Sustainable Fashion: Why Irish Wool Sweaters are a Smart Choice for Eco-Conscious Women

Throwaway fashion has been responsible for a huge amount of climate damage and the fashion industry at large will need to make serious and sustainable changes in order to contribute towards a healthier planet. However, consumers often drive the industry and making environmentally friendly choices can make a big difference to your own carbon footprint as well as influencing family and friends in their purchasing habits.

At Weavers of Ireland, we seek out the best examples of Irish craftsmanship to represent our heritage and this means that we are promoting traditional crafts that are sustainable and created in harmony with the planet, including Irish Wool sweaters. If you’re looking to do your bit for the world and build healthier habits that contribute towards a brighter future for generations to come, making greener choices for your wardrobe is a great place to start.

Irish Wool Sweaters

Irish wool sweaters are a great option when you’re looking for sustainable fashion, since they are made in the traditional style with pure wool. Wool is a natural, organic and sustainable fibre and every sweater in our collection comes with a signed and stamped certificate of Authenticity to prove its provenance. This means that you can rely on Irish wool sweaters to be a low impact, sustainable fashion choice and you can feel good about contributing to a greener fashion industry every time you wear your favourite sweater.

Wearing an Aran sweater is a fashion statement all year round and we love the stories that the traditional stitches share. Whether you’re looking for a sustainable solution to keep you warm in the winter months or a chic extra layer for the cool summer evenings, Irish sweaters are the perfect companion and can be styled in many ways to create the looks you love.

Eco-Conscious Fashion: How you can go Green

Making choices that are better for the planet means considering the impact of your purchasing decisions and picking the options that produce the least waste in terms of materials and manufacture. Here are our top tips for environmentally friendly fashion:

1. Buy preloved where you can.

Buying secondhand clothing means you eliminate all of the environmental concerns over manufacture and save money, too! The advent of fast fashion has meant that many tonnes of unwanted clothing is thrown away on a regular basis and charity shops and secondhand websites are an excellent way to combat this problem. Sites such as Vinted and eBay are very popular across the world and have opened up a whole new way to enjoy preloved clothing for yourself and your family.

Selling or gifting your unwanted clothing is another way to protect the planet, saving clothing that is still wearable from being sent to landfill and ensuring that others can save money on their outfits, too. You’ll also be able to earn some money, which you can use to invest in other sustainable clothing options to keep the cycle of green fashion going!

2. Support traditional industries

Traditional crafts, such as the knitting and weaving our artisan makers design and create, are usually a great deal kinder to the planet than mass produced fashion items. Irish sweaters and cardigans are made from 100% organic, natural wool, which is farmed, woven and knitted sustainably. Wool is sourced from trusted producers and these traditional industries are much less impactful on the environment than most modern fashion.

You will usually pay a little more for a premium product that has been handcrafted or made using traditional techniques, and this is because you are paying for the time taken to produce something unique and beautiful. However, your garment will last longer and the quality will be far superior to mass produced fashion, ensuring that you look and feel great. Aran sweaters can last a lifetime if cared for properly, and this means airing them between wears and storing them correctly. Many of our traditional Irish garments and blankets are designed to endure, making them family heirlooms that will be treasured forever.

3. Check the provenance of your shopping

If you love to shop, finding a more sustainable way to do so will be game-changing for your carbon footprint. Fast fashion brings a whole array of problems for the planet and for the workers who produce high volumes of poor quality items every week, so challenging the industry is good news for everyone. In recent decades, there have been many concerning reports into child labour and slave labour being used in the fashion industry, and it is important that we take responsibility to ensure that our decisions do not contribute to this.

You can find out where your garments are from by looking at the labels and by researching online, checking out the manufacturers and the country of origin. If you are unsure about a clothing company, you should be able to find their ethos and mission statement on their website, as well as any fair-trade or environmentally friendly qualifications or awards. B-corp companies, for instance, are actively working to meet high standards of social and environmental performance and accountability. Responsible fashion producers will be giving back to the communities from which their materials and workers come, and taking active measures to reduce the impact of their production methods on the planet.

4. Reuse your existing wardrobe

Even if you are inventing a whole new you and embracing outfits you have never worn before, you’ll be working with some of the items you’ve already got in your wardrobe - and many of us find that we’ve been storing garments for years! Seeking out new ways to wear your existing garments and pairing them with different options to create a new look can be a fun way to spend some time and can give you a whole new approach to your wardrobe.

We recommend enlisting the help of a friend and getting every item of clothing you own out to look at. Have a big trying on session and make a pile for items you wish to keep, a pile for those to gift, sell or recycle and another pile for the ‘maybes’. Then start to use the yeses and some of the maybes to create a range of new outfit ideas, pairing items you wouldn’t have imagined would go together to find new looks you love. If you find that you need a new piece to tie many of your existing items together, make sure you source it sustainably - you could even fund it by getting rid of clothing you no longer wear!

5. Take care of your clothing.

Taking care of your clothes means they will last longer and you will get many more wears out of them, reducing the need to buy replacements. Different fabrics require different care methods and you should consult your clothing labels to find out what your garments need. If the label states hand wash only, you should wash as infrequently as possible and use a gentle hand detergent before rinsing and lying flat. Be careful not to squeeze or stretch your fabric too much as this may damage the fibres, and may make it impossible to reshape your garment as it dries.

Hanging your clothes or storing them in drawers will keep them in better condition than piling them up on a chair in your bedroom, and will also help you to see what you have more easily. If you notice that an item of clothing is developing a hole or a section of wear, you should try to repair it as soon as possible to prevent further damage and prolong the life of the garment. Wash clothes with similar colours if you can, as this will help to prevent colours fading or running in the washing machine, and avoid tumble driers as they can damage the fibres of your clothing and increase your energy bills significantly!

You may find that there are other ways to reduce your environmental impact with the clothes you use, such as renting an outfit for a special occasion, for instance. This means you will be reusing existing garments, getting a whole new outfit for a fraction of the price of buying and you will not need to worry about storing it afterwards. It’s well worth considering, especially if you are going to a wedding or corporate event that requires a standout outfit, and you can feel satisfied that you have done a great thing for the planet, too.

Ethical Fashion Choices

There are many initiatives that aim to improve standards in ethical and sustainable fashion, including local and worldwide schemes to drive up expectations and improve levels of engagement with the issues involved. This includes fair labour practices, fair living wages and healthy working conditions for workers as well as using eco-friendly materials and sustainable supply chain and production methods.

Raising awareness of ethical fashion can highlight the sustainability of traditional crafts such as knitting and weaving and many can offer excellent alternatives to high street fashion. The durability and flexibility of woollen garments is incomparable to the fast fashion items that often need replacing after just a few wears and may lose their shape after the first wash! By contrast, wool that is washed occasionally, aired between wears and dried flat, can last for decades and still look fantastic.

Versatile, Adaptable Design

The variety of looks you can create with an Irish sweater is impressive, and you can style your favourite designs for all seasons. The Aran Cable Knit Hoodie with Celtic Side Zip is a great example of the way the skilled weavers at Aran Sweater Market update their traditional designs with a contemporary twist that is both stylish and cosy. This is ideal for the colder months and comes in a selection of gorgeous colours including the natural white ‘baw neen’ shade.

You can mix and match your woollens to design the perfect look for every occasion, whether you’re looking for a timeless classic, such as the Women’s Merino Aran Sweater, featuring honeycomb and cable stitch, or a lighter, modern design such as the Wool Cashmere Cable V-Neck Sweater, with its unique plaited style collar that features the braided stitch. You can change up your look by choosing a more unusual colour in your favourite design, or even by layering up your Aran sweater over jeans, dresses or long skirts and adding a pair of boots and a stylish scarf. We have a beautiful collection of scarves and wraps to choose from, so you can make sure you’re prepared for unpredictable weather all year round, and you can even find Celtic jewellery that pays tribute to the Celtic imagery that is so important to Irish heritage.

Irish sweaters and cardigans are a good choice for keeping you warm when you are dressing for a formal occasion, and can even be accessorised to wear to a winter wedding. Alternatively, they offer excellent protection against the elements and can be worn as a base or additional layer - or both - for all of your outdoor adventures. Some of the beautiful designs you will find in our collection include the softest cashmere and merino wool and are a pleasure to wear, anytime.

Irish Sweaters You’ll Love at Weavers of Ireland

At Weavers of Ireland, our collection includes the best of traditional Irish craftsmanship and we have collated garments, homewares and accessories from all over our beautiful country to showcase its unique heritage. Our Irish sweaters come from Aran Sweater Market, where quality and traditional designs are standard and care for the planet is just as important as style. We also have an extensive range of shawls, blankets and scarves created by Irish artisans, as well as clothing and toys for children and babies that will become firm favourites in your household.

You can visit one of our stores across Ireland,in Killarney, Kenmare, Dublin, Galway, Glengarriff and Kinsale, or explore the online catalogue at Weavers of Ireland. We aim to help every customer to find their perfect piece of Irish heritage and our friendly team will be happy to help you to discover our selection and find the garments and gifts you need.