The Congi Station, Walcha, Australia
At the core of our garments is a 17.5 micron superfine merino wool. It is the product from our mulesing free sheep that roam free on the Congi Farm. Located 30 km west of Walcha this farm has been raising livestock for over a century, and currently manages around 25,000 merino sheep.
Now in their fourth generation, the Field family produces exceptionally high-quality wool using modern technology and sustainable, certified herd management processes. The use of non-toxic spray guarantees animal health and safeguards the environment.
The Wool Combing Facility, Romagnano Sesia, Italy
Pettinatura Lane di Romagnano Sesia was born in the nineteenth century initially for cotton processing and was converted to a wool processing facility after the Second World War. As of today it is the only remaining wool combing facility in Italy and processes mainly fine wool, especially Merino with a fineness between 17 and 19 microns.
It is here that our greasy wool or “sucida” from the Congi station is washed carded, combed and finished into a strip of worsted woolen tops. The fresh Alpine water of the Monta Rosa glacier used in the washing process is treated by an internal purification plant to ensure the return of clean water when released back in to the Sesia river.
Dying facility, Valle Mosso, Italy
At the foothill of the Italian Alps in Valle Mosso, Biella, the wool is dyed by the Botto Giuseppe family. For more than 140 years they have been using their passion for product and nature to create premium quality natural yarns.In the last decade,
Botto Giuseppe has invested significant resources, to develop a chain from sheep to yarn that is run according to the rigorous Cradle to Cradle Certified™ requirements. Today it is the only mill in the world that has achieved a Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Gold status for woollen yarns.
Spinning Facility, Tarcento, Italy
The wool is processed into yarn at the Cascami Seta Facility which runs on 100% renewable energy. It has been part of the Botto family since 1985. The daily operation is run by Sergio, who has been working at the facility for 30 years.
Sergio and his team continue to create some of the finest natural yarns by sticking to the two rules he learned from his mentor: don't use chemicals and listen to what the yarns tell you. When I asked him what they had to change to meet the Cradle 2 Cradle requirements his answer was: "Nothing"
Knitting Facility, Osimo, Italy
We discovered Point Tricot among the green hills of the Le Marche, Italy. It is a small, family-owned company that, for over 30 years, has been operating at the highest levels in the knitwear sector. The team is made up of 33 employees, 6 of which are technical programmers dedicated to creating the best quality knitted fabrics.
But product quality is not everything: for years the company has been committed to combining their passion for product and nature and is attentive to the environmental and social sustainability of its chain.
KNITWEAR LAB, Almere, The Netherlands
KNITWEAR LAB is a Dutch innovation center for industrial knitwear that was founded in 2014 and has been involved with UNBORN ever since we got introduced to the world through our 2020 crowdfunding campaign.
At their workshop in Almere Netherlands they currently have 5 state-of-the-art Stoll ADF knitting machines, ranging from gauge 3 to gauge 18, which they push to the limits on a wide range of projects. The focus of their projects is on renewing and researching industrial knitwear, which can range from clothing and shoes to medical and technical applications. They currently employ a staff of 14 people and provide a platform to further educate young people on the possibility of industrial knitwear and the solutions it offers for the pollution in the textile industry.