Jo Storie : ecology

the ethos : our promise

To create luxurious ecological, British knitwear that is respectful of both the environment and the individual wearing it.

The collection will always be driven by good design and manufactured in the most socially responsible and ethical manner possible.

Driven by design, ecological by nature

the ethos : ecology

Why ecological?
As a knitwear designer Jo has to make choices about the raw material that will effect many aspects of the end product e.g. how soft is it, how much drape will it have , how will it wash, how expensive is it, what colours are available? All these decisions will shape the end design. But, what happens when you start to ask a different set of questions more concerned with sustainability, ethics and the impact on people and the environment?

It certainly isn’t the simplest design choice to narrow the options down to how ecological a fibre might be but it certainly is the most responsible one.

The collection aims to make the right choices on the question of its environmental impact. Only natural and sustainable fibres have been chosen, those with the highest ecological credentials. Pure wools or those blended with a little Alpaca and yarns produced ethically and locally in Britain. All manufacture is by hand, fair-trade and is simply Scottish.

the ethos : the yarns

Organic

100% Organic British Wool
The wool is organically farmed, sourced, spun and hand dyed in Cornwall, and is licensed by the soil association and is therefore certified organic. Every skein of yarn can be traced back to the farm it came from. It is natural, sustainable and organic.

Organic British Wool/Alpaca
Is a Soil Association certified blend of 75% Cornish Organic Wool and 25% Alpaca. It is organically spun in the UK using a mill powered by a water wheel. It is then organically hand dyed in Cornwall under strict Soil Association guidelines.

Ecological

British Breeds wool (undyed)
This British wool is shorn and blended from 4 classic British sheep breeds (Jacob, black welsh. Blue faced Leicester, and Suffolk), then spun into five beautiful un-dyed shades with the natural lanolin content maintained. The colours range from natural off white through shades of grey and brown. An annually renewable natural resource.

British wool (dyed)
An annually renewable natural resource this yarn is spun in Scotland and dyed in a selection of beautiful colours.

the ethos : the manufacture

'Eco-Handknits'

Each garment is created by hand by our family of hand knitters in Scotland. By keeping our manufacture local we are again reducing any negative impact on the environment.

Since we make to order, we have the ability to adjust our patterns to our wholesale customers’ needs and hence produce a truly unique and luxurious garment.

the collection

Autumn/Winter 2010/11 – ‘ECOLOGY’

The designs were created using almost tailoring like techniques with innovative draping and seaming to create the shapes and tactile stitches to produce unique silhouettes, with volume and structure.

the designer : profile

Jo Storie is a knitwear designer with over 13 years experience of working as a commercial designer and design director in London and New York.

Jo graduated from Heriot Watt University (formally known as The Scottish College of Textiles) with a First Class Honours Degree in Knitted Textiles.

She went on to design for prominent cashmere brands Tse Cashmere and Ballantyne Cashmere in London before relocating to New York to take up senior design posts at some of Americas most high profile labels, J.Crew , The limited and Ann Taylor.

On her return to the U.K in 2004 Jo decided to pursue her dream of having her own knitwear label and founded ‘Jo Storie’.

the designer : collection

Jo builds her collections by hand crafting the details herself, draping, folding and seaming the knitted structure as one would a piece of cloth. Working in this way allows her to build the designs sculpturally and gives them a unique feel. She works closely with her hand knitters to ensure the very highest standards of craftsmanship are carried through to the finished product. Each piece is made by hand and is therefore unique, often taking weeks to complete.

the designer

In addition to the ‘Jo Storie’ collection, Jo also runs a design consultancy studio. Specializing in knitwear design, she is able to put complete collections together or augment larger collections with her designs for both machine and hand knit projects.