Why buy TukTuk?

We do all of our own designs inhouse

Every one of our styles is created from scratch at our design studio in Beechworth in the North East of Victoria. We don’t just buy clothes and put our label on.

The quality of our make

TukTuk Riding Pants

All our Horse Riding Trousers are fashioned exclusively from woven four-way stretch, cotton rich fabric. We’ve tried the alternatives and didn’t like them. We think you you're better than that too.

Why is four-way stretch important?

It means all our horse riding pants will stretch along the warp (this means ‘up and down’ your leg – particularly at the knee and bum, where you need it most), the weft (across the pant) and on the diagonal. It stretches FOUR ways courtesy of the exclusive weave and the fifth and sixth ways (called ‘the cross’) because…that’s what woven fabric does!

How does the four-way stretch help me when I’m riding?

Firstly, you’ll be able to get your foot up into the stirrup (remember that super stretchy bum?) without going, “Ugh” and hopping about. The pants stretch like a pair of yoga pants, or dance pants. You can sleep in these pants or wear them for air travel – they are that comfy.

TukTuk Shirts

What could possibly be so special about a shirt?

Without a great fabric you can’t make a superior shirt, so naturally we choose the best quality 100% cotton shirts for women. Some of our shirt fabrics are mercerised (see individual product description):

So what is mercerisation?

Mercerisation is the process of treating cotton thread in a solution under tension, which causes the fibers to swell. Mercerised cotton absorbs dye really well, and holds colour stronger and for longer than non-mercerised cotton. It also increases the luster and strengthens the thread. The Mercerised fabrics we use have a silky, vibrant look that sets them apart from non-mercerised cotton.

Interesting fact: The mercerisation process was first discovered by John Mercer 1791-1866.  It was patented in 1850 under the name Mercerisation and is still today's benchmark for fine shirting cotton.

We print or dye the cotton to our custom colours. Our shirts match our pants, which match our scarves, which match our coats and vests. Then, for the right look, we add our own quirky print designs. The designs are hand drawn and then either digitised or cut from a solid block of wood and printed on the cotton. Totally unique and 100% TukTuk.

We like a bit of fun here at TukTuk Clothing. Serious about quality but loose when it counts.

Our Makers

We employ a small artisan team of fabric printers in India who hand cut timber printing blocks to our designs. These blocks are then used to print our designs on cotton fabric by hand. Accordingly, every shirt made from this fabric is unique, not two are exactly the same because of the printing being done by hand instead of by a machine.

Our riding pants are made by three companies based in Kanpur, India. The manufacturer's team of pattern makers, merchandisers, machinists and stylists are highly skilled and have been making riding trousers since the 1970’s. Their production is quality controlled, the workers are fairly paid and their workplaces are safe.

We are firm believers in ethical sourcing and manufacturing. We insist on fair and safe treatment of all employees involved along the line.