Combining dedicated design and craftsmanship with an environmentally and socially conscious supply chain from sheep to shop, at Navygrey we care about who makes our clothes as much as whom we make them for.
Our Wool
Handpicked superfine wool from the softest Australian Merino sheep. Woolmark certified, each raw fibre lot can be traced back to the farm that produced it, ensuring greater quality control.
A premium fibre, we chose this wool for its softness, comfort and strength. Naturally breathable and odour resistant, it is natural, renewable and biodegradable.
Mulesing-free
The skin of Merino sheep tends to be wrinkly and the sheep are subject to the risk of being “struck” by flies (known as “flystrike”) which deposit larvae in warm damp areas of wool and skin. The maggots which develop from larvae then proceed to eat the flesh of the sheep. If not treated, this can lead to a sheep’s death.
Mulesing is the word used to describe the surgical removal of loose folds of skin from the breach area of merino sheep. Because it is a controversial practice which can cause pain, (and anaesthetic isn’t always administered) we have chosen to source mulesing-free wool.
Our Italian mill
We’re delighted to work with Lanecardate, one of Italy’s finest mills, in Biella, near Milan. Lanecardate is among the few spinners able to directly control its supply chain. Our wool is purchased directly at source and combed, dyed and spun in Italy.
Our wool is dyed at a family-run dye-house in Italy that works in partnership with Lanecardate.
All of the dyes we use are REACH compliant to ensure the chemical safety of our products and our process is APEO NPEO free.
Our Factory
We manufacture our jumpers in a family-run factory in Portugal, near Porto which complies with the best practice principles set out in the SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA).
We produce in limited quantities to ensure both quality and to avoid excess waste. This means we may run out of stock from time to time, but within a few weeks we can replenish.
As part of the manufacturing process, our jumpers are washed with an organic softener certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and finished by hand.
Our jumpers are folded with recycled tissue paper and placed in un-dyed, organic cotton storage bags ready for shipping in cardboard boxes by road to the UK.
We use organic cotton brand, care and size labels printed using an Oeko-Tex certified ink. Our tags are hand-tied using organic cotton cord.
Packaging & Print Materials
From our factory to our studio and to the customer, we ship our jumpers in our un-dyed 100% organic cotton drawstring bags. These bags are reusable, plastic free and printed in Sheffield in the UK at a SEDEX certified manufacturer.
We work with a lovely printing house in Hampshire in the UK and always print using 100% post-consumer FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified recycled paper. This includes everything from our tags, to returns forms and washing instructions included with every purchase. The manufacturing process of our paper uses less energy and water and emits fewer CO2 emissions than the standard production of virgin fibre paper.
Shipping Materials
We ship in the UK using dpd's carbon-neutral delivery service.
We offer two different planet-friendly packaging options.
Our standard option is to have your jumper in a slimline, recyclable and degradable sleeve.
Secondly, we’ve teamed up with RePack - an award-winning, globally unique reusable, returnable, 100% waste-free packaging service.
RePack replaces single-use delivery packaging. After receiving your jumper, simply fold the packaging down into letter size and drop it into any post box, free of charge. RePack reduces CO2 emissions by 80% and we reward our customers with a £10 voucher each time they return this packaging.
Read more about our RePack partnership here.
Our Garden Studio
We’re just at the start of our journey. Our HQ is based in a small studio in our Founder Rachel’s garden. Made from sustainable Cedar wood with a green living roof, this Studio is our first HQ where we design, store and package every order by hand. (Pictures to follow soon).
