The name Ernst Alexis has stood for top quality shirts for over one hundred years. Today, the family company from Western Sweden supplies B2B customers from all over Scandinavia with perfectly-coordinated corporate fashion.

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Johan (l) and Thobias Pettersson.

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Founded in 1930, the factory in Aplared is still the headquarters today, including a sewing shop for prototypes.

The region around Borås, which is just under an hour’s drive to the East of Gothenburg, used to be a kind of “Swedish Manchester”: Spinning and weaving mills as well as manufacturing companies for the water and energy-intensive cotton processing industry sprang up alongside the River Viskan. The headquarters of numerous textile brands of international renown are still located here and all over the region former factory buildings, industry monuments and streets that were named after textile manufacturing terms tell the story of the former centre of the Swedish textile industry. Ernst Alexis can also recount one such story. “As in many parts of Sweden, the soil in our province is not good for agricultural purposes,” explained Johan Pettersson, who is running the company in the fourth generation together with his brother, Thobias. “Most of the population were small farmers and extremely poor. So, the textile industry offered a welcome extra income and as such almost all of the families in the surrounding village communities worked from home as sewers.” Good prerequisites for the great-grandfather of today’s bosses, the master tailor, Ernst Alexis Pettersson, who was born in 1891 and who founded the company at the beginning of the 20th Century. “Our roots lie in the region and in handicraft tradition,” stated Pettersson. “From the very beginning, Ernst Alexis placed the priority on perfect fits, precision and quality. One mustn’t forget that one hundred years ago, different demands prevailed.” Fashion in today’s sense of the word didn’t exist, clothes were nearly always also work clothes and primarily had to keep for a long time, as Pettersson explained. “The fact that we produce corporate fashion today is just one of many points that links us with the past. My father also was a tailor and my brother I grew up between shirts and sewing machines.”
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Ernst Alexis can even make shirts out of individually imprinted material.

In the 1930s, Ernst Alexis opened up a small factory in Aplared, the building is still the headquarters of the company that currently employs a headcount of eleven people. This is where the team draws up all the designs and creates the patterns and where the prototypes are sewn together in their own sewing workshop – for example for custom-made designs – which are sent out to the customer within a few days for approval. Around thirty years ago, the company relocated its main production to Eastern Europe, as Pettersson explained: “We produced in Sweden up until 1989, today we have the garments sewn in Lithuania and the Ukraine. Furthermore, we also have a production line for knitted items in Poland as an enhancement to the shirts.” All of the textile factories are long-standing partners, whom Ernst Alexis cooperates closely with. “A trusting relationship, short communication routes and around 80 people working for us not only guarantee high flexibility, but also a consistent level of quality. After all, we strive to make the best shirts in the corporate wear segment.”

More shirt is not possible

An Ernst Alexis shirt comprises of at least 21 individual parts that are carefully sewn together in around 55 individual steps using a long thread and short stitches. The buttonholes are neatly edged, the buttons are sewn on tightly and the thread knotted. Small details that make a big difference – in the appearance, in the wearing comfort and in the service life. The standard lineup comprises of 164 models, including classic business shirts for men and women, sporty versions in Oxford, jeans or flannel look as well as fashionable patterns, heavy-duty executions for professions that are exposed to high wear and tear and much more. The company pays particular attention to the selection of the fabrics: “We purchase everything ourselves, mainly from famous Italian and Austrian weaving mills,” commented Pettersson. “The customers have among other things the choice between pure cotton or combined material blends, various weaving types such as poplin, twill or two-ply as well as extra features like non-iron or breathable Coolmax®. Of course, we also offer organic cotton, which is becoming more and more popular.” All shirts are available as slim, contemporary or classic fits and as a lady’s fit, whereby the sizes range from 34 to 50 for ladies’ garments and from XS to 4XL for men depending on the respective execution. “In every team there are people of different heights and shapes, who are all supposed to cut a clean figure. It is essential that the workwear fits properly to convey a professional appearance and of course everyone should feel comfortable wearing them,” stressed Pettersson. The items are usually customised with an embroidery, whereby the company also offers more detailed individualising options such as sewn-in labels, colour-coordinated stitching and buttons.

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Comprising of 164 models, the standard collection boasts numerous cuts, fabrics and design options.

In order to stay competitive regarding delivery lead-times in spite of the large line-up, Ernst Alexis has according to own accounts one of the largest warehouses for shirts in Scandinavia, which is located nearby in Dalsjöfors. “We can deliver standard goods immediately even for minimum orders of one piece,” informed Pettersson. “Tailor-made designs take seven to 20 days depending on the additional effort involved.” The latter are one of the shirt specialists’ strengths. On request, the company also realises models that are completely individual from the fabric, to the collars, sleeves and extras, through to the yarn and buttons. Ernst Alexis can even make shirts out of individually imprinted material: Here, rolls of the fabric are initially imprinted with the customer’s pattern or motif and then it is cut and sewn together. It goes without saying that such a manifold portfolio requires lots of explanation. “In spite of our very detailed catalogues, the customer normally only comprehends the scope of all we can do once we have discussed our services in the course of an intensive sales meeting,” reported Pettersson. The company is firmly established on the Swedish market, and customers from multinationals, to authorities, through to micro-companies place their bets on the creations from Aplared. “Beyond this, we also sell a lot of items in the other Scandinavian countries,” added Pettersson. “In 2017, we exhibited at the PSI Show for the first time, because we intend to expand further within Europe in the future.” The shirt-makers from Aplared have two unbeatable arguments in their favour: A product that is extraordinary throughout Europe and a fantastic story.

// Till Barth

www.ernstalexis.se

photos: Till Barth, © WA Media (1); Ernst Alexis (3)

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