Winter is well and truly underway, now that we are once again spending more time indoors due to COVID19 restrictions it is time to get comfortable! Although handmade knitwear can often be seen as expensive, it’s never overpriced, unfortunately we have grown accustomed to under paying for fast fashion. The care and consideration that goes into creating jumpers and cardigans by hand is huge and well worth the honest pricing. We have put together this list of some of our favourite handmade, small and sustainable brands making kinder knits.

The Slow Label

The Slow Label are guided by their strong values in every decision they make, sourcing sustainable materials, working with ethical suppliers and advocating for a more conscious consumerism. Their aim is to slow down the fast-paced fashion industry by approaching things with an honest and improvement-oriented mindset.

Dariadéh

Dariadéh was born out of a desire to stop supporting the exploitation of people, animals and nature caused by fast fashion giants. Founder, Madeleine’s goal was to make affordable, timeless, high quality and sustainable fashion for everyone. They try to act as ethically and ecologically as they can and follow the "giving back" idea, donating 50 cents to charitable causes for every order placed.

Lauren Manoogian

Lauren Manoogian is a Brooklyn-based designer who creates incredibly chic and paired back knitwear and accessory. With minimal silhouettes, these ready-to-wear pieces are made using natural material choices and sustainable and sincere handcrafted production practices, wrapping up this Winter never felt so good!

LOOPH

LOOPH is handmade by women in the UK, slow garments made with organic, reclaimed materials and foraged dyes, saving materials from waste, and ensuring animal and human welfare. Super soft, light weight and fluffy mohair pieces are excellent for wearing on cooler summer evenings, or rainy days. Pairs well dressed up or down.

Navygrey

Navygray believe in the power of the really well-made sweater. Beautiful seasonless classics that go beyond trends and generational divides. From the cut of the neckline to the shape of the sleeve, they use the highest quality, 100% natural wool fibres, traceable back to the farm. They have a mindful manufacturing process, knit in a fully fashioned way and finish by hand, in a small factory in Portugal.

Charlotte Sometime

Charlotte Sometime takes serious care while knitting each jumper by hand. The really lovely thing about her brand is that she offers the patterns for her pieces so you can buy them ready made or make your own if you knit or want to learn how (the perfect winter activity!)

Lora GENE

Proving that simple design has the ability to make a big impact, Lora GENE is an exciting, open minded contemporary women's wear label that brings together conceptual thinking and meticulous attention to detail, quality and craftsmanship, that transcends every season.

Øst

For lovers of bright colours or calming pastels, Øst, East London based Danish design-team creates timeless pieces of clothing, soft knits and slouchy silhouettes, footwear and accessories.

Lowie

Founded in 2002, Lowie is a sustainable womenswear label built from a love for traditional handicraft techniques, heritage elements, and an unwavering appreciation for the environment, to create high quality garments that are feminine, fun, and functional. Always trying to find new ways to become more sustainable to create a better world for ourselves and for future generations.

Frisson Knits

Frisson Knits uses New Zealand Kid Mohair, which always comes from a sustainable and ethical place. Happy goats, make happy “kids”. And happy kids (baby goats) create the best mohair sweaters! Frisson Knit prioritises transparency and sustainability, when they say hand-knitted, they mean hand-knitted, no sewing machines, just their team of hand knitters.

Kowtow

Kowtow strongly believes we are all responsible for what we produce and that it doesn’t end up as waste. They design with the entire lifecycle in mind, and work towards closing the loop to attain full circularity. They only use materials that are responsibly sourced and use them mindfully. They engage in a slow production chain, where their collections take 18 months from design to delivery, well worth waiting for!

We could go on and on with so many other incredible brands out there knitting and weaving for good! If you know of any brands we need to know about make sure to let us know in the comments!