What is Airbase mesh knit?
Airbase: developed and manufactured in Finland
The Airbase range is designed by Svala, and the products are manufactured at Svala’s own factory in Kärsämäki. Svala’s mesh knit is a unique mesh knit designed in Finland and manufactured in Europe, which has been the brand’s best-known product for decades. It is made from 100% polypropylene and serves as the Zero Layer of the Svala AIR System™ layering system – the first layer against the skin. The mesh structure traps air against the skin: in cold conditions it provides warmth, and in hot conditions it provides cooling.
Airbase at a glance
Airbase is not a single product, but Svala's own mesh knit material and a collection built around it: T-shirts, long-sleeved shirts, bottoms and Bermuda shorts, all made using the same technique. The designs are continually developed and updated. The unique structure of the knit has remained unchanged for decades, and Airbase is Svala's best-known product name.
"Airbase comes with me on every trip, short or long. It's the one product that meets all my requirements, whether I'm wearing it in winter or summer, especially in chilly conditions at sea, and it doesn't lose its properties after a few wears."
How Airbase was born – Kyösti Svala's dream of the perfect shirt
In the 1990s, Kyösti Svala, the son of the founders of Finnsvala Oy, set out to solve a problem no one had yet resolved: how underwear could wick moisture, retain warmth and move with the wearer, all at once. Kyösti was a keen outdoorsman himself: he skied through deep snow, ran marathons and slipped into the forest in the early hours to photograph birds before heading to the factory. The requirements came from his own experience and that of his outdoor-loving friends.
The best test took place at sea. Kyösti and a friend crossed the sea in an ordinary rowing boat – twice across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki to Tallinn and once across the Kvarken from Vaasa to Umeå. On the open sea, you cannot pack too much equipment, and your body temperature changes constantly: sometimes you sweat, sometimes you feel cold. A shirt that could handle both had to be exceptional.
After years of experimentation, a mesh knit was developed using a unique technique that no one else in Finland was using at the time: technical polypropylene yarn, crimped into a textured strand structure. It was breathable, dried quickly and weighed almost nothing. Airbase was born.
Read the full Svala storyMaterial: what is Airbase made of?
Why does polypropylene not feel wet against your skin?
Airbase is made from 100% polypropylene, a synthetic fibre produced as a by-product of oil refining. Unlike cotton or wool, polypropylene does not absorb moisture but transfers it away from the skin to the next layers of clothing. In practice, this means your skin does not stay damp after sweating, and the shirt does not feel cold and wet during a break.
Silver-ion treatment keeps the garment fresh
The polypropylene yarn is treated with silver ions before manufacturing, in the core of the fibre rather than as a surface coating. This is why the odour-resistant effect lasts throughout the product’s life and does not weaken or wash out, as often happens with surface treatments.
How does the 3D mesh structure keep you warm?
The loop structure of the Airbase mesh knit creates small air pockets against your skin. This air is at the heart of the Svala AIR System™ concept: it is the lightest and most effective insulation possible, and it adapts to your body temperature, keeping you warm in the cold and cool in the heat.
Svala’s Airbase mesh weighs just 120 g/m², so you barely notice it when you wear it, yet its structure lets the garment work in both freezing and warm weather.
How is Airbase made?
Yarn and knitting
Airbase’s journey begins with the yarn. The polypropylene yarn for Svala’s mesh knit is made in Slovakia. The mesh knit itself – the technical structure that makes Airbase what it is – is produced and finished under Svala’s supervision at our European partners’ factories.
Where is Airbase made?
All Airbase products are made at Svala’s own factory in Kärsämäki, where Svala’s story began in the late 1940s with the sewing of work jackets. Having its own factory means that Svala oversees finishing and quality from start to finish, and sewing is not outsourced.
Airbase’s footprint
Airbase is a single-material product: because the garment contains only polypropylene, there is no need to separate the fibres at the end of its life. When your shirt reaches the end of its life, you can return it to Svala, and it will be sent to a recycling partner for reuse. Polypropylene is fully recyclable into new raw material. No PFAS compounds are used in Airbase mesh shirts.
Airbase as part of the Svala AIR System™
Airbase is part of the Svala AIR System™ and forms the Zero Layer: the first layer against your skin. It works on its own or beneath other layers, keeping you as comfortable as possible all year round in different weather, whether you are sweating on the move or staying still.
Is Airbase made from merino wool?
No. Airbase is 100% polypropylene. Svala also offers merino wool layers that you can combine with Airbase for extra warmth.
Explore Svala Signature Pääsky merino products and Merino Extreme products.
Does Airbase’s silver-ion treatment wash out?
No. The treatment is applied to the core of the fibre before the product is made, so it lasts for the product’s entire life.
Can Airbase be recycled?
Yes. Airbase is made from a single material, so it can be recycled directly. You can return mesh knit that has reached the end of its life to Svala for recycling. We collect the material and send it to our partner, who uses it in recycled products.
Explore Airbase products
