Sustainable

When choosing our materials we focus on quality, transparency, the environment, health, safety and social responsibility. All material is free of toxic substances, GMOs (genetically modified organisms), exploitation and has the lowest environmental pollution possible. All materials are certified organic by independent agencies.

A strong and long lasting partnership with our suppliers and producers is the foundation and the center of slowmo. We coordinate the manufacturing of the products from raw material to the final pieces ourselves.

Some facts about cotton

Cotton is raised on (only) 2.5% of the global agricultural land but still 11% of all herbicides and 25% of all insecticides are used on these fields. No plant is treated with more dangerous insecticides and uses more water. A dramatic example of the consequenses of this way of cultivation is the Aral Sea.

Ecosystems are threatened and ground water is polluted. More then 20 million people are being poisoned every year only by working on these fields. Even the consumer can develop health problems through residual pesticides in cotton products.

The great economic interest in the high profits of cotton production comes along with child labor, the lowest wages and the lack of any workman's compensation.

This is just a short section about a long sad story of textile production taking lots of sacrifice.

Certified organic cotton

Certified organic cotton cultivation is being done in crop rotation and without any synthetic fertilizers. This avoids monoculture and helps the fields to recover. The cultivation of other plants (e.g. peanuts) gives nutrients back to the soil and allows a new branch of trade for the farmers.

Pests are treated in a natural way without herbicides and insecticides and the harvest is done by hand. There is a renouncement of defoliants which reduce the quality of the fiber. No genetically modified crops are used. The farmers get fair prices and trade conditions. The factories have controlled limits for dust and noise as well as wastewater and exhaust fumes treatment. Besides high safety standards at work there is a strict prohibition of child labor.

Linen

Linen has a long and richt history. The fiber is extracted from flax, a plant native to Europe. Ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Phoenicians, and other civilized peoples cultivated flax as early as 5000- 4000 B.C. Aside from wool, linen was the main material used for clothing through the European medieval times. Bit by bit it was replaced by cotton and almost vanished in the 1950's.

Organic agriculture cultivates flax in a comprehensive crop rotation system due to the fact that it can only be planted on the same field once every 7 years. The danger of monoculture is therefor naturally eliminated. Weed regulations are solved mechanically and there is no environmental harm or damage caused by nitrogen fertilization because flax is the only cultivated plant not able to tolerate nitrogen.

Linen is enormously tear-resistant and has an excellent moisture regulating quality. The fiber has very little allergic potential and is therefor very mild on skin. Because flax fibers are generally fairly long when spun, it creates a very smooth surface which gives linen its characteristic sheen.

slowmo uses certified organic flax from the north of France, Belgium, Bulgaria and the Netherlands. Further processing and finishing are located in Germany.

Sheep's wool

Already 7000 years ago wool felt existed in China, Babylon and Egypt. At first the wool was plucked out, but eventually could be shorn with the invention of carving knives so that an even material for spinning was won.

All over the world 1.5 mio tons of sheep's wool are shorn and processed every year. The term wool only means that the article is out of pure wool. It doesn't say anything about the quality of the wool used. "Pure new wool" has to be from living and healthy sheep whereas "wool" can also be from dead sheep or reprocessed wool.

The different families of sheep are distinguished by the character of their wool. In the 14th century sheep with the finest wool were bred in Spain, the merino sheep. Their wool is characterized by a special evenness, elasticity and lightness. Today merino sheep live in great numbers in Australia and South America. The merino wool that slowmo uses comes from Argentina and is finished in Germany.

Wool is temperature equalizing and gives off excessive body heat to the cooler surrounding. Pure new wool can absorb moisture up to one third of its own weight without feeling damp. At the same time the fiber protects from outside wetness thanks to its content of lanolin. Water drops run off, thus this fiber is water-repellent. If it absorbs moisture, it gives it off only very slowly. This leads to a long drying process after washing. Wool doesn't react electrostatically and thus hardly attracts stains and smells. Clothing out of wool regenerates in fresh air and doesn't have to be washed very often.

Certified organic wool

The production of organic wool already starts with the keeping of sheep. The animals gaze on pesticide-free meadows and neither get fattening aids nor growth supplements. Besides the animals are not treated with antibiotics or lead through very toxic, chemical baths which kill insects in their fur. The pesticides penetrate the fibers and cannot be removed any more. They are very damaging to our health.

Live transport and operations like "mulesing" are forbidden. "Mulesing" is a surgical procedure to avoid the infestation of fly grubs. This means that the anus-tail line of lambs is tightened by removing a part of the skin shaped like a V and the tail is cut off (docked), without any anesthetics.

Organic sheep keeping and processing without harmful substances avoid chemical residues in the wool.

Raw wool is only washed with mild and biodegradable substances. Therefore a great part of the natural lanolin is retained. Conventional raw wool is often sprayed with insecticides after shearing to avoid the infestation of moths during transport- not so with organic wool. We use dyes according to the same criteria as we use with our organic cotton.

Pilling

Product
slowmo certified organic wool comes from Merino sheep. We use the 100% merino wool without any chemical step and thus remains a pure natural product. The term "super wash" means that chemical substances cover the wool, initially preventing nodules or pilling to occur. However, after a few washings the chemicals wash away and the wool can start to peel. These chemical substances are harmful to humans and the environment. For this reason, we have consciously decided against a super-wash method.

Information
Some advice and information on how pillling can be avoided or treated. First, how do pilling nodules appear. Pillling is a normal effect with natural wool, alpaca, cashmere, and cotton, Wool is a very irregular fibre. In wool, the wool hairs fall roughly in the same direction. In some places the hair can occur as small barbs from the yarn. These small barbs can tangle together and pull further pieces of wool out of the yarn. A pillling nodule is formed. Certain types of human perspiration mixed with wool also contribute to this pillling process.

Prevention and treatment
Dry wool loses its elasticity and longer wool fibres come out of the wool, the
wool feels dull and forms nodules. To avoid the dry wool items, they should never be put directly into the sun or stored near the heater. Wool detergents should contain lanolin. If pilling has already occurred only a mechanical removal of the nodules either by hand or with a pilling or disposal shaving razor will help. Be careful not to damage the garment.

If you have any questions please get in touch with info@slowmo.eu
We wish you continued joy with the wool products.