It’s “Weigh Day”!
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There is a lot of discussion among society regarding transparency within the clothing and textile industries, including how things are made and priced. When we are pricing pieces, prices are based on three things: the weight of fibre, the length of time it takes to create a piece (labour), and dyeing costs (materials and time). I’ve always felt this pricing method is fair and transparent as it reflects the different material and process costs, and even more so, the cost of labour.
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No matter the piece, labour is always the most significant price factor, which makes sense when you consider our pieces are “yarn forward factory free”.
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I always feel it is important, and interesting, to know about how things are made. It is part of the story of our knitwear.
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Tag: Canadian designer
#marchmeetthemaker – story
During the month of March many creatives participate in #marchmeetthemaker , which is a way to share with others aspects of their creative process. The first prompt was “story”, which I thought would be nice to share.
W1 Hundred was born out of an interest of textiles, local fibres, and ethical, ecological and historic practices. I started knitting at age 6 and sewing at age 9. Add in an Art diploma and a fascination with natural dyeing, and a business was formed.
As the business progresses, it is interesting to see the challenges created by staying true to core values, especially in a world of mass produced product. However, the core values are the main story: factory free knits, carefully selected materials, natural dyeing, Canadian produced wool, and Canadian inspired pieces. Pieces built out of a belief in quality and process, and pieces crafted to last.
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Organic Cotton
Organic cotton. This is one of the fibres I am knitting with today.
Choosing materials mindfully is incredibly important. The piece may look similar to others on the market, yet it makes its statement through its ethics, respect for farm worker, and the environment .
Finding ethical materials to work with isn’t always the easiest, but it is worth it to be able to create clothing with a conscious. Fashion can be done environmentally and ethically “correct” with just a little extra effort.
