Who Made Your Clothes, part 1, Agtuvi

This article series by Varusteleka is part of the global Fashion Revolution Week, the idea of which is to make the sourcing, manufacture, and sales of clothes more ethical and transparent. This is perfect for all the good guys, including us. That's why we were very happy to participate.

During this campaign week, we publish a seven-article series that introduces our partners and their fantastic gang that makes your clothes and accessories. First, we will give the floor to Agtuvi from Tampere Finland.

Agtuvi makes some of your Särmä products

Agtuvi has been operating in Tampere, Finland since 1975. And they have been making our Särmä products since 2015. During these fruitful years, we have designed a bunch of products together from merino fingerless gloves to the merino wool terry overall. Today they manufacture 22 different products for us. These come in numerous variations because there are 12 different colors and other options. Nearly all of the products are made from merino wool.

All the merino wool used is mulesing-free. High-quality merino wool feels softer and smoother than regular wool. Merino wool quite logically comes from merino sheep that are raised in the Southern Hemisphere. The raw wool comes from New Zealand, Argentina, and South Africa. The yarn is purchased from Italian yarn factories. Long customer relationships and visiting the suppliers help maintain the high quality requirements.

The raw materials are transported to the factory in Tampere using trucks. They are ordered in big quantities to minimize transportation needs.

Most of the work is done at the Agtuvi factory in Tampere, the rest at their partners’ premises in the same region in Finland.

For Agtuvi, responsible production means a transparent production chain and good working conditions. The company wants to promote high-quality and reliable textile industry and production and tell the consumers and business partners how high-quality products are made in Finland.

Anna

From left Anna, Lassi, and Markku who has retired.

How long have you worked at Agtuvi?

Nearly two years.

What do you do there?

I work with yarns and and needle machines.

How did you get into this business?

I have done all sorts of textile-related stuff, including dying yarns and woven carpets. Then I happened to end up here doing this.

How do you like your job?

I like it a lot.

Kristin

How long have you worked at Agtuvi?

About two years in this August.

What do you do there?

I primarily sew and seam.

How did you get into this business?

I like clothes and when I was younger, I used to modify my own clothes.

How do you like your job?

I like it very much. I enjoy seeing the product taking shape, and I like looking at the end result.

Satu

How long have you worked at Agtuvi?

This January was my twentieth here.

What do you do there?

Primarily I work with different cutting tasks, such as making the cutting plans, spreading, and cutting with a band saw. Sometimes I also substitute at sewing.

How did you get into this business?

This wasn't actually my dream profession when growing up, but it was a very easy choice.

How do you like your job?

I like it a lot because it is very versatile with all different materials and tasks. All my colleagues are fantastic and the atmosphere is wonderful.

Lassi

From left Anna, Lassi, and Markku who has retired.

How long have you worked at Agtuvi?

About seven years.

What do you do there?

I use the machines that turn yarns into knitted products. At the same time I take care of the yarn warehouse, and maintain, install, and program the machinery.

How did you get into this business?

By a lucky coincidence. I moved to Tampere and started looking for a new job here. I probably charmed everybody at the interview by telling that I will learn new gadgets and software quickly, because I had no background or knowledge in this business. I simply started learning the ropes with the old master, Markku. I guess I learned it pretty well because now this apprentice carries on the master's work while he went to enjoy his hard earned retirement.

How do you like your job?

It suits me because I really enjoy finding out how things work. I have many puzzles to solve and my duties are very versatile. I have lots of freedom to find the best possible practice. And the colleagues are really cool, too!

Krista

How long have you worked at Agtuvi?

I am one of the owners. I came along in 2010.

What do you do there?

In a family business everyone does pretty much everything. However, my main responsibilities are financial administration, photography, marketing/social media, and some of the export affairs.

How did you get in this business?

I came here after finishing my studies abroad.

How do you like your job?

Each day is different and all the successes give a nice boost forward. Luckily we have an amazing team without whom we wouldn't be able to make a single knitted merino cap.