When I approached a professional manufacturer with my Hugo in 2018 and we developed the first "production Hugo," there were heated discussions about the material. I had always sewn Hugo from oilskin and desperately wanted a material that was close to it in terms of robustness and feel. Then I sat there with the sample fan in my hand, somehow not entirely happy, and so I asked the experts there the most important question I would ever ask for my business:

"If money and delivery times were no object, if everything else mattered, what would be the BEST MATERIAL to use?"

I chose Cordura, a material usually used for motorcycle protective clothing. Sustainability is more complex than just writing "sustainable" on something.
It was clear to us that our products should ensure the longest possible service life for a wide range of uses . When it eliminates the need for other purchases and creates added value, we speak of sustainability. We all know that the baby products industry is geared toward the exact opposite. Ideally, we should buy new things for each child. Our intention is that you'll still be using Hugo even when your children are getting on your nerves as teenagers. Since 2022, our products have also been sewn from recycled PES. Both Cordura and rPES offer absolute robustness, high abrasion resistance, and, of course, durability as a priority.

Why recycled polyester?

Material is a recurring theme in product development, as the market is innovative and rapidly evolving. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to more and more people, and here, too, demand is driving where more investment, research, and production takes place. We're part of this movement, too, and have therefore created a new series of our products from a beautiful recycled material. It's a relatively strong, very robust polyester with a matte, almost velvety surface. The fabric is made from 48% virgin fibers and 52% recycled PET bottles. We chose this blend because the higher the proportion of recycled fibers, the worse the physical tear and tensile strength values. One m² of fabric consists of approximately 15 PET bottles. The recycled PES is certified according to the Global Recycling Standard and has excellent abrasion and robustness ratings. It's also very easy to clean.

Cordura and recycled PES in comparison

Polyester is a standard material for backpacks because it's durable, lightweight, and easy to source. Cordura, on the other hand, is usually only used for the heavily used backpack bottoms. Our entire backpack is made of durable and water-repellent material. Here, we've tried to give our own subjective assessment of the materials we use:

Processing: sewing or gluing?

In my opinion, there's no arguing with that: a seam holds better than two surfaces glued together. And of course, the thread we use is extra strong - perhaps you remember that we once towed a caravan with Hugo ( see here )? Our bags and backpacks are sewn together by trained specialists on modern machines. It's quite different to sewing a T-shirt and requires not only the right tools but also years of experience. We also give each seam an extra hem. This is a time-consuming and expensive step, but it helps ensure that Hugo lasts a long time and can withstand anything! In return, we accept that a seam can of course never be 100% waterproof like a glued film, for example. But that's not our claim - there are other brands with this expertise. We want everything in your Hugo to stay dry if you get caught in a shower or go for a walk in the snow. And we can guarantee that with both Cordura and the recycled material.