February 2, 2022

Three things we want to learn this year

We’ve just turned three. In human terms, we’d have mastered walking, a good few words but we’d be still very much in the ‘learning phase.’ Yet all too often when it comes to business and the speed with which we’re supposed to do things, by year three we're told we should have everything cracked.

The truth is we don’t. And to be honest, we are absolutely OK with that. Because as March 2020 and the appearance of COVID showed, none of us really know what’s around the corner. We could never have planned for a pandemic during our second year of business, let alone it continuing through to the third.

But that uncertainty created an opportunity for us. We were never going to be the quickest, (we don't believe in churning out new things every week), but it forced us to go really really slow. Add in two babies born during lockdown and a good few months of home-schooling...

But that time really gave us an opportunity to think about the things we want to create for you. Pieces with purpose, made in the right way, by the right people.

So with that in mind, we’ve decided that each year, we’re going to tell you about three things we as a small brand want to learn during the year. And share what we find out with you.

Because when you’re curious about something, you start training your mind to expect new ideas and that, in turn, leads to creativity and new discoveries. And because the mind is like a muscle which becomes stronger through exercise, curiosity and learning something new is rather good for it.

So here are our three for 2022.

1. Regenerative Agriculture

How we can look after our land and soil better is key to our futures. We’ve already started working with regenerative farms that manage our Lamb’s Wool, but we want to understand more about the processes, and if there’s anything we can also do as part of our daily lives to support a more regenerative approach.

We’re going to be chatting to brilliant people working in the worlds of ecology and land management – and sharing our findings with you.2. Your Stories

So many of you get in touch to tell us our jumper reminds you of one your mother/father/grandpa wore. And we love this.

Navygrey started with a feeling. That sensation when you bury your face in the downy softness of a favourite woollen jumper. The warmth. The comfort. A jumper that feels good, looks good and makes you feel good about yourself. That makes you feel safe as well as warm. Like you’ve come back home and everything’s going to be all right.

So this year we really want to find out more about your stories and the role good knits play in your life and share them with our community. Because it's those memories, stories and histories that stay with us. They're a part of you - And we want to discover your histories.

3. How to create even better knitwear

This one is probably going to be on our list every year. We do not like to settle. With every batch we create, we’re always trying to find ways to improve it. We just want to keep getting better.

If we can cut our carbon footprint, work with a more regenerative wool, tweak the tension on a knit to make it perform even better – we will. What’s more, we want to take you on that journey. We’re now able to visit our makers again after two years and our plan is to take you on those tours, meet the people behind the pieces and tell you about the tweaks we're making.

We've already moved a lot of our knitting to the British Isles and we're really excited to share with you some of the new pieces on which we've been working. Yes, making in the UK comes with more cost, and in some instances it takes longer, but we believe our knitwear is going to be even better as a result.