Slip Into Fall In Style With These Sustainable Knitwear Brands

Yes, it is still piping hot outside in most regions of the United States. But, my mind can’t help but look ahead and start thinking about cozy knitwear pieces that make me feel like I am being swaddled.  With that said, I rounded up three sustainable knitwear brands that will have you looking on point style-wise, while keeping you cozy as you cuddle up with yourself (or whoever).

ELEVEN SIX

Launched in 2015, ELEVEN SIX is a modern knitwear brand designed in upstate New York and sustainably made in Peru by local artisans using local materials. “The epiphany to start ELEVEN SIX came in April 2014 – pregnant with my first child during a trip to the sacred valley Andes Mountains in Peru,” shares Co-founder Catherine Carnevale. “ELEVEN SIX aims to offer an effortless, yet elevated approach to knitwear. As a mother, wife, and entrepreneur, I design for the modern woman in need of a versatile, timeless wardrobe to suit a lifestyle of work, travel, and play.”

Carnevale, who launched the brand with her husband Nick, the company’s CFO, tells me that knitwear is her passion and her training. “As a child growing up in England, I learned to knit from my mother and grandmother. Due to my love for this craft, I studied Fashion Textiles at the Central Saint Martins and then Knitwear at the University of Brighton—5 years in technical knitwear training.” Since relocating to New York she has designed for Calvin Klein, Anne Klein, and Club Monaco. After gaining experience and honing in on my professional skills it became a natural progression to form a knitwear brand of my own.”

“Our love for travel and eye for handcrafted, authentic products and local influences translates in our work,” Carnevale tells me of where she gets her inspiration for her designs. “I am often inspired by art and have partnered with a series of artists to create three different collaborations sweaters. The lifestyle we lead might be my ultimate inspiration especially right now in the times we are in!”

ELEVEN SIX primarily produces their collections with artisan workshops in the outskirts of Lima, Peru. 

“These women (and some men that work the knit machines) are empowered working in an entrepreneurial environment, and are dedicated to the production of high quality pieces using traditional textile techniques of hand and machine knitting,” shares Carnevale.

The amount of hours devoted to crafting each piece makes every item from ELEVEN SIX one of a kind. Carnevale continues, “For the handmade items we produce, the artisan’s signature and unique edition number is included on the hangtag to pass on some handcrafted love to its new owner. We sustainably source our fibers from the country of Peru. For the two colder season’s collections we use the beautiful fiber of Alpaca, indigenous to Peru. We exclusively use yarn that is natural, sustainable, eco-friendly and ethical. In the spring collection we use Peruvian pima cotton.” 

When it comes to divvying up the roles with her husband, Carnevale tells me that she is the brand’s Creative Director and handles the day-to-day operations. “Nick has a business background in fashion and used to buy menswear for many years in the UK for Topman and in his early NY years for Armani.” Nick also co-founded Gasoline Alley Coffee and has coffee retail stores in NYC, which has been his main focus for the past 10 years. “The juggle is real with our two young children and two businesses – but we manage to conquer and divide. There is however an exciting new aspect that Nick is involved with. ELEVEN SIX will launch our first Men’s sweater this coming fall direct-to-consumers on our site, which Nick will lead and grow creatively!”

Sustainability has been a part of ELEVEN SIX’s DNA from the start (even if wasn’t on the forefront of most consumers’ or brands’ minds in 2015) “We strive to be sustainable in many aspects of the brand—from knowing where my work is going, seeing the benefits of the work, and growth to the artisan workshops and families. We use materials and fibers at the production source to give back to the country and local industry and to prevent shipping yarns across the globe. We strive to be sustainable and thoughtful about all of the day-to-day actions we take,” explains Carnevale.

COVID has pushed the brand even further when it comes to stretching resources. “Due to COVID I recently created our most sustainable collection to date—a collection of 9 pieces for Pre-spring 21’.  I ended up modeling it myself for the look book and e-commerce shots to be able to have selling assets for a zoom fashion week market. These times we are currently in, is challenging us to take sustainability to the next level!

I love the ELEVEN SIX aesthetic—the dresses are beautiful and the sweaters are swoon worthy and will be go-to items in your closet for years to come. Don’t forget to check out the brand’s archives for some really great steals.

Kordal Studio

I stumbled upon brand, Kordal Studio an instantly fell in love with the brand’s cozy yet stylish aesthetic. Founded by Mandy Kordal, the eponymous brand began back in 2012 when Kordal wanted to take a more ethical approach to designing fashion. “I would describe our brand as sustainable clothing that’s gentle on the environment, designed with intention, and made to be lived in,” she tells me. “By using natural and upcycled textiles, producing with fair trade partners, and honoring traditional craft and culture, we aim to create long lasting garments that offer comfort and sincerity. Because we value our supply chain and the making process all of our garments have a really special tactile quality, from our cozy and textured knitwear to our handloom wovens, every piece has its own unique story.” 

Prior to the launch of her brand, Kordal worked as an assistant designer for a ready-to-wear brand based in New York City where she got the opportunity to head up developing their knitwear collection. “I’ve always been drawn to knitwear,” she explains. “For me, there’s something very meditative about handknitting and I love soft textured textiles. I learned so much from this experience and when it came time to launch my own collection, I decided to play to my strengths, stay focused, and create an all knitwear brand.”

“As a self funded business I knew that developing an entire collection with multiple categories would be out of my budget, so I bought two handloom knitting machines and started by designing and making my first prototypes in my apartment,” continues Kordal. “I then found a small cottage industry of knitters in Bayside, Queens who helped me produce my first orders and still produce some styles for us today! “ While Kordal Studio started off solely as a knitwear brand, the company has since branched out to use other textiles. 

By connecting with others in the sustainable design community, Kordal was able to create relationships with both mills and artisans that shared her ethos. As those relationships developed so did the opportunity to expand her brand’s product offerings. “A couple of years ago we developed an upcycled quilted jacket with The New Denim Project, this past season we worked with Greenmatters, a dye house in Lancaster PA that naturally dyes fabric using plants and food waste,” Kordal excitedly tells me. “I’m inspired by the innovation and possibilities within sustainable design, problem solving, and nature. I also love exploring new places, visiting textile art exhibits and going to dance performances for inspiration.”

Kordal sources her textiles from top-quality mills in Japan, Guatemala, and Peru with a mission to produce the products as local as possible. 

“By removing unnecessary shipping in the manufacturing process, we are reducing our carbon footprint, working to provide jobs in the local communities, and building long term relationships with suppliers and artisans,” states Kordal. “We utilize natural fibers meaning they are plant or animal-based instead of synthetic, and stay away from harsh chemicals and toxins. We also seek out textiles that are certified under leading standards with social and environmental criteria, such as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). By emphasizing natural and ethical, we are standing behind renewable resources, which do not contribute to environmental degradation or human harm.”

Kordal works with many artisans and sustainable textile suppliers. In Guatemala, the brand works with the The New Denim Project, a textile manufacturer based in Guatemala City who is committed to closed-loop production practices, uniting technology and ecology in the production of textiles, for all of their canvas, denim, and quilted styles. 

“This past season began working with Algodones Mayas for all of our cut & sew woven fabrics. Algodones Mayas was founded 26 years ago by Luisa’s parents with a goal of preserving the Guatemalan culture, the land, its natural colors and motifs,” shares Kordal. “In Peru, we source Andean Highland Wool and Alpaca from Inca Tops. Certified by Pacomarca, the sustainable alpaca network, they are one of the founding companies of Patrulla Ecológica (Eco Patrol) a nonprofit organization dedicated to protect the environment in Arequipa city. We love working with alpaca because they are considered some of the ‘greenest’ animals on the earth due to their efficient eating and drinking habits in comparison to other grazing animals”

“I believe that if we want to continue living on this planet, it’s imperative that the distinction between being a ‘designer’ and being a ‘sustainable designer’ becomes a thing of the past,” Kordal tells me of how she defines sustainability and how that philosophy is applied to her brand. “To us, sustainability is an ongoing effort and a state of mind. We’re always looking for ways that we can do better — through materials we use, the artisans and workshops we work with, even the little ways in which we move throughout our days.” The brand also sends their products to customers in 100% compostable bags from The Better Packaging Co. 

Kordal just opened up the brand’s first brick and mortar store in Fort Greene, Brooklyn NY where they host a variety of workshops and events and co-host a “Thoughtful Happy Hour” once a month with their next door neighbors, Rhodora (NYC’s first zero waste restaurant!).

YanYan

Founded by childhood friends, Phyllis Chan and Suzzie Chung, YanYan, which means ‘everyone’ in Cantonese launched in March 2019. Based in Hong Kong, the knitwear brand offers separates that celebrate classic Chinese design details in a modern, wearable way. Weaving traditional details such as cheongsam-inspired closures, and hand-tied, hand-embroidered Chinese knots, the collection utilizes Italian spun tweed yarns, Scottish lambswool, and technical yarns spun in Japan that are all proudly knitted in China.

“We really wanted to focus on novelty—really fun, beautiful clothing that makes people smile and feel special,” shares Chan, who prior to co-creating YanYan worked her way up from an intern to become the Director of Knitwear for rag & bone. “There are already so many places that you can find classic, iconic beautiful knitwear. We wanted to be a place you can find something novel.” 

Chung adds, “I would describe our brand as nostalgic, eclectic, and emotional. We believe in dressing for ourselves, whether it’s for comfort, or just because we like it. We want to make designer-driven products that our customers feel emotional about and confident wearing, and will keep as investment pieces for years to come. We also wanted to design things we truly love with a point of view that is genuinely ours.” 

Knitwear isn’t a common medium used in traditional Chinese clothing. When I ask the women what the thinking behind the decision was Chan responds, “We really wanted to combine our skills, using my specialization in knitwear, and Suzzie’s experience in print and graphic, and create something fun and special. In my experience, knitwear can be such a fun and emotional shopping investment—it’s a piece in your closet that you can really love and take care of.”

“We find a lot of inspiration from our heritage, our childhood, and our life in Hong Kong—from the design of buildings and subways, to traditional festivals and folklore,” Chung tells me. “Before designing each season, we visit the wholesale district of Sham Shui Po, where there’s a lot of family owned fabric, trims, and crafts stores. It’s a treasure trove of new and old things, which is very much what our aesthetic is. There’s also renewed interest in Hong Kong to explore the application of traditional crafts and techniques in modern settings. It’s very inspiring for us to visit those shops and exhibitions too.”

While Chan tells me that they never set out to be a sustainable brand they did go into this endeavor with some ideas to improve upon several processes—especially material waste.

Chan explains, “Being in Hong Kong, sharing an office with our factory, designing and producing on a lean production model, and controlling design and development more efficiently—these were all ways that made our working life better while producing better products and is naturally less wasteful. But most importantly, we wanted to tackle our factory’s huge excess of material. There was so much of it, and it would be incredibly wasteful to throw away.” To try and minimize waste, the pair often shop for overage yarns that other brands order and don’t use that are left behind in the factories—especially since yarns have an expiration and become un-knittable after a certain point. 

Chung adds, “Sustainability from a human perspective is also important to us. Garment making is still an incredibly manually intensive process, and we appreciate all the hard work it takes for our factory to develop and produce our designs. It’s important to us that they’re paid fair wages and work in safe conditions.”

The best friends feel incredibly lucky to be able to work together. 

Chung shares, “It’s great because we are very much aligned in our values, vision, and passion for slow fashion, and it is easier for us to make decisions and compromise any differences when we ultimately have the same goal. Where we do differ most is our personal styles. It’s definitely interesting to find the balance between Phyllis’s more minimal style and my preference for color and print.” Chan believes the longstanding friendship adds trust to the working relationship and tells me, “It’s really important when you’re designing and creating together. There’s a lot at stake for us, we have to be honest and sincere with each other because our friendship and the business is on the line.”

As soon as I was introduced to the brand, I fell in love with YanYan’s quirky, yet classic aesthetic in addition to their interesting use of textiles. When I saw that they made sweater pants—there was no turning back.