R.M.Williams brings back locally made moleskins

Prestige outback outfitter R.M.Williams has brought home a fixture of its clothing offering to Australia’s shores – its moleskin trouser and jacket ranges.

The company teamed with an Italian artisan weaver Pontoglio Mill in the Brescia region of Italy to source the fabric, while skilled craftspeople sew and finish each product at its Adelaide workshop.

R.M.Williams denim jeans have already seen manufacturing onshored as have accesories such as picnic blankets.

First introduced by the company in the 1940s, moleskin is a heavyweight fabric crafted from woven carded cotton yarn and then lightly shorn to create a soft pile, similar in feel to the fur of the mole from which it takes its name.

Head of Product Development, Scott Faulder: “RM’s lifelong commitment to crafting products for the Australian outback is embodied by moleskin.

“It’s a heritage fabric that was so advanced for its time, still able to take on the elements with as much conviction now as it did back then.”

Moleskin has been adopted as a quasi-uniform for drovers, stockmen and shearers, and in early company catalogues was even heralded for its ‘snakebite proof’ strength.

After 80 years selling moleskin products the company claims to be ‘the largest and longest-serving manufacturer of moleskin products in the country’.

“We’re continually finding new ways to incorporate moleskin into our signature apparel collection, refreshing legacy silhouettes and reimagining different styles through its hardy lens.

“Our ambition to craft products for life is stronger now than ever before, and we firmly believe in the longevity of our moleskin products.”

Image: R.M.Williams