The Atelier

Sofia Lara is the clothing label of Nitex-50, a mill in Sofia that has spun and woven apparel cloth on the same site since 1950.

The mill

Nitex-50 started weaving in 1950 and has not moved since. The machinery has been replaced several times over those years and the people have changed more than once, but the work has stayed the same. Fibre comes in at one end of the building and finished cloth leaves at the other. For most of that time the cloth left under someone else's name. Sofia Lara is the collection the mill makes for itself.

Everything under one roof

Spinning, weaving, dyeing, cutting and sewing all happen in the same building. The person choosing the yarn is a short walk from the looms, and the person cutting the cloth can see how it was finished the week before. Mistakes are found early and corrected in the same room, which is the practical reason this arrangement is worth keeping.

It also means a garment travels a few hundred metres between raw fibre and finished piece. Off-cuts stay in the building instead of going into a lorry, and a short run of cloth that no supplier would take an order for can simply be woven.

The cloth

Every fabric in the collection is woven here, for the garment it ends up in. Nothing is bought in finished and then cut to fit. The cloth is woven rather than knitted, so it holds its line and has no stretch, which is worth knowing when you choose a size. Colour is dyed in the same building, which is why shades across the collection sit together rather than nearly matching.

Nine pieces

There are nine pieces this season, each made in S, M and L. Nine is a small number and it is meant to be. A piece is added when the mill is satisfied with it rather than to meet a date, and that takes as long as it takes.

Shipping is free on every order and orders leave Sofia within two working days. A piece can be returned within 14 days.