MERINO WOOL

Merino wool has always been and continues to be the central fabric used in King & Tuckfield. It is breathable, odour and fire resistant and a natural temperature regulator. It also protects the skin from the sun by absorbing harmful UV rays. And it is fully biodegradable. This amazing fibre is 100% naturally grown by the Merino sheep and not engineered in any way. We source our merino wool from New Zealand, from farms that our founder Stacey has visited herself. The process of creating merino wool is carefully regulated, with care for the animals being of prime importance. It is for these reasons that this wonderful material fits so well with the King & Tuckfield principles of Honesty, Integrity and Longevity. Read more about our trip to New Zealand farms to discover the full story of how this material goes from sheep to shop.

 

 


DENIM

Denim has a bad rep, as its “dirtiness” relative to products from other cotton apparel sectors has been studied and its impacts substantiated to a greater degree. From fibre cultivation, to spinning and weaving and from garment construction to finishing, consumers have a baseline, and the denim makers and brands are taking note, with vast improvements as well as public statements (e.g., Levi’s Life Cycle Assessment) that far outweigh any statements made by the anonymous polyester yoga pants makers. In the case of King & Tuckfield, denim formed the brand’s identity from inception, not only because it is directly connected to Stacey’s family history (her dad worked at the Yorkshire mines where denim was the “uniform”), but also due to its toughness, longevity and changing nature wear after wear. It’s been said that “...the most sustainable garment is the one you already have in your wardrobe” and our denim is here to stay in that wardrobe. As for its provenance and supply chain, our fabric is sourced from a small Italian mill that works hand in hand with local independent weavers, resulting in a tight-knit community of people who believe the older way of making fabrics is better.

 

 


ROSE VISCOSE

This newly developed fiber created using the stems of rose bushes, is so smooth, subtly shiny and lightweight it can easily be confused with premium silk. Similar to bamboo in its appearance, the production method involves low heat stems pulping to allow for the extraction of the cellulose and then dissolvement in a solvent with negligible amounts of biodegradable non-harmful to the environment chemicals. Its unique texture makes it one of the easiest to spin cellulose fibers and the fastest absorber of dyes amongst cellulose. This means optimal use of both energy and raw material from fiber to fabric.

 

 


LINEN

With unrivalled natural properties only found at merino, linen is one of the most premium sought-after plant-based fabrics. Similarly absorbent, thermo-regulatory and anti-allergic to merino, linen has a great abrasion resistance and strength in comparison to cotton. All these characteristics prolong the life of the material which in turn extends the life of the garment. The fact that linen looks and drapes better with its natural creases and crumples after washing, is a welcome saving in energy and time it takes to iron.

 

 


FLORAL PRINTS ON TENCEL

Tencel is almost a verb now, ubiquitous and of varying (and sometimes questionable) grades and origins, so much so that sometimes it’s used interchangeably with viscose and modal, all types of rayon. Essentially, all these cellulose fibres are made using the same method. Dissolve wood pulp, mix it with a solvent to produce a wet mixture, dry it through spinning and push this mixture through small holes to form threads, that will be spun into yarn and woven into cloth. The differences between viscose or modal (both chemically intensive) and the closed loop Tencel used at King & Tuckfield, are two. First, the chemical solution used at Tencel is more easily recoverable, and a closed-loop solvent system means almost no solvent is dumped into the ecosystem. Instead, it is recycled time and time again to produce new fibres and minimise harmful waste. Second, Tencel is made from sustainably sourced wood (PEFC or FSC tree plantations), while around 30% of rayon and viscose used in fashion is made from pulp sourced from endangered and ancient forest. The “silky” handfeel you get from our garments, is due to the quality and length of fibers used to produce the twill fabric we purchase from the Netherlands. And since our belief system revolves around Longevity, know that breathability, odour resistance and 50% more than cotton moisture absorption, makes our Tencel garments both luxurious and friendly to our body (warm in the Winter and cool in the Summer, like merino) and the environment. As for our prints, the actual design is neither computer generated nor CAD drawn, but hand painted, digitised and directly printed (always with 100% eco-friendly ink), also in The Netherlands on the fabric of the same origin, in a small high-tech facility. We minimise the miles our product has to take, so you can put in all the miles you need for as long as you want, knowing we did our bit to protect jobs and the environment.

 

 


LIGHTWEIGHT WOOL

Been active champions of merino wool for over a decade, one thing we know about wool is that provenance, quality control and a localised production are hallmarks of an honest supply chain and of exceptional output. In this case, the output is our lightweight merino wool made in Portugal at a vertical facility where spinning, weaving, finishing and dyeing are all contained between the same four walls. With a history of 96 years, these walls have seen events and serviced celebrated brands and small ethical business like ours.

Many times we’ve affirmed the 1st rule of production (read Made In London), that states speed, quality and price cannot be achieved all the same time and one has to choose which two are more important. Our mill is the exception that proves that rule.