A plurality of colored filament bundles are initially extruded separately, cooled and each combined into a partial thread. The partial threads are then separately pre-swirled and stretched individually or as a partial composite thread formed from a plurality of partial threads. Crimping then occurs. After the crimping, the partial threads and the partial composite thread are combined into a composite thread and wound into a coil. In accordance with certain techniques, a melt spinning apparatus has a pre-swirling apparatus having a plurality of swirling nozzles, a post-swirling device having a plurality of post-swirling nozzles and a crimping device having a plurality of texturing nozzles, wherein the nozzles are designed such that an individual partial thread or a partial composite thread formed from a plurality of partial threads can optionally be processed.