Donmatías truly is a Blue Town.

The municipality of Donmatías is situated to the north-east of Medellin in the Colombian province of Antioquia. It can be accessed by car and bus via route 25 which is also the main highway connecting Medellin to the Caribbean coast. José María Córdova International Airport is 90 minutes away.

At 2200 meter elevation, surrounded by a landscape of green hillsides dotted with grazing cattle it is hard to believe you are only 50 kilometers from the sprawling metropolitan hub that is Medellin.

Our location, rural, but on a main transportation route, close enough to Medellin to benefit from its economic engine and remote enough to give the town a culture and an atmosphere all of its own, is one of Donmatías great strengths. It has helped foster a unique social and economic climate and a strong local identity.

Until the mid twentieth century Donmatías was a sleepy rural town with colonial buildings lining narrow streets that rarely saw any vehicular traffic. Farming and timber made up for most of the economy. With the arrival of the garment industry in the 1960’s things changed. It was a priest who led the decentralization initiative that marked the beginning of Donmatías as a Blue Town. Noticing the lack of economic opportunity in his parish, he set out to convince garment factories in Medellin to move part of their production to two of the mountain villages in his district. Textile jobs would create employment for local women and improve the quality of living of their families.

The first company to open a factory in Donmatías was Caribú, one of the leading brands in Colombia at the time. The first generation of Caribú employees, having learned the skill of jeans manufacturing, moved on to open their own small workshops. Today there are around 80 family operated textile businesses in Donmatías, some spanning across two or three generations. Most of them founded by local women. Currently the local garment sector employs about 5300 people.

A visitor to Donmatías gets a sense that after more than fifty years of denim history, place, people, and production have become intertwined. It’s out of this legacy that Don Matías Blue Town was born.

Like all citizens of Antioquia, the people of Donmatías proudly identify as Paisas. Paisa culture dates back to the original Spanish settlers in northwestern Colombia who largely came from Catalunya and Basque country unlike people in other regions of Colombia, the Paisas – or Antioqueños – were mostly peasants and tradesmen. Mountainous Antioquia, isolated from the cultural centers of Cartagena and Bogotá, but rich with natural resources, fertile farmland, and a near perfect climate suited the Paisa spirit of self sufficiency and entrepreneurship. Today the descendants of these settlers make up the population of Donmatías.

We love the challenge of providing our clients with bespoke solutions for their design needs, adding shared social value while working in the most sustainable way possible.

SEWING

Understanding the architecture of a pair of jeans takes time and care. Constructing one requires expertise and experience. Inversav and Y&K realize a monthly production of 34.000 pieces. All manufactured right here in Don Matías Blue Town by people who are passionate, about quality, about craftsmanship, about denim.

WASHING

The transformation of an unwashed garment into a finished pair of denim is like alchemy. It’s about the refining of raw denim, bringing out colors and shades through the right balance between enzymes, resin, pumice, or bleach. It is a process of ongoing research and development to which we are fully dedicated.

FINISHING

Don Matías Blue Town puts a premium on handwork and craftsmanship. It is part of our DNA. This means differentiated finishes, handcrafted by passionate artisans who are as involved in the final product as our designers. We believe in open communication, teamwork, and in translating the design needs of our clients into practical, creative solutions that go beyond what they initially may have thought possible.

DON MATÍAS BLUE TOWN is an innovative synergy model initiated by three leading companies from the region: PROINTEX, INVERSAV, and Y&K.

Throughout the years our core business has always been denim, it’s where our heart is and what we do best.

THE LAUNDRY

Prointex Laundry was founded 28 years ago by three ambitious young men who recognized there was potential in the then relatively young business of denim finishes and washes. The partners began experimenting with a stonewash formula they had obtained in the US and after a while they decided to build their own laundry facility in Don Matías. These pioneering years instilled in the company a spirit of experiment and curiosity that we still cherish.

Today the laundry has its own design department where all of our innovation, and research and development is consolidated. During the past five years they have been traveling all over the world to meet with leading denim professionals to exchange ideas or to acquire hands on experience with new finishings. Once back in Donmatías, the production team offers their feedback and suggestions. These interdisciplinary conversations are essential to how we work. We believe that teamwork and an open dialogue enable our laundry to provide clients with better tailored and more comprehensive solutions to their production needs.

THE JEAN MAKERS

Y & K and Inversav are two jeanmakers with over ten years experience. Both are family businesses that have grown out of a rich local manufacturing tradition. We understand the value of work done with rigor, dedication, and love. We share values such as constant learning and evolution, seeking to generate shared value that benefits everyone involved in the process. We work with single mothers whose skilled hands give life to the jeans of some of the most prominent brands in Colombia.

In Donmatías we specialize in high quality production of denim made by people who care. As a rural community with a historical connection to the land, we have always been conscious of the vital importance of our natural resources. Likewise we think that a healthy work environment is paramount. The environmentally sustainable production methods of Don Matías Blue Town reflect this ethos. From wastewater treatment – the water that leaves our laundry plant is almost as clean as it was when received – to reducing overall energy and water consumption. From smart sourcing to using best of class equipment and high tech, low impact techniques such as laser and ozone which substantially reduces the consumption of water, chemicals, enzymes, and stones compared to traditional wet finishing. Because we can handle the entire production, from sewing to washing and finishing right here in Don Matías Blue Town, we are able to control and optimize each individual step. Blue Town aims to lead the way in environmental innovation. Considering our heritage and location, we feel it is a natural fit.

Creating a work environment in which people are happy and stay around to hone their craft and share their expertise, allows companies to thrive and build a legacy. In turn, companies that have longevity can help develop and strengthen the community around them. Hence quality of living and craftsmanship go hand in hand. Don Matías Blue Town is dedicated to producing denim in an inspiring, healthy, and social environment. After all, the people of the Blue Town are the ones giving our denim its soul.