We test the fibre composition of all our garments, including main fabrics, linings and waddings. You might be wondering, why is this necessary? Cotton is cotton, linen is linen…right? For pure natural fibres this isn’t usually a problem, but percentages of blends can sometimes vary. Through our testing, we can guarantee that what’s listed on the tag is exactly what you’re getting.

We carry out a range of chemical tests to ensure nothing harmful ends up in your clothing. We reject any material with high or low pH levels, banned AZO dyes or formaldehyde, which some manufacturers add for wrinkle resistance but can cause skin irritation. Keeping toxicity out of your clothes is a number one priority for us.

Hate the idea of your garment looking a mess after just a few washes? So do we. Dimensional stability refers to how the structure of a fabric changes with wash and wear, and this is one of our most critical tests to ensure garment longevity. During production, your clothes go through a number of mechanical processes – spinning, weaving, knitting, printing and finishing. Unstable materials and print processes can lead to deforming, weakening, or fading in your clothes. We test our garments by putting them through vigorous machine wash, hand wash or dry cleaning tests depending on the content. You can rest easy knowing your SABA piece will stay looking beautiful.

We want our favourite colours and prints to stay bold and bright – but between work, play and laundering, there can be a lot of elements working against us. That’s why our colourfastness tests are developed around daily life situations. We check for cross-staining and colour loss in wash cycles, using steel balls to emulate real-world abrasion. Rubbing tests ensure colours (especially dark ones) don’t transfer onto other clothes or surfaces. And we check for light resistance, perspiration resistance in jacket linings, and seawater and chlorine fading in swimwear. While these tests guarantee your colours will stay put for many years, all clothing eventually feels the effects of UV light and a lifetime of laundering. For tips on how to extend the life of your clothing, refer to our care guide.

Absolutely – that’s where our performance testing comes in. To make sure your garment is physically robust, we test the tear strength for woven fabrics and the bursting strength for knits. These both refer to the force required to either break or tear the fabric. We test to make sure the fabric doesn’t slip at the seams, that a stretch fabric will recover its shape by 90–95%, and that it can withstand abrasion and rubbing. Those last tests are done using a machine called a Martindale that rubs and abrades the fabric – up to 10,000 times to meet our high standards.

A lot of the time your clothes don’t need the washing machine or tumble dryer to be freshened up. For small stains, try spot cleaning with a gentle stain remover and a clean rag first. If that’s not quite getting there, go for a hand wash with delicate detergent. Both these methods save a lot of the water and energy that comes from a full wash cycle. If your clothes need more than just a scrub, read on for washing specifics for each of our fabric types. Did you know regular tumble drying can really wear out your fabrics, reduce the lifespan of your clothes and potentially cause shrinkage? We recommend air drying your SABA clothes in the shade wherever possible. Leaving your clothes in the sun for short periods can also help reduce odor, but please refer to the care label first as some fabrics don’t like direct sun.

Cotton can be hand or machine washed in cold, warm or hot water with similar colours. We recommend using cold water to prevent shrinkage, reduce the chance of dyes fading and use less energy in the wash cycle. Cotton can be warm tumble-dried, but we recommend line-drying in the shade as it’s gentler on the environment. Cotton can be ironed using a hot setting with steam.

Linen can be hand or machine washed in cold or warm water (up to 40C) with similar colours. We recommend a cold wash as it requires less energy than a warm wash. Use gentle detergents, don’t use bleach or optical whiteners, and avoid wringing your linen out. Linen can be warm or cool tumble-dried, but we recommend line-drying in the shade as it’s gentler on the environment. You can iron linen with a warm to hot setting, but it naturally creases so we often don’t bother!

Care should be taken when washing wool to prevent felting and shrinking. Never hot or warm wash wool – use cold or cool water only. It is best hand washed, but some of our garments can be gentle machine washed, so please check the care label. Only use a delicate detergent suitable for wool or protein fibres. Never rub, wring, or tumble dry wool garments. They should be gently reshaped and laid flat to air dry as line hanging can stretch the garment out of shape.

Silk should only be hand washed or dry cleaned. Wash in cool water with a gentle detergent suitable for protein fibres. Silk can be dried by hanging on a clothes hanger or lying flat. It should only be ironed on low heat, with the garment inside-out. Avoid leaving your silk clothes in direct sunlight as they are susceptible to fading and sun damage.

Man-made cellulosics can be hand or machine washed in cold water, however some must be dry-cleaned only – please check the care label. Use a gentle laundry detergent. MMC garments should be line and not tumble dried, and can be ironed on the coolest setting.

Polyester can be hand or machine washed in cold or warm water (up to 40C) with similar colours. We recommend a cold wash as it requires less energy than a warm or hot wash. Most detergents are suitable for polyester, but we always recommend using a gentle detergent. Polyester dries quickly on the line, so we recommend tumble drying only when you absolutely must, and on the coolest setting.

Leather doesn’t require any special products to be kept clean. Use a clean rag dipped in a solution of soap and water to gently wipe the surface. Don’t use chemicals or conditioners, do not iron and make sure you keep your leather products away from extreme heat or damp. Suede (the underside of the hide) must be kept away from water and treated only with a suede cleaning product.