THE HIGH-QUALITY UNDERWEAR PRODUCT.

In the textile industry, the manufacturing process is described by the so-called four tiers. The raw material is grown or produced in tier 4, which is then spun into yarn in tier 3.

In the further course of the manufacturing process, the surface is produced by knitting or weaving the yarn (tier 2). In the so-called textile finishing process, the fabrics produced are dyed, printed and finished.

Making up is the final production step (tier 1). This is where the fabric is cut and the individual components are made into the final product by seamstresses.

The textile value chain is long and complex. From the extraction of raw materials to the high-quality underwear product, many processing stages are necessary.

Creating transparency in your own supply chain means understanding how your own supply chain is structured and which players are involved. Supply chain transparency is therefore a fundamental prerequisite for corporate due diligence – because only those who know their supply chain can organise it socially and ecologically.

Symbol of a pen drawing a line inside an oval, minimalist icon for individuality at mey underwear | mey®

DESIGN &
INNOVATION

FABRIC
PRODUCTION

Scissors cutting fabric, symbolising the cutting of textiles | mey®

CUTTING
OF FABRICS

Sewing machine in a circle, symbolising sewing and the production of textiles | mey®

SEWING &
PRODUCTION

QUALITY-
CONTROL

FABRIC CUTTING

Nähmaschine im Kreis, Symbol für Konfektion und Verarbeitung von Stoffen | mey®

CONFECTION

Open shipping carton in a circle, symbol for trade and shipping | mey®

TRADING

CONSUMERS

Our definition of quality, transparency and style

Sustainability and responsible consumption reflect the spirit of the times, are much more than a short-term trend and their importance is being reassessed. We continue to produce a large portion of our products in our factories in Germany, Portugal and Hungary. From the thread to the fabric, cutting and even the final product – more than 50% of added value is created in Germany.

mey new build in Albstadt, Germany with car park, company restaurant and the Bistro s ’ Albrecht | mey®

Map with in-house and external production sites of mey | mey®

Facts and figures: 2022

60 % Own production

34 % CMT (cut-make-trim)

6 % Full merchandise

Designer in women’s design department tries out a patterned tunic on a hanging tailor’s bust and checks the cut | mey®

Design and innovation

The design teams for women and men at mey surprise us each and every season with new creations, colour palettes and products. New garments and cuts are created, existing pieces are improved and optimised and lovely little accents are added – all with a view to provide durability, high quality and unique design.

One’s own individuality is the focus. The inner desire for modern authenticity and harmony comes first and foremost – both in terms of the materials and the colour palette. The focus is on premium fabrics that offer impeccable comfort. We believe that our durable products make a contribution to a better future. More sustainability, less fast fashion.

An employees checks the fit of a product on a tailor’s mannequin | mey®

An employee checks the fit of the garment on a dress form and makes subsequent improvements | Albstadt, Germany

Raw material production

Transparency through long-term partnerships and verification of real conditions on site.

The production chain in the clothing industry begins with the production of raw materials. One of the most important raw materials in the textile value chain is cotton.

We source our high-quality Peru Pima cotton yarn from a supplier in Peru with whom we have been working for over 40 years. During a visit to Piura, Peru, the management was able to gain an impression of the cotton cultivation, which is carried out in an environmentally friendly manner by hand and without the use of defoliants, and the working conditions.

Transparency and sustainability are not only firmly anchored in writing in our Code of Conduct, but are also lived practices within our supply chain.

Prepared spools of yarn for insertion into the knitting machine | mey®

Modern knitting machine in the knitting department in Albstadt, Germany | mey®

Yarns and fabrics

Innovation in the development of yarns and fabrics is one of our greatest strengths.

In addition to our long-standing partnership with our cotton supplier in Peru, we source yarns made in Germany from the regional Otto spinning mill. These are characterised by their fineness and special quality and are the basis for the first-class mey underwear items. We then develop and test numerous new material and yarn combinations in order to produce the perfect fabrics
for our products. Our fabrics are particularly durable, supple and soft and offer perfect wearing comfort. We manufacture around 82% of our fabrics on 97 individually configured knitting machines at our company headquarters in Albstadt (Germany).

Employee carries a roll of burgundy fabric for further processing | mey®

Employee carries a roll of fabric for further processing | Albstadt, Germany

Knitting and fabric production

With our large fleet of different knitting machines, we produce 82% of our fabrics at our company headquarters in Albstadt (Germany).

Our machinery in Albstadt (Germany) includes both body width machines, on which circular knitted fabric tubes are produced, which can then be cut into tops and bottoms without side seams, as well as machines for the production of wide fabrics.

This is also knitted in the round, but is then cut open on one side and rolled onto a reel. The result is a normal length of fabric.

A separate knitting machine is required for each clothing size on the body width machines. As no side seams are required later, the round fabric tube must correspond exactly to the size of the garment that will be made up later.

Modern knitting machine in the knitting factory in Albstadt, Germany | mey®

Employee checks the fabric from the calendering machine | mey®

Equipment

Treating the fabric panels with hot steam prevents the laundry from shrinking later on.

Thanks to our fabric finishing with the jet shrinkage system and the calenders, we reduce the subsequent shrinkage of the garments to up to four per cent. We take this value into account as early as the pattern design stage so that the product still fits like the first day even after many washes. The jet shrinkage system treats the fabrics in a similar way to a normal dryer, only on a larger scale. As a result, the fabric loses 10% of its possible lengthwise shrinkage.

Dyes and prints

mey underwear is bleached and coloured chlorine-free under the strictest regulations for people and the environment.

We work together with regional equipment partners. As our underwear touches the skin directly, we adhere to the strictest standards and guidelines for colours and prints.

All our colours must last for many washes and must not discolour or fade. We test these properties in an endurance wash test.

The introduction of STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification guarantees the colour fastness and testing of harmful substances of all end and preliminary products by the OEKO-TEX® Institute.

Fanned-out selection of Pantone colour swatches with different red and pink tones | mey®

Cutting of fabric

We use CAD cutters and punching machines to cut our garments to size.

Our expert knowledge and the use of punching machines and state-of-the-art automatic cutting machines guarantee consistently high accuracy.

The die cutter is mainly used to cut shirts and briefs that have been knitted as seamless tubular fabrics. Cutting with the CAD cutter is fully automatic. To ensure the dimensional accuracy of the cut parts, no more than 25 layers of fabric are processed in one step.

From a technical point of view, it would be perfectly possible to cut significantly more layers at the same time with the cutter, but the cut pieces would then deviate slightly from each other. This is not compatible with our high quality standards.

Cutting templates in light brown cardboard hang on a clothing rail | mey®

Employee takes a bundle of cut fabric from the tailoring table of the CAD cutter | mey®

Cut pieces are removed from the entire length of fabric and sorted for subsequent processing | Albstadt, Germany

Employee sews a special seam on a pair of white briefs with a special machine | mey®

Sewing of our products

Special techniques and care are used to create the perfect fit.

To ensure perfect comfort, we attach great importance to a high seam density (up to 13 stitches/cm). This guarantees a high elasticity of the seam and thus an optimal wearing comfort.

To guarantee quality, we check the products after each production step. This is the only way to end up with a product that impresses across the board: with first-class material and precise workmanship.