Climate change, sustainability and pollution are all important considerations in the textile business.  It’s important to me that I know where my fibres are coming from and how they have been produced. I’ve signed the Campaign for Wool’s Dumfries House Declaration, and where possible, I will always use British wool.  The Merino and Polwarth I use is sourced from the Falklands, and so is classified as such. It also means that my Merino fibres do not come from mulesed flocks.  The alpaca and llama I use come from Peru. I occasionally use angora in my batts, which I buy straight from small-scale British bunny lovers.

I also try to make sure that I use fibres that are, in general, sustainably and ethically produced.

Natural fibres like wool and silk are naturally sustainable and have little environmental impact when it comes to processing.  For man-made fibres, this is an absolute minefield. For example, bamboo is a viscose fibre. Most viscose is made from eucalyptus wood, which is a highly water intensive crop, while bamboo production has many environmental benefits. In addition, the Chinese company that makes my bamboo fibre has an international environmental certification for its production method. However, it does still have an environmental impact as China’s energy is largely derived from coal, and the production of bamboo fibre is quite chemically intensive. I do use bamboo in my fibres, because in general I think it has many benefits over nylon, polyester and non-organic cotton. However, I am slowly phasing it out in preference of other fibres such milk protein fibre, Seacell and Tencel, which are extremely sustainable, carbon neutral and environmentally friendly.

For more information on sustainable textiles and fashion, I highly recommend Tortoise and Lady Grey.