I have been taking extra time this year to reflect on all aspects of my small business, to change things up and make sure everything is as planet-friendly and sustainable as possible, which feels even more important and relevant than ever. There will always be more to do and it's an ongoing process with small gradual steps to deliver a more sustainably resourced and created product.
All pieces in the new A/W22 collection of scarves, hats, mittens and gloves are created from completely natural, renewable and biodegradable yarns selected with animal welfare and sustainability as key concerns.
The British Wool range is crafted using 100% pure wool from the finest flocks of rare breed Blue Faced Leicester and Masham sheep, for softness and durability respectively, reared with great care and attention in Yorkshire.
This yarn is spun and dyed less than fifty miles from the farm, so the carbon footprint is low, with high animal welfare and full traceability. It is a highly tactile and characterful yarn. The range is knitted in a textured stitch intended to bring out the subtle beauty of the raw un-dyed natural shades, one light and one dark, with their slight nuances and variations, alongside a classic, timeless charcoal.
In addition, with a zero-waste philosophy, yarns from British and Italian spinners and mills have been sourced from luxury fashion industry left-over stock, which might otherwise have gone to landfill. This has been paired with sustainable lambswool to create an ongoing selection of one-off and very limited edition environmentally responsible pieces, which will be added to my online shop over the coming weeks and months.
I am also introducing some beautiful yarns from my archive, including oddments and small quantities of finest cashmere and merino wool left-over from previous projects and commissions, some from my old studio in Clerkenwell where I designed and crafted bespoke luxury women’s knitwear for many years, before moving to the Kent coast.
Every piece in the collection has been created using zero-waste production processes. All mittens and hats are fully-fashioned, which means they are carefully shaped during the knitting process, hand-working increases and decreases to the exact shape and size required, ensuring there is no wastage of yarn. Each item is then hand-stitched, hand-washed to remove oils and impurities, air-dried outside, weather permitting and then hand-finished and lightly steamed.
These pieces are all designed to be worn and loved for many years. They can then be repaired, recycled, or will naturally bio-degrade at the end of a long and well-treasured life.
