To be sustainable means in short, to use our recourses with sense and concern. In my design, I try to give you the best product I can. To care for the first idea of a fibre to the moment the consumer choses to part from its well worn product. There are several dilemmas along the way, I can tell you.

In this first part, I´d like to tell you about the yarn that I use in my collections. Knit is very important in my design. The technique gives a certain sensuality and softness to my simple and feminine shape. Most of all, I love the merino wool. It breathes and has a soft touch. The quality that I have chosen is both quite tightly spun and knit, which makes it resistant to pilling. It´s Superwash tretad, so you can wash it in the machine without fear of shrinkage. To make this possible, the fibre is covered by a thin film which prevents the wool fibre to felt when it´s being exposed to water, heat and movement.

The yarn comes from the Austrian company Schoeller (www.schoeller-wool.com). In addition to Öko-Tex Standard 100 (www.oeko-tex.com) and "Woolmark" (The "Woolmark" specifies that a product contains pure new wool and is a symbol of quality and reliability), their products have these certifications:

BLUESIGN - "This certification guarantees the highest possible exclusion of damaging substances as well as ensuring the highest quality and functionality. Bluesign is a sign that the worldwide strict EHS criteria (consumer protection, water emissions, air emissions, industrial health and safety, resource efficiency) are being kept to." www.bluesign.com

G.O.T.S - "These four letters identify those products which are produced in such a way as to fulfil the ecological criteria of the “Internationalen Verbandes der Naturtextilien e.V. (IVN)” (International Association Natural Textiles Industry). The key aspects of this standard, amongst others, are a sustainable production, upholding social responsibility as well as the exclusive use of non-harmful materials in the dye works." www.naturtextil.com

NO MULESSING - There has been some talk about how the merino sheep are abused to make sure the wool it produces will not be damaged. Merino wool from Australia comes partly from sheep that were "mulessed" to prevent attacks by flies/bacteria.

Schoeller guarantees "NO mulesing". To give guarantee, they use Merino wool from South America and South Africa. Here, the fly/bacteria that made it necessary to perform mulsing in Australia doesn't excist. Efforts to obtain reasonable vaccines to erased this problem are done. The merino wool is big business in Australia, so it's in their interest to resolve this problem as fast as possible.

I´m very glad to be working with such reliable and serious firm. Their efforts to keep their products sustainable and environmentally sound is an inspiration!