Ortega Textile AG from Juan Antonio Ortega - Fine shirtings with a Swiss soul

For many people, Switzerland is the land of watches, knives, and chocolate. For me, however, Switzerland has been the land of fine shirting for the past fifteen years. It was at a fabric fair in Paris where I first encountered a renowned Swiss shirting mill. The fine, silky-smooth fabrics I discovered there left a lasting impression. Over the years, I visited that mill countless times and had dozens of shirts made from their cloth. Once you experience fabrics of this calibre, it becomes almost impossible to return to anything else.

When the mill I had worked with for years changed ownership, I sensed that things might shift and they did. Yet from that change, something genuinely special emerged. That story is one worth sharing.

Today, I would like to introduce you to Juan Antonio Ortega and his company, Ortega Textile. Until 2024, Juan served as CEO and Designer of ALUMO. He then took a courageous step that few in the industry would dare to take: founding his own shirting mill from the ground up. Starting a mill means creating fabrics, developing weaves, setting up production, and building trust in a market that has relied on the same suppliers for decades. At the same time, many historic fabric mills have disappeared in recent years, making this a particularly challenging environment to enter.

What drove Juan forward was the only motivation that truly matters in the world of high-end tailoring: an uncompromising passion for the product. Juan Antonio Ortega is the son of Spanish immigrants who came to Switzerland to work in the textile industry. From an early age, he was immersed in the world of fine fabrics. He began his career as a loom mechanic before continuing his studies to become a textile Technician and Designer. This technical foundation allowed him to master weaving and fabric development at the highest level.

His expertise led him to work with and design for several Swiss textile mills, eventually becoming CEO of one of the industry’s most respected names. When the company relocated its looms to Egypt, Juan spent weeks on location programming the machines to achieve the exact standards he demanded. During this period, he built a strong network in Egypt, home to some of the world’s finest cotton, a network that today allows Ortega Textile to weave fabrics precisely as he envisions them.

At the core of Juan’s philosophy lies one essential principle: the needs of the tailors and shirtmakers who work with his fabrics. Over the years, he has engaged in countless in-depth conversations with craftsmen to understand their working methods and the challenges they face. What do they need to improve their work? How can fabric support craftsmanship rather than restrict it?

With this knowledge and by continuously listening to the industry, Ortega Textile was founded just one year ago.

Some swatch cards from from the Ortega collection

What does Ortega Textile offer?

Juan’s goal is to provide tailors and shirtmakers with a truly worry-free fabric experience. The fabrics are engineered to perform: no pre-washing is required to test durability, shrinkage is minimal, and quality remains consistent even after repeated washing. Having dealt with fabric-related issues and complaints throughout his career, Juan carefully analysed their causes and developed solutions to eliminate them.

The collection itself is intentionally focused. It is not vast, but it is complete, everything you need is there, and then some. Above all, it is the quality that defines Ortega Textile.

The Ortega Textile swatch book for Tailors and Shirtmakers

One of the brand’s most distinctive offerings is bespoke fabric development. Tailors and shirtmakers can collaborate directly with Ortega Textile to create exclusive fabrics available only within their own atelier. These are true bespoke textiles. While a minimum order applies, it remains accessible even for smaller businesses.

A key pillar of this quality is yarn selection. Where many mills rely on a single supplier, Ortega Textile prioritises flexibility. Yarns are sourced from multiple producers, allowing the finest available materials to be selected at any given time. Thanks to longstanding relationships with yarn manufacturers, exceptional quality is always within reach.

At a time when cut-length services are becoming increasingly rare, Ortega Textile continues to offer them fully aligned with the way bespoke tailors and shirtmakers operate. Juan shared a story that perfectly illustrates this commitment. A tailor in Milan contacted him about a client who had saved for years to commission a bespoke shirt. After prolonged wear, the collar and cuffs needed replacing. The tailor asked whether the original fabric was still available. Not only was it, but Ortega Textile sent 20 centimetres of fabric free of charge. This, Juan explains, is the kind of sustainability they truly believe in one rooted in longevity and repair rather than certificates alone.

Looking ahead

Despite being only one year old, Ortega Textile is already present in more than twelve countries. Italy and England naturally play a central role, with the brand represented on London’s Savile Row and Jermyn Street. At the same time, emerging markets such as India and China have become increasingly important as tailoring continues to flourish there. The United States has also embraced Ortega Textile a market that has long appreciated exceptional quality.

While tailors and shirtmakers remain the core clientele, Ortega Textile also works with designers and larger manufacturers who share the same uncompromising standards.

Juan has no ambition to create an excessively large collection. Growth, for him, must be thoughtful and controlled. The current collection consists of around sixty fabrics, with plans to expand to approximately two hundred within the next two years. Increasing focus will also be placed on bespoke fabric development, enabling clients to offer textiles that are truly exclusive to their own house. With a minimum order of thirty metres, this service allows Ortega Textile to add a meaningful and distinctive layer to the world of high-end tailoring.

When I asked Juan what his ideal shirt would look like, his answer felt entirely natural. It would be made from one of his fabrics, of course. But more importantly, it should be crafted by one of the tailors or shirtmakers he works with. Those who still create everything in their own atelier, investing time, skill, and care into a garment designed to last.

To Juan, this is the purest form of sustainability.

And when asked whether superior fabric alone makes the perfect shirt, his answer was clear: while fabric plays a vital role, true excellence can only exist when craftsmanship is given equal importance.

If you would like to learn more about Ortega Textile, I highly recommend v reaching out to them directly via: info@ortegatextile.ch. They will be more than happy to assist.

Ortega Textile AG from Switzerland

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