Sustainability Q+A with Fluffwear

INTERVIEW WITH PARISA WALKLETT
FOUNDER FLUFFWEAR

WHAT IS THE FLUFFWEAR ETHOS?

Fluffwear is my small knitwear label. Every sweater is hand knitted by me or another knitter that helps me. My aim is to supply only to demand. It's a very slow process that I like to think of as a part of the anti-fashion industry movement. It is important to me to only use the most sustainably sourced, highest quality materials and not to operate with the mindset of cutting costs to gain margins. For me, it's about doing something that speaks to my heart which involves trying to change the industry and do better for the planet. I like to think of my sweaters as pieces that can be placed back into the earth without harming the land or having any negative impact. I use only pure wool, the most environmentally focused dyes and sourced locally.

WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?

I am based in Malmö, Sweden and I have a beautiful small studio space where I work most days. I work with a group of knitters in Sweden and Lithuania. I have no employees at present.

WHAT KIND OF MATERIALS DO YOU USE FOR YOUR KNITWEAR? ARE THERE ANY CERTIFICATIONS?

I have a new wool supplier. Mulesing free merino wool. Non treated. Sourced from a small family run company in Germany. I use only 100% untreated (non-superwash) wool. I prefer to trade with small family run companies and use ethical choices based on real conversations and seeing in person who they are and how they work.

The wool I previously used was bought by my wool supplier, Viveka, from a very old wool spinnery in Sweden when it closed down. This was perhaps 15 years ago or more. This wool was not spun at that point. Viveka had the wool spun at another Swedish Spinner later on.

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT HOW YOUR WOOL IS DYED?

I have increased my colour selection over the last 2 years so not all my pigments are labelled as GOTS. I've always used the same method using only vinegar and pigment colours. It's not an industrial process - just me with my pots and pans. I hand dye the wool using mostly mineral based GOTS Certified dyes sourced from a local family company. This is a statement taken from them about their company: A family company with more than 30 years in the textile industry. We work for textiles in a sustainable development and environmental awareness is important to us. We have been awarded an environmental grant and have been appointed environmentalists by the municipality. All our colours are non-toxic and most of them are GOTS approved. GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard and this means that the product is approved for labelling with "Good Environmental Choice".

CAN YOU TEL LME ABOUT YOUR PROCESS FOR THE MADE TO ORDER VS READY MADE FLUFFS?

Ready made fluffs are a small selection of pieces I have made up by knitters who wish to work without a deadline in wool that I have dyed 'for fun' which means working with the dye process creatively and creating.

MTO offers customers a bespoke approach. They are able to choose the colour tone/effect and I dye the wool for them and then their order will be assigned to a knitter.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR OVERSTOCK OF MATERIALS AND FABRIC SCRAPS?

The wool that I have left over is used for making smaller items such as doll sweaters. I can always find a use for the left over pieces such as tying onto the washing labels or using the wool to wrap presents. Very tiny ends that are too short for such purposes are thrown away. Wool is a natural product that has no adverse effect on the land and is fully biodegradable.

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR PACKAGING FOR SHIPMENTS TO CUSTOMERS?

I use paper boxes for shipping orders and within the parcel there is only paper based items along with the sweaters, easy to recycle.

DO YOU USE INDIVIDUAL BAGS FOR INDIVIDUAL ITEMS WHEN YOU SHIP TO RETAILERS? IF YES, ARE THEY RECYCLED AND/OR COMPOSTABLE?

I do not use plastic bags when shipping to retailers. I wrap individual sweaters in recycled tissue paper. If I ship items internationally, I tape around the packaging as a preventative method of keeping the contents safe from any chemical spraying that happens in certain countries. I feel in such cases that it is the best option for keeping the contents safe for wearing on the skin.

DO YOU USE RECYCLED PAPER FOR YOUR HANG TAGS, POSTCARDS AND MARKETING MATERIALS?

I use hangtags made from recycled paper. I also hand paint little individual postcards for each order of which the card was gifted to me and is not made from recycled paper. This card is acid and lignin free. The paints I use are organic and safe even for consumption (but I have tried it and it doesn't taste too nice!). The tissue paper is recycled and non-bleached.

DO YOU WANT TO SHARE ANYTHING ELSE WITH OUR READERS ON YOUR EFFORTS IN SUSTAINABILITY AND ETHICAL PRACTICES?

Like many other parents, my awareness of harmful toxins and chemicals in our environment grew when my son came into the world. I realised I wanted to knit as much of my own clothing for my son so that I could know exactly what touches his skin and that these pieces did not incorporate any part of the harmful process of fast fashion. The brand is therefore very personal to me and I hope to inspire other parents to shop in line with their environmental values. If the readers would like to know more about Fluffwear and the working process of slow fashion they are very welcome to contact me.