Sustainably Warm

Staying sustainably warm in winter ! What a challange – I am definitely not a winter person, I get quickly grumpy when its cold. So it needs a lot of warm stuff around me to make me survive.

Sustainably knitted goods from Montenegro

A lot of balkanise people fortunately share my dislikes. The solution is the traditionally knitted goods from Montenegro.
The organic wool is 100% sheep wool and sustainably produced. All handcrafted, from shearing the sheep up to the knitting. I actually didn’t met the sheep but was as close as possible.
Women making an additional income by knitting goods and selling it. At every crowed market place, you’ll find women knitting and selling for time to time their stuff.

The sustainable Look

• The Socks come along mostly in the classical natural white design.
• Or you can find nowadays a rather trendy colourful design. Both so good warm that I actually can say „Good Bye“ to cold feet since.
• Woolen jacket just an eye-catcher with its woolen embroidery. Does it keeps warm – yes !
• And finally to complete the look traditional slipper. Handcrafted with leather and sheepskin.

Sustainable Goods – a new and old market

I know the latest is not vegan but it is sustainable and pure organic and all traditional for the montenegrin region.
Those small business with handcrafted item support the income of families who live in rural areas in the mountains of Montenegro.
They own a folk of sheeps, making cheese, using the wool – That’s what’s they make for living.
It’s not yet just for tourists. To give them a picturesque ethical style. But increasingly it does or will become part of the growing eco tourism business.
Still, the knitwear does belong to their style and locals appreciate warm socks in winter either.

The embroidery is even mentioned in literature – Isn’t that sustainable?

Actually the balkanese embroidery skills had been long ago appreciated by the famous english author Rebecca West. In her book “Black Lamb and Grey Falcon” she described her travel through former Yugoslavia during the 1940th. She fell in love with the hadcrafted garmets of the region and collected many fine pieces, Unfortunalty most didn’t made it back to England. She was so upset that she retuned to obtain new pieces! This time successfully.