Hippo Knitting logoHippo KnittingEnquire
Est. 2000 • Maseru, Lesotho

Garments made in Lesotho.

A one-stop provider of world-class knitted garment manufacturing. We have earned our reputation the old fashioned way — by building enduring relationships with our global buyers.

30,000Dozen per month
800Staff members
Aerial view of the Hippo Knitting production floor in Maseru with rows of sewing lines

Production Styles

Unisex • Men's • Women's • Children's

01

Active Wear

Tops in plain, hooded, jacket, cropped, vest and training-bra styles with long and short bottoms, built in functional performance fabrics.

Operator sewing a knitted activewear panel at Hippo Knitting
02

Active Leisurewear & Fleece

Plain, hooded and jacket-style tops with long and short bottoms, produced in both jersey knits and fleeced constructions.

Finishing team folding and checking knitted leisurewear garments
03

Ski Undergarments

Active undergarments engineered for ski and cold-weather layering, produced across unisex, men's, women's and children's sizing.

Worker pressing a finished knitted garment with a steam iron
11
Production lines
34
Machines per line
39
Staff per line
14–60
Day lead time
8,000m²
Factory building
11,000m²
Factory plot
US / EU / CA
Duty free markets

Production lead time of 14–60 days depending on the fabric and its country of origin.

Inside the factory

Four departments under one roof.

Automatic cutting machine on the Hippo Knitting cutting floor
01

Cutting

2,000m² / 21,528 sq ft

Continuous investment in cutting-edge machinery keeps the cutting room competitive on both accuracy and throughput.

  • Automatic spreading
  • Automatic cutting
  • Straight knife
  • Bed knife
  • Gerber system
Long cutting and spreading tables inside the Hippo Knitting factory
02

Sewing

2,000m² / 21,528 sq ft

11 production lines, 34 sewing stations per line and a team of 39 staff per line deliver an output of 30,000 dozen per month.

  • Flatlock machines
  • Plain sewing
  • Overlocking
  • Button hole & button sew
  • Double needle & flat bed
  • Interlocking machines
  • Automatic trimming
  • Heat transfer
Pressing station with steam shoe iron at Hippo Knitting
03

Finishing & Pressing

2,000m² / 21,528 sq ft

Labelling, SKU printing and scanning run inline with pressing so every garment is retail-ready as it leaves the line.

  • Washcare label machine
  • SKU printing machines
  • Air sucking pressing machine
Racked fabric rolls in the Hippo Knitting on-site fabric warehouse
04

Packing & Fabric Storage

2,800m² warehouse

A completed on-site storage facility of 2,800m² (30,138 sq ft) is designated to securely store fabric alongside the packing department.

  • Carton packing
  • On-site fabric warehouse
  • Secured roll storage
  • Fabric archive
Fabrication archive

Functional performance fabrics.

Design • Innovate • Create • Detail • Trims

Performance print knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Performance print
Geometric knit knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Geometric knit
Star print knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Star print
Melange stripe knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Melange stripe
Colour block knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Colour block
Floral print knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Floral print
Graphic star knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Graphic star
Abstract print knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Abstract print
Open mesh knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Open mesh
Textured knit knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Textured knit
Jacquard knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Jacquard
Brushed fleece knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Brushed fleece
Fine jersey knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Fine jersey
Solid knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Solid
Textured knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Textured
Melange knitted fabric swatch from the Hippo Knitting archive
Melange

Leisurewear, knits and fleece in solid, textured and melange constructions, archived on site alongside a 2,800m² fabric warehouse.

Hippo Knitting staff working together in the finishing department

800 permanent staff. One community.

Alongside 113 temporary staff and a wider team of 2,100 members, our people work in English and Sesotho and are supported by in-house training in sewing, cutting and mechanics.

Management & benefits

  • IC card & figure clock system
  • Monthly paid salary system
  • Bonus linked to line performance & quality
  • Funeral & medical subsidies
  • Bursaries for staff members' children

Social responsibility

  • Basic computer training provided
  • Linked with churches, schools & community services
  • Off-cuts offered to the First Lady's office for blankets
  • All plastic thread cores collected & recycled