Dutch wool

The Netherlands is a country full of sheep. And yet a pullover made of Dutch wool is not as common as you might think. Due to the upsurge of Fast Fashion and ever-tightening environmental regulations wool was no longer economically viable for Dutch farmers and by the end of the eighties the wool industry had faded from the Netherlands. A shame, in our opinion. And that’s how three years ago we embarked with The Knitwit Stable in Baambrugge on the adventure called ‘Jan Merino’. Making pullovers of Dutch wool at a fair price. That proved a challenge. Take selecting the wool alone. The large range of varieties, colours of coats and the coarser wool of Dutch sheep makes the selection much more difficult and labour-intensive than with sheep from Australia or New Zealand. The upside is that because the wool is a little coarser, the pullovers have a more rugged look (and still don’t itch!). We can honestly and proudly say that our quest has meanwhile resulted in a full-blown Jan Merino collection.

Sustainability starts with making conscious choices

Joe Merino developed and produced Jan Merino in collaboration with The Knitwit Stable, a farm and knowledge centre for sustainable wool production in Baambrugge. Together, Joe Merino and The Knitwit Stable devote themselves to enable the sustainable processing and producing of wool in the Netherlands, strand by strand. Jan Merino fits in perfectly with Joe Merino’s ambition to make its production even more sustainable in terms of animal welfare, chemicals, packaging and reducing the use of water.

Joe Merino is a strong advocate of Slow Fashion. We don’t do seasonal collections, explain to consumers how important it is to consciously choose quality and to care for products to extend their life. And we never ride the sale hype. The continuous expansion of the Jan Merino collection is another step in this process.