The Material We Use
For over 20 years Minikins purchased all its fleece from Malden Mills, a textile factory in Lawrence, MA that gained national attention for its support of workers who were laid off when a disastrous fire destroyed much of the mill a few years ago.
In 1979 a fabric that Malden Mills developed for Patagonia led to an explosive growth in production of high-tech fleece fabrics known collectively as Polartec®. Included under that name is the fabric known as polarfleece®, which we use exclusively at Minikins. There are many imitations of this original fabric, a number of which are inferior in durability, flammability and insulative properties. It is crucial to us that we offer our customers the highest quality garment we can make. So we pay a little more to get the best fabric. The fleece we use is lightweight, breathable, water resistant, does not break down in appearance, does not ball, itch or pick up odors. It's shrink-resistant and durable. It comes in brilliant colors and is non-flammable: a sensible fabric for the temperamental climate of Maine.
Malden Mills no longer exists and we are buying our fleece through another distributor but the fabric is still made by Polartec® LLC. Over the years this fantastic wonder fabric has only gotten better. Polartec® has rigorously worked to reduce pollutants and increase the production of recycled fabric from plastic soda bottles. We are proud to bring you our winter line of garments and accessories with the certainty that you are getting the highest quality material you can find anywhere.