Responsibility

For us, responsibility means looking at the impact of our decisions holistically. This concerns our employees, customers and partners as well as our products, their manufacture and the way we use resources. We do not want to reduce responsibility to individual measures or buzzwords. What matters to us is how we act as a company every day: fairly, reliably, transparently and with a long-term view of the consequences of our decisions.

We are convinced that sport brings people together and can make an important contribution to physical and mental health. That is why we support athletes, clubs, youth projects, sports events and regional initiatives. For us, it is not only about top performance. We want to motivate as many people as possible to get moving, spend time in nature and pursue their personal goals.

Our success is the result of the people who work for Skinfit every day. That is why we want to offer long-term jobs, fair conditions and a modern working environment. Depending on the area of responsibility, we offer flexible working hours and different working models. At our headquarters in Koblach, our employees also have access to their own gym, common areas and various sports activities. Even more important to us are respectful interaction, short decision-making paths and the opportunity to contribute your own ideas and take on responsibility.

By Skinfit Family, we mean the community of employees, shop partners, athletes, customers and long-standing companions who help shape our brand. Many of these relationships have existed for years or even decades. They are based on trust, mutual appreciation and a shared passion for sport. As a family business from Vorarlberg, we want to preserve and further develop this sense of togetherness.

Skinfit was founded by Werner Battisti in Vorarlberg in 1997. Since 2026, Tobias Battisti has been taking responsibility for the future of the company as managing director in the second generation. The change of generations combines continuity with new perspectives. Our Vorarlberg roots, our closeness to sport and our commitment to functional, durable products remain. At the same time, we are consistently developing Skinfit further as a brand, employer and company.

Skinfit products are available through our own online shop and our regional Skinfit shops. Direct sales allow us to stay close to our customers and offer personal advice. We do not want to sell as many products as possible, but the products that match a person's needs. Through direct advice, we can take the sport, intensity, temperature and weather into account and recommend a sensible combination. At the same time, this allows us to offer transparent prices and keep our products out of the constant discount battles of wholesale.

Online orders cause additional transport routes through packaging, shipping and possible returns. That is why we try to avoid returns before an order is even placed. To do this, we provide product information, size details and personal advice that are as accurate as possible. If you are unsure, our customer service and our regional Skinfit shops will be happy to help. Returned products are carefully inspected. Items in perfect condition are prepared for sale again and are not unnecessarily disposed of. Our goal is to handle every single product responsibly.

Fast fashion contradicts our understanding of high-quality performance wear. We do not want to develop products that are outdated after one season or need to be replaced. That is why we rely on timeless designs, colors that are easy to combine and proven products that can remain in the range across several collections. Function, quality and real benefit matter more to us than short-term trends. What has proven itself stays. What we can improve, we develop further in a targeted way.

We plan our collections and order quantities as closely to demand as possible. Some proven products remain in the range for several years, which makes us less dependent on seasonal changes and short-term trends. Despite careful planning, overstock cannot be completely avoided in the textile industry. We continue to sell remaining products, offer them at a discount for a limited time or look for other sensible ways to use them. Goods in perfect condition should not be destroyed.

Our most important approach is the longest and most versatile use possible. A product that is worn for many years and used for different sports needs to be replaced less often. That is why we pay attention to high-quality materials, functional fabric structures, precise cuts, clean workmanship and timeless designs. At the same time, we develop our collections so that the products can be combined with one another for years. We do not claim that sportswear can be produced without an impact on the environment and resources. Our goal is to reduce this impact as much as possible through quality, durability and versatile use.

The Skinfit Layering System combines several functional layers of clothing. The base layer top forms the first layer and sits directly on the skin. It supports moisture transport and helps regulate your body climate. Depending on the weather, intensity and how warm or cold you feel, insulating and protective layers can be worn on top. This way, your sportswear can be flexibly adapted to different conditions.

Performance wear for intense movement must be light, breathable, durable and quick-drying. High-quality synthetic fibers such as polyamide, polyester and polypropylene meet these requirements particularly well. Our choice of material is therefore not based solely on whether a fiber is of natural or synthetic origin. What matters are the function, durability and the entire life cycle of the finished product. Natural fibers also require resources and are not automatically the more responsible solution. Conversely, synthetic fibers are not without impact either. That is why we check for every product which material fulfills the required function as reliably and for as long as possible.

Only wash your Skinfit clothing as often as necessary and follow the care instructions in the product. Low washing temperatures and a little detergent are often completely sufficient. Avoid fabric softener and tumble dryers for performance wear. Both can impair the materials and their functional properties. Store the products dry and protect delicate materials from sharp objects, hook-and-loop fasteners and friction during transport. Small damage should be repaired as early as possible, before it gets bigger.

Not every damage means that a product has to be replaced. Contact our customer service or your regional Skinfit shop and, if possible, send us photos of the damaged area. We will then check whether a repair is technically possible and makes sense. Our goal is to keep a product in use for as long as possible.

Our products are developed at our headquarters in Koblach in Vorarlberg. This is where product ideas, patterns, samples and prototypes are created. In our in-house sample sewing room, the first models are made and then tested under real conditions. Only when function, fit, material and workmanship meet our requirements is a product prepared for the collection. Our alpine surroundings are an important part of development. Mountains, changeable weather and different sports give us direct opportunities to test new products where they will later be used.

Our products are developed in Koblach and, depending on the product, manufactured by specialized partner companies. These are currently located in Tunisia, Poland, Lithuania, China and Thailand. As things stand, around 70 percent of manufacturing takes place in Europe and Tunisia and around 30 percent in Asia. Many of our technical fabrics come from Austrian and other European manufacturers. The choice of a production site depends on the required materials, machines, processing techniques and the know-how of the respective company.

In the production of performance wear, a distinction must be made between the production of the fabrics and the manufacturing of the garments. Fabric production is largely automated. Cutting, sewing and processing technical materials, on the other hand, are still done largely by hand. Different products require specialized companies with the right machines and the corresponding experience. These conditions are not available in Austria for every product group. That is why we work with selected production partners at different locations. Product development, sample making, quality requirements and part of the material development remain closely linked to our site in Vorarlberg.

We rely on long-term partnerships and a direct, personal exchange with our production partners. Many of these relationships have existed for years. Quality requirements and working conditions are discussed regularly and checked during personal visits. This includes regulated working hours, safety, pay and respectful treatment of employees, among other things. Responsible manufacturing is not a process that is ever finished. Standards must be continuously reviewed, questioned and developed further together.

The term “sustainable” is used in very different ways and can easily create a false impression. The production of sportswear also requires energy, raw materials, water and transport routes. That is why we do not want to describe Skinfit as sustainable across the board. We take responsibility where we make decisions and can have an influence: in product development, the choice of materials, the collaboration with our partners, the durability of our products and transparent communication. Our aim is not to appear perfect. Our aim is to act in a comprehensible way, to take opportunities for improvement seriously and to continuously develop our responsibility as a textile company.

Durable products are a central part of our approach. The longer a product is used, the later it has to be replaced. That is why we develop functional clothing that is versatile and retains its function for as long as possible, even with regular use.