FIVE FROM FINLAND: Sustainable interior textiles
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Loading... - Kielo Toivonen
- 29 Mar 2022
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Finland has a rich heritage of manufacturing quality home textiles, with the likes of Finlayson and Vallila on everyone’s lips. Staying true to their roots, Finnish design companies and textile manufacturers are offering new ways to make our homes cosy in a responsible way. They prioritise sustainable practices and eco-friendly materials, such as nettle, hemp, paper, wool and linen.
Add a soft touch to your home interior with this Finnish quintet.
Knokkon Textiles
For most people, the nettle plant triggers associations with something stingy and unpleasant to touch, and hence the very idea of “silky-smooth” nettle-based fabrics seems to defy logic. However, nettle was used for creating luxurious royal garments hundreds of years ago and is now being reintroduced as a responsible choice by Nummela-based Knokkon.
The company’s founder, Sanna Kuoppamäki-Luomansuu, became intrigued by nettle a few years ago and soon came to realise that this natural raw material has the potential to inspire change in the textile industry. Nettle grows without irrigation, flourishes without the need for chemical intervention and makes for surprisingly fine fibres with a wide range of benefits.
In addition to nettle, Knokkon uses hemp and sustainably sourced organic cotton to manufacture yarn and fabrics, as well as various consumer products, such as towels, napkins, bed linen and weighted blankets.
“We want to challenge cotton as the standard, go-to material in the textile and fashion industries,” Kuoppamäki-Luomansuu stated. “Our products offer a sustainable and extremely comfortable alternative.”
Lapuan Kankurit
With its roots going back to 1917, Lapuan Kankurit manufactures sophisticated linen and wool home textiles at its weaving mill in the small Finnish town of Lapua. Now run by Esko Hjelt, a family entrepreneur in the fourth generation, and his wife, Jaana Hjelt, the company brings together the century-long traditions of craftsmanship, latest weaving techniques and a responsible attitude towards the environment.
A big emphasis is placed on the design, too. Lapuan Kankurit has been working with many renowned Finnish and Japanese designers, and fresh ideas are regularly brought about through the company’s long-standing co-operation with Aalto University, which also sees textile design students learn about production processes first-hand at the mill.
Having become a household name in Finland, Lapuan Kankurit is gaining plenty of traction abroad, with exports making more than half of its revenues. The growing demand also highlights the need for innovative production approaches. The company recently invested around two million euros in a new weaving and finishing line to create woollen textiles entirely from the wool of Finnish Finnsheep, including thread made from the waste wool.
“We stand out in the global market, because we have woven truly forward-looking characteristics into our fabrics and we offer high-quality, well-finished designs,” Esko Hjelt commented. “Our whole business concept is based on our own production, continuous product development, co-operation with top designers and our own technical innovations.” Read More...
