We put so much time, effort and research into best possible ways to sustainably and responsibly source, make and design our clothes.
This is an ongoing process. Our dream is that the clothes we sell will improve with age and survive generations. We have always being passionate about vintage clothing, it has a certain soul like quality that rarely exists in new clothes. Most of this comes down to how the fabric was woven and how the seams were sewn. Our design and pattern cutting is forward looking and directional, however there are certain points we always respect about how seams have been sewn over the last 100 years and we carefully develop fabrics with mills, we know and trust who share our viewpoint on how the fabric is woven; so it ages beautifully.
In order to fulfil our dream; we need to share all the after care information we have gathered so that our garments can become truly yours and not let you down.
This advice is from our weavers, our knitters, organic cotton specialists, mothers and grandmas, friends and everyone who loves clothes and gets annoyed whenever something breaks you loved wearing a lot.
CARING FOR ORGANIC COTTON
Garments should be washed between 30 and 40 degrees centigrade maximum
Using a non biological, eco friendly washing detergent ( the chemicals that help whiten and clean in modern detergent change the feel of the cotton, give a bluish shade and wear out the fibres quicker).
Powder over liquid (it avoids a lot of plastic).
Avoid liquid softener where possible.
For customers living in a hard water area an additional powdered water softener is highly recommended and means you need a lot less detergent and reduces abrasion to the cotton fibres.
Always line dry all garments - the tumble dryer literally knocks the life out of your clothes, the combination of heat, friction from the rotations means that seams and corners wear out and rip much faster and shrink more, the garment quickly flattens in look and will change the texture of the cotton and make it look a bit lifeless.
Thinking environmentally: A tumble drier if used regularly; can produce 1 tonne of Carbon dioxide a year, by avoiding them as much as possible you can reduce your total carbon footprint by 6% straight away.
We put so much time, effort and research into best possible ways to sustainably and responsibly source, make and design our clothes.
This is an ongoing process.
Our dream is that the clothes we sell will improve with age and survive generations. We have always being passionate about vintage clothing, it has a certain soul like quality that rarely exists in new clothes.
Most of this comes down to how the fabric was woven and how the seams were sewn. Our design and pattern cutting is forward looking and directional, however there are certain points we always respect about how seams have been sewn over the last 100 years and we carefully develop fabrics with mills, we know and trust who share our viewpoint on how the fabric is woven; so it ages beautifully.
In order to fulfil our dream; we need to share all the after care information we have gathered so that our garments can become truly yours and not let you down.
This advice is from our weavers, our knitters, organic cotton specialists, mothers and grandmas, friends and everyone who loves clothes and gets annoyed whenever something breaks you loved wearing a lot.
CARING FOR KNITTED WOOL
Pure untreated wool can naturally clean itself, it can only do this if it is aired properly, we recommend to leave outside overnight and/ or hang next to the shower so it can absorb the steam.
This is due to the lanolin in the yarn (a natural, self moisturising wax that all sheep have) hence why it can smell a bit like sheep when steamed.
The more you wash it with strong detergent the quicker this is washed away, without this the the jumper dries out, changes character, becomes brittle, stiffer and scratchy and loses its ability to self clean and leads to holes.
The best approach is to spot clean all stains individually with a little bit of delicate laundry detergent and a sponge, for bad oil or grease stains stretch the stain over a cup and sponge a little detergent or soap ontop and pour a small amount of boiling water onto it, carefully remove the hot cup and pour away the water, repeat a couple of times if really bad and needed.
Every so often the knitwear will need washing, hand washing is best and reduces any shrinkage but if you want to use the machine please use 1 laundry garment bag (made from mesh) per garment or just a pillow case.
This cuts down felting, abrasion and lanolin loss.
Most of the eco laundry companies make a good delicate laundry detergent this tends to always be in liquid form but can easily be bought as a refill.
After washing by hand we suggest towel drying, lay the wet garment on a towel and roll up, squeeze out excess water gently, then unroll and lay on a drying rack
If you have chosen the wool wash cycle on your machine then just dry flat on a towel or a rack and stretch gently into shape, whilst it is damp it will easily let itself be stretched longer or wider.
Try to avoid ironing but if needed lay a damp tea towel onto of the knit to protect from the direct heat of the iron, use lots of steam or hover at least a centimetre away from the knit and press the steam button a lot this will help the fibres to recover from any creases which might have happened during washing.
If you use the iron directly on the wool, it can damage the wool and your iron!
Please never consider tumble drying wool, even on low temperature - it will most likely shrink.
CARING FOR TENCEL AND VISCOSE
Garments should be washed on the delicates or gentle setting between 30 and 40 degrees centigrade, maximum.
Ideally in a mesh laundry bag again to prolong its life.
Again we recommend delicate laundry liquid detergent from any of the eco.
Line dry or on a rack
Never tumble dry (it will stiffen the fibres and lead to abrasion and ripping)
CARING FOR WOVEN WOOL GARMENTS
We have designed and made our wool garments with the consideration they can be washed, just very carefully.
Our raw wool is pure and with very little treatment, so the same treatment is valid as for the knitted wool garments above, airing regularly leave outside overnight and or hang next to the shower so it can absorb the steam.
Follow the same instructions above for spot cleaning stains as on knitted wool.
Hand wash with a small amount of delicate detergent, try to avoid machine washing but if you want to make sure it is in a laundry mesh bag and with the most gentle setting - low temperature, short cycle and minimum rotations
Line dry and press again with a damp tea towel onto of the wool and use lots of steam
Dry cleaning is fine as long as the dry cleaner you use is really really good and you have either previous experience or a recommendation from a knowledgable friend, otherwise it is a gamble.
At the end of the day a good dry cleaner can remove most stains first time, however dry cleaning too regularly breaks down the character of the the wool and flattens the garment and makes it prone to absorbing unwanted odours.
There are various eco friendly dry cleaning chemicals and processes and worth checking if your cleaner uses them.
We try to avoid as much as possible but some situations they are a necessary evil that can save your coat!