Inside the Mill: Making the Halden

Two faces, one cloth

Double-faced wool is two woven fabrics held together by a third, nearly invisible thread. Split it and you have two complete cloths. That is the trick, and it is why the Halden needs no lining — the inside of the coat is simply the other face.

At the mill in Biella the joining happens on a loom the width of a small car, at a speed that looks like a mistake. Slow is the point. Push the loom and the binding thread shows through on the face.

The seams nobody sees

Because there is no lining, every seam allowance has to be finished by hand — split, pressed open, and stitched down invisibly through one face only. It adds about ninety minutes per coat. It is the reason the inside looks like the outside.