From the goat to teddy bear

The way to the finished stuffed animals from mohair starts in province of Ankara in Turkey, because this is where the Angora goat originally comes from. Today, it is kept in South Africa, The United States, Australia and Madagascar as well, to produce the great natural fiber. The fur of the Angora goat is long, curly and very silk-like. Depending on the age of the animal, the texture of the wool changes from very fine (Kidmohair) through “Young goat” to a solid natural fiber of the “adult” animal.

The term mohair comes from Arabic word and means “a type of haircloth “.

Mohair is won by shearing, which is done twice a year on the Angora goats (summer and winter fur). An Angora goat delivers an average of 7kg of wool per year. This is later processed into textiles, blankets, pillows, upholstery, carpets and as in our case to teddy bear fabrics. The interest in mohair fabrics is still growing, especially in the textiles sector, because unlike real furs the animals doesn’t have to be harmed. In addition you have the natural characteristics of wool, because mohair is very soft and comfortable to wear. The fibers are water-repellent due to their fine structure and the fabric has a cooling effect in summer and a warming effect in winter.

However, mohair is a bit more demanding in terms of care. Never use a tumble dryer and when washing it, it is definitely recommended to wash by hand and with appropriate wool detergent.

Hedgehog mohair

Actually, we are known at ProBear for our fast and uncomplicated delivery of incoming orders, but … ..

Sometimes it just takes time and there are bottlenecks in delivery. That’s always very unpleasant.

But once you have seen with how much love and effort, the unique hedgehog mohair arises inch by inch, you can see that the waiting time for this great fabric is fully justified.

Of course, you also get this hedgehog mohair on our website. (Mostly in stock 😉 )

How the color gets into the fabric

If we noticed one thing in the factory tour at Steiff-Schulte, that they really still produce with real craftsmanship. We were allowed to look at how countless rolls of yarn created a big spool and how the traditional weaving machines turned this into a roll of raw mohair.

The fibers are all still unopened and except for the different pile height, the different rolls of raw (string) mohair look very similar.

Of course, we also wanted to know how the complex process proceeded. The raw mohair actually feels very much like “teddybear”, but there is still a long way to go before the end product can be used.

The first step after weaving is dyeing the fabric. In our small video you can see how the the dyeing process works.

Would you like to dye raw mohair yourself?

No problem, we have environmentally friendly textile dye from RIT for you on our website. As well as a selection of different raw mohair fabrics.

Sustainable production

In the Steiff-Schulte weaving mill environmental protection and sustainability are top priority.

Nothing lands faster in children’s hands than a nice soft teddy bear – care is needed here. The production, the dyeing and the finish, all this takes place in the factory in Duisburg. And that exclusively with non toxic and environmentally friendly materials. Steiff-Schulte mohair not only stands for first-class woven fabrics “Made in Germany”, but also for 100% nature.

About Steiff-Schulte

The wonderful story of the Teddy Bear started at the beginning of this century. Everyone knows that Richard Steiff was the creator of the Teddy Bear; but what would Teddies have looked liked if he had not found the right material for their fur ???
Paul Steiff (left) and Reinhard Schulte, 1908 Fortunately, Schulte in Duisburg was already in existence! In 1901 Reinhard Schulte had opened his own factory, weaving plush fabrics. Today his company is known throughout the world as “the Mecca for bear making fabrics”. The name Schulte, Duisburg, has become synonymous with high-quality Mohair fabrics. Since their early beginns Schulte and Steiff have remaned in close commercial and privat contact.
 
Steiff Teddies, which attract the highest prices at sales and auctions are almost exclusively made from the “Original Schulte Mohair”. And still today, Steiff Teddies which are made from genuine Schulte Mohair are a Guarantee for highest Teddy Bear Culture!
 
Our long tradition, our “know how” developed by generations, and the newest production processes make it possible for Schulte to create fabrics every Teddy Manufacturer, Designer and Artist, -as well as collector-, loves and adores.

A fur fabric without comparison – world wide.
Teddies made from the “Original Schulte Mohair” are percious escorts into the future. Faithful partners one always can rely upon.

Welcome to Steiff-Schulte Mohair

This Website is not the official website of Steiff-Schulte Wovenfabrics.

The content on this website is provided by ProBär GmbH Germany. We visited Steiff-Schulte and get some awesome pictures and videos to show, how the great fabrics are step by step where created.