At White + Warren, sustainability is one of our core values, and that philosophy starts at the source: our yarns. We’re thrilled to introduce our third Recycled Cashmere capsule collection, featuring styles crafted with upcycled cashmere yarn.
The yarn comes from a family-owned mill in Tuscany, which takes sweaters—made from the same high-quality cashmere you expect from White + Warren—that would otherwise go to waste, shreds them back into fiber form, and spins them into renewed yarn.
First, the sweaters are tested to ensure they’re 100% cashmere—blends don’t make the cut. Then, they’re separated into panels so they can be sorted by color. It may sound simple enough, but this is an artisanal trade that takes careful training.
Next, the cashmere that passes the quality test is sorted into bins by color and prepared for cleaning, dying and spinning.
“We were the first U.S. brand to use this yarn from our Italian mill, and it’s only getting more popular,” says Bari Shore, White + Warren Director of Product. “The sustainable materials conversation is only going to become more and more relevant,” she adds.
The knit panels are then passed through a 100-year-old machine, which shreds them back into fiber form.
Next, the fibers are cleaned, re-dyed and spun back into yarn.
Voilà! The finished yarn is spun into cones so it can be knit into a new garment.
This revitalized (and yes, environmentally friendly) yarn can be found in our new Recycled Cashmere capsule collection of classic, cozy and touchably soft sweaters you’ll want to wear every day.
