We Are Knitters At Heart!
It’s the classic transformation story of the little thread that could; each one carefully selected to join together and form the perfect Wolford garment.
With a strong commitment to ingenuity, engineering and quality as a humble beginning, Reinhold Wolff and Walter Palmers established their sock and stocking factory here in Bregenz on the shore of Lake Constance back in 1950. With the arrival of circular knitting machines to create seamless stockings, plus the first integration of nylons in hosiery in Europe, the foundation of Wolford was built. Thus, Wolford was capitulated to becoming the leading global fashion brand of today for high quality and sustainable legwear, lingerie and bodywear.
At Wolford, we are acutely aware of the stake that smart innovations have in making our world a better place and want to lead by example. We know that it is time to respond to the changing requirements that the environment and society place on us. Today, we evaluate innovations not only from technical or economic perspectives. Rather, we take into consideration the effects that new products and processes have on the environment and society. More than ever, this requires us to pool the collective knowledge of geniuses in all fields of the knitting and textile industry and beyond. Amongst others, we work with masterminds in research and development, knitting, dying, supply chain management, sustainability and quality control to provide you not only with the finest yarns and fibers on offer but also to ensure that all our products fulfill or surpass environmental and social requirements. It is our nerds that ensure that you do not only look and feel amazing while wearing our products but that you can also enjoy them in good conscience.
We are aware that the evolving demand for smart innovations entails considerable commitment and does not come cheap. However, we see it not as a barrier but as an opportunity for growth. When environmental and social aspects are considered all the way from product design to end-of-use, complex and costly adjustments can be avoided and solutions for better processes arise. While innovation is at our core, it is not only internally fostered. In reality, Wolford also consults a wide array of external masterminds and engages in strategic partnerships that allow for mutual advancement. To accelerate product innovation, and develop a more holistic understanding of our own actions and affected players, we are member of the Smart Textiles Platform Austria. Centered in Vorarlberg (Austria), which is considered the “Textile Silicon Valley”, this platform forms one of the largest textile consortiums in the world and focuses on smart innovation through the application of technical textiles. Besides facilitating collaborations, this platform strongly encourages international technology exchanges amongst textile companies and beyond industry boundaries (e.g. through the annual textile symposium SALTEX).
Furthermore, to further advance in the field of Sustainability in general and in circular business models in particular, we are engaged in a consortium referred to as COIN (Cooperative Innovation). By bringing together fifteen companies that all produce Cradle to Cradle individual components for the hosiery and lingerie industry in Vorarlberg (Austria), this consortium was critical in the development of our first Cradle to Cradle hosiery and lingerie collection.