Are we really so old fashioned? Well you see, it is all to do with our raw material, pure new wool.

New, untreated wool not only retains its natural oils, the fibres encapsulate tiny air pockets and this enables the fabric to exchange heat and humidity in a way that other natural and synthetic materials cannot match. Wearing pure new wool is much healthier. You are less likely to catch cold and people suffering from problems such as gout or rheumatism feel much better if they wear wool. It helps against these problems in later life too. It is hard to believe but pure new wool can actually absorb 35% of its own weight in moisture before it feels wet.

Pure new wool clothes are comfortable and crease resistant. Because of its ability to compensate for changes in temperature it is warm in winter but also pleasant to wear in summer. The natural oils in wool dirt so to clean the clothes it is usually enough to brush and air them.

So now we come to the question of why we may seem a bit old fashioned. Wool, pure new quality wool, needs time. It has to be processed slowly. Modern mass production machines can simulate the process but they make the fibres brittle. The chemicals which the mass producers use to rectify this destroy much of the ability to compensate for temperature and humidity changes. You sweat and are more troubled by staic electricity in your clothes. That is why we still use old machines and processes. It lets us retain all the natural properties of the wool. It leads to outstanding quality.

The first step is to select the right wool or wools for the cloth, or “Loden” as we call it. A fine “Loden” will be warm in winter and light and comfortable in summer. Heavier “lodens” will be very warm and durable. The wool or blend of wools is combed by a carding machine and then spun into a fine yarn. Some of the yarns are sold as knitting wool. We make some of it into knitwear such as high Quality socks, gloves, mittens, sweaters, cardigans and pullovers. Some yarns are woven into a fabric which is then “Walked” (fulled in English).

“Fulling” is a process in which the cloth (“Loden”) is hammered in warm water (40-45C). This causes it to compact to 40% of its original size. It is then gently washed in mild soap suds.

The way we make clothes has several benefits. “Walked” cloth is very hard wearing. Traditional jackets have been known still to still be in wear after 20 years or more. Air held in the fabric lets it compensate for changes in temperature and humidity. A “Walked” (Fulled) garment is pretty near windproof and is very water resistant. Depending on the type our “Loden” will bear 2 to 6 hours of rain without soaking through.

The finishing involves dyeing and drying and the cloth is napped or shorn and ironed twice.

All our products are sold in our own “Lodenwalke” showrooms. We do not export or supply other stores.

Quality has always been our watchword. The 16 steps in our manufacture even include careful natural air drying of our cloths to give a soft and comfortable feel to them. Our blankets ares till napped with thistles which prevents the build up of static electricity. Pure new wool blankets are said to be best next to the skin.

Lodenwalke clothes are worn by satisfied customers in many distant parts of the world. They have found that our attitude to quality suits them just as well as our clothes do.

To find out more, please come and see us, Phone or fax. We will be pleased to hear from you.

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opening hours:
Monday to Friday 8 a.m - 6 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

We are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
open all year round!

You can find our timeless fashion, which resists both, weather and trends, available on a 500 m² shopfloor. We offer a wide range of high quality sports and winter wear, suits, practical jackets, coats, traditional Schladming socks and accessories made from pure virgin wool.
Our sales people will happily advise you whilst our in-house tailors are available for small alterations.

All our products are produced and sold exclusively in the Lodenwalke in Ramsau and are not available in any other shops. (shipping available)

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Just below the grandiose Dachstein Massif is the picturesque high Alpine plateau of Ramsau, home of the famous Schladming Loden. Our earliest records date from 1434.

This year the Bishop of Admont sent out a tax demand asking for settlement. Records say ”… Stubich and Eberl pay the provost 3 elles of the excellent Enns, a valley cloth produced in Rössing…”

Although the ownership has changed over time, the business has always remained in the hands of local people. Following flooding in 1608, the buildings were moved from the opposite side of the river to their current location. Our Lodenwalke is, to this day, the oldest business in the province.

The Lodenwalke remained unaltered right up to the middle of the eighteen hundreds, when the first carding machines were purchased. These were brought 150 kilometres by cart from Leoben, no easy task in those days. Later, in 1860, Johann Walcher purchased the first spinning machines. Some time later his son Zacharias imported knitting machines from Germany and developed the thick walked (filled) wool socks that have become one of our most sought after products.

The title page shows the old workshop which we are working to preserve for future generations. Following another flood in 1938, we built our first new works on higher ground allowing us to introduce numerous improvements to our production processes.

Our machines are now powered by economical electricity produced by our own two small hydroelectric plants.

In addition to our hardwearing Loden, we are also renowned for our extensive range of high quality suits and overcoats made from fine merino wool.

Records, contracts of purchase and tax payments can be traced as far back as 1434. Although the ownership has changed over the years, the business has always remained in the hands of local people.

Around 1825 the  familiy “Steiner” arrived at the Lodenwalke. The siblings, Susanne and Zacharias Walcher, worked together to run the Lodenwalke, in Ramsau.

Zacharias daughter Susanne met and married Johann Steiner, a famous mountaineer and mountain guide. They inherited the business upon Zacharias death. Susanne and Johann founded the present family.
Georg Steiner, upholding the long family tradition, owned the Lodenwalke until 2006 and since last year his oldest son, Jörg Steiner, has owned and ran the family tradition.
Other members of the family have an associated company a few kilometres away in Mandling.

Loden (fulled cloth) is a fabric that was developed by local farmers many years ago. The hardy mountain sheep of the region provide the raw material which, in turn, provides the outstanding quality to Schladming fabrics and wool products. (Schladming is the main town in our area)

The wool was originally carded with a couple of nails driven through a bit of wood. Then the women of the farm would spin the wool into yarn throughout the long winter evenings. Skilled weavers would take their looms from farm to farm and weave the yarn into a coarse cloth. This rough cloth would then be taken to the Lodenwalker (Cloth fuller). 100 square meters of cloth is compacted by into just 42 square meters of the famous Schladming “Perlloden” (pearl cloth). As a result this fabric is both exceptionally tough and durable.

Despite technical progress, the basic process has remained the same for 500 years. The beautiful dappled grey “Perlloden” can not be crafted by modern mass production methods. It is, of course, the traditional wear of our region but its exceptional qualities are now prised by people all over the world.

The craftsmen and women who have been working with us from the same families, for just as long, help to maintain the tradition of the Lodenwalke.

The gentle old treatment of the wool is obviously noticeable and the phrase “wool needs time” is much more than a slogan for our famous fabrics.

Even though the buildings and machines have been adapted for the present day, the spirit of the business has remained the same. At 1,000 metres above sea level things have their own pace. We still, not only value but rely upon the cooperation with our local community. There are business and family connections which stretch back for generations. Many of our craftsmen and women have been working with us from the same families for just as long.

The old folk used to say “wool needs time”. That is exactly how we work. There are no short cuts to quality. Many visitors have found their way to this quiet corner of the world and discovered a place where they can take their time in choosing fine country clothes that they are proud to wear at any time, any place, anywhere in the world. To them and to the many people who we hope will come to see us for the first time we wish,

“G’sund tragen!”    (it means: “feel well in our clothes!”)

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This garment is made of pure new wool.

Pure new wool is a natural fiber, which comes from the shearing of live sheep, and therefore has air spaces.  It breathes and makes for an ideal temperature balance (warm in the winter and cool in the summer).  Furthermore it can absorb up to 35% of its own weight in humidity, keeping you dry and comfortable.

It is important to air clothes made of pure new wool often.  The wool cleans itself thereby.  To remove dirt and odors, and refresh the colors, moisten a clothes brush with a mild solution of vinegar in water, and brush the garment from top to bottom.

Garments which are unlined can be handwashed: both wash gently and rinse in handwarm water (Lodenjanker, skirts, trousers, etc.).  Lined clothing should be gently dry cleaned (coats, jackets, blazers, etc.)

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http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/216805.ganz-natuerlich-pferde-loden-und-bioniere.html

http://www.ramsau.com/pdf/Suedwestpresse_Langlaufen-lernen_PF-M.Hoena.pdf

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Nur kurzarm T-Shirt und nur in Blitz Blau, für Damen und Herren

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