Introducing | Brand New Collar & Lead Range

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Introducing | Brand New Collar & Lead Range

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Introducing | Brand New Collar & Lead Range

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Here at the WAG&WOOL studio, we’re busy working on a small collection of collars and leads!

 

Long knitted strips of our signature Hinchcliffe yarn adorn the outside of these hand-crafted items so that you can match with your pooch even in warmer weather. Using a local seamstress, we’re finalising design elements bit by bit, to find a design that matches durability with aesthetics for an Instagram-worthy look. 

Backing the collars and leashes are deadstock ribbons, creating an all-round luxury product without compromising on our sustainable values (deadstock is repurposed fabric that would have been destined for landfill). Featuring robust stitching and solid metal hardware, these items should stand the test of time, even with the most energetic play time. 

We have 2 different colourways in the works, a beautiful pink and beige combination to match with our Pink Dog Jumpers, and a chic blue and beige to pair with our Monti design jumpers and accessories. We will have lots more to come as soon as these are pawfect! 

How are we sustainable and ethical?

Keeping it local, we can ensure we understand every step of the manufacturing process, and we can see our collaborators being paid fair wages with great working conditions. The Hinchcliffe yarns used in our latest collections are very high quality, being used by brands such as Burberry, Gucci, and Chanel. Hinchcliffe never use carcinogenic or hazardous substances to manufacture the yarns, and all are made of 100% lambswool, a naturally biodegradable product. We use recycled and sustainable packaging and we even offer local collection at Studio 50 in Hove, Brighton. We also use Royal Mail, who has the lowest reported carbon emissions per parcel of any major UK delivery company. We have made the decision not to use leather within our new line of collars and leashes, as the alternative natural fibres are faring well in durability tests, aesthetics, and are so much better for the environment. 

Why Wool?

  • Wool is a fantastic insulator. The fibres twist and crimp together, forming thousands of tiny air pockets which help to keep your pup warm in the colder weather. It is a breathable fabric, meaning they won’t overheat when running around!
  • Wool is a naturally produced fibre that biodegrades readily in three to four months in the right conditions but can last a lifetime when kept clean and dry. 
  • The Hinchcliffe yarn that we use is of a very high quality, with the brand never using carcinogenic or hazardous substances to manufacture their product. Compared to alternative synthetic yarns which can release microplastics when washed, wool is perfectly safe to wash thousands of times. 
  • The quality of the wool we use means it remains soft to the touch wear after wear rather than itchy and irritating, for both dog and owner.
  • Wool is naturally water-repellant, so a light drizzle or play in a puddle won’t mean having to rush home for a wardrobe change. 
  • Odour resistance is another great quality of wool that we love because, let’s face it, who likes the smell of wet dog?

The process

Based in Hove at Studio 50, we design and sample each piece in-house. Knitting can be a time-consuming process, helped along a little bit using hand knitting machines. These are complicated to use, but certainly made easier by Rachael’s 20+ years of experience in the field. Each design is meticulously knit over and over with small adjustments, trying to find the right combination of techniques to produce the perfect luxury piece. Not every experiment is a success, but with the help of an entertaining podcast, the hours can fly by. 

Keeping it local

You may be asking yourself, what makes us “British made”? Well, I hope to sum it up in this handy blog post!

It is becoming increasingly more important to prioritise local products, with rising costs of shipping, as well as the not-so-small impact that shipping has on the environment. There are ways for big companies to mitigate the environmental impact, such as carbon offsetting, but these methods come with their own setbacks. We have found that the more local production, the better; not only for our carbon footprint but for making sure our pieces are as high quality as possible. Being able to have a say over every step in the process is important to quality control, and we only want to sell products that we’re sure you’ll love for years to come.

Here are some of the steps that we have taken to keep production local;

  • Yarn produced in UK
  • Deadstock ribbons and all hardware sourced in the UK. 
  • Sampling and design work in our studio in Hove
  • Photoshoots in the Laines of Brighton, with local dogs and models
  • Production is based with a trusted family team in England
  • UK-based seamstress and UK-based packaging supplier

We are so excited to share our new products with you, so keep an eye open for them! Better still you can subscribe for exclusive updates and offers at the bottom of this page. 

 

By Rachael Driver