Manufacturing

7mesh sources the best raw materials we can find, or create. We work directly with mills and vendors globally, and purchase materials from Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Our products go through multiple rounds of design, prototyping, wear testing and revision, all done in-house at our Squamish, BC office, before being considered for manufacturing. We then work with some of the best technical apparel manufacturing facilities in the world to finish commercialization, while adding their expertise. 

Generally, this collaboration goes well beyond typical supplier interactions – we have long-standing relationships with factory owners, management and staff, and tend to think of them as part of our team. This gives us a global community of contributors, collaborating to make the best possible products for a worldwide community of riders. Currently, almost all of our manufacturing takes place near Guangzhou in Southern China. Our two main manufacturing partners are:

KTC (Knowledge Technology Craft) - an Austrian-owned factory with a rich history building outstanding technical apparel across several industries - from sailing and workwear to ski, cycling, and outdoor. They are committed to high standards of performance and ethics, and were founders of the Fair Wear Foundation. KTC is a certified manufacturer of Gore-Tex apparel.

UAS (United Apparel Solutions) - a Swiss-owned factory that has specialized in the manufacture of high performance cycling apparel for more than 30 years. Alongside 7mesh, Outskin makes for Cuore, Rapha, MAAP, 2XU, and others. Authentic lifelong riders, last year two of UAS’s team rode Unbound Gravel XL, while four of us rode the Unbound 200.

Following delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have resumed diversifying our manufacturing base, with new factory partners in Asia and Europe to be part of our mix in 2024. All of our manufacturing partners regularly pass social & environmental audits, and our outerwear partners are Gore-Tex certified manufacturing facilities. We are currently developing our own manufacturing Code of Conduct to be incorporated into our manufacturing standards manual.

If Canadian manufacturing is important to you, here are two brands supporting the creation of maker jobs in our home country:

NF designs and manufactures mountain bike apparel in British Columbia.

Trees designs and manufactures mountain bike apparel in Quebec.

If you are interested in our manufacturing Code of Conduct you can review a draft version here.