Care and animal welfare
Material, care and animal welfare
Fibres
Most of the machine knit is made in Europe with yarn from Italian suppliers or in China with organic cotton, wool and alpaca. All hand knitted garments from Kupong are made in with yarn from Sandnes Garn. We use mostly natural fibres such as Norwegian wool, alpaca, mohair and lambswool.
Norwegian wool is known for its durability, strength and bounce. The garments knitted in wool are light, warm and long lasting. It is also the most sustainable wool when it comes to production and degradability.
Mohair is a silk-like yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. It is known for its high luster and sheen. This is why it is often used in fiber blends to add these qualities to a textile. It is considered to be a luxury fiber, like cashmere, Angora and silk, and is usually more expensive than most wool that is produced by sheep.
We use a quality called Astro- Mohair (50%) Merino (18%) Polyamide (32%) in the Carrie sweater. This yarn is 100% produced in Prato (Italy) at the factory mill facilities. Approx 50% of the elecricity used to spin the yarn comes from their solar plant on the roof.
The origin of the wool may change depending on where the yarn is bought a single fiber lot: it can be Australia, South Africa or South America. The merino wool is mulling free and we only use certificated wool.
Cashmere silk.
We use this quality for our Gigi series, the yarn is made of 100% natural materiales. The composition is 50% merino wool, 35% silk and 15 % cashmere- all made in Italy.
We firmly believe that one of the most sustainable choices in this sector is to invest in quality, that’s why we pay particular attention to the selection of raw materials, choosing the best virgin qualities, that allows to create garments that are not only extremely soft, warm and pleasant but also durable over time. Quality and durability are two concepts very relevant for us and closely linked to the theme of sustainability. Moreover, to ensure the protection of human health and the conservation of the environment we have implemented the Chemical Management 4sustainability project, aimed at eliminating toxic and harmful chemicals following the MSRL ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) implementing a traceability system along the entire supply chain, contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with particular attention to water protection (more information on the Protocol are attached). The yarns therefore, in addition to being compliant with the REACH and GB18401 standards, complies with strict controls on chemicals that guarantee traceability.
The alpaca fibre is soft, durable, luxurious and silky. While similar to sheep`s wool, it is warmer, and has no lanolin, which makes it hypoallergenic. Alpaca fiber is naturally water-repellent and difficult to ignite.
Lambswool is wool taken from the first shearing of the sheep, usually around seven months after its first coat has come in. It is fine and soft, and requires minimal processing. Lambswool, like all sheep's wool, contains lanolin. It is popularly used for good quality knitwear.
We use a quality called Darwin which is 100% lambs/merino wool RWS certified WOOL. This yarn is bought from our Italian supplier Filivili who uses yarn tops from Chile. The mulling process does not occur in Chile because the mosquitos which are responsible for fly strike is not present there. The mosquito responsible for fly strike is a type of parasite who lives in the Australian areas.
In The Uniform collection we also use a lot of lambswool. Lambswool contains lanolin which naturally strengthens the wool fibers and gives them shine. Lambswool was widely used in the 80's and 90s before merino wool became so popular. We are very inspired by the decades from the 70s, 80s and 90s in our collections and it was then natural to retrieve some of the materials that were used back then.
Mulesing
Mulesing is the removal of strips of wool-bearing skin from around the breech of a sheep to prevent the parasitic infection flystrike. The wool around the buttocks can retain feces and urine, which attracts flies. The scar tissue that grows over the wound does not grow wool, so is less likely to attract the flies that cause flystrike. Mulesing is a common practice in Australia for this purpose, particularly on highly wrinkled Merino sheep.
Mulesing is a controversial and cruel practice. The animal rights organisation PETA strongly opposes mulesing, says the practice is cruel and painful, and that more humane alternatives exist. Read more here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulesing
Organic cotton is grown without harmful chemicals, leaving the soil, air and water free from contaminates that cause harm. It uses far less water to grow since organic cotton growers typically utilize rain far more than irrigation. Many people with skin problems report a dramatic improvement in their skin condition once they switched to organic. By choosing to buy organic cotton you are enhancing the health of humans, animals and natural resources around the world. Supporting organic agriculture is also essential if we want to create improved working conditions for cotton farmers because farming organic cotton is more regulated, and therefore, fairly traded.
Synthetic fibres
Common to all polyamide fibers is that they have good elasticity, high strength and absorb little water. They are not attacked by bacteria and fungi and therefore do not rot. The fibers are elastic and curl little. Polyamide is a durable material with a long life. Other materials are often mixed with polyamide to maintain the color and provide a better fit, while strengthening the wool fibers and making the garment much more durable. We sometime use polyamid fibres to strengthen the wool, or acrylic to strengthen the cotton. This will give the garment longer life for wear and tear.
Wash
Most of our styles can be machine-washed, but we recommend to wash by hand. Wool is a natural fibre and will loose its strength and bounce after being machine washed repeatedly and over time. To best keep the materials strength and shine we therefor recommend to wash by hand. Always refer to your pieces' care label before washing.
When washing, always turn your knits inside out beforehand, this will also help prevent pilling.
If machine washed - go for the cool setting, no warmer than 30°C.
Slow, gentle spins are best (600 RPM max). Natural fibres release water easily, so fast spins are unnecessary.
Detergents
Wash all your knitwear in gentle, enzyme-free detergent. We recommend Milo or any other product who is wool-friendly. Look out for the Woolmark symbol.
Avoid biological and non-biological detergents as both these contain bleaching agents, which do not play nice with your knitwear!