SPECIAL PROJECTS
JAN MERINO
The Jan Merino Collection is made up of rugged pullovers made together with The Knitwit Stable in Baambrugge from real Dutch wool. What’s so special about that, you may think. You see sheep everywhere in the Netherlands! True, but when the wool industry disappeared from the Netherlands, Dutch sheep were no longer used for their wool. Joe Merino has joined forces with The Knitwit Stable to gradually reintroduce the sustainable production and processing of wool in the Netherlands. Jan Merino embodies Joe Merino’s ambition to make its production more sustainable.
UNDYED
Our Undyed Collection is a prime example of sustainability in the dyeing process. Not a single drop of dye is used. The colours are made by mixing pure wool from white and brown sheep. The challenge is to get the right blend of available colours. It doesn’t get any more natural.
COLLABORATION WITH STICHTING RUGVIN
The launch of the colour ‘Blue Whale’ was the start of our collaboration with Stichting Rugvin. Dedicated to raise public awareness of the threats to whales and their importance to the climate, this foundation has introduced Whale Poo Ambassadors. Joe supports their projects in schools to educate children about the impact of sea mammals on the climate. And let’s be honest – global warming is not a good thing, but even less so if you sell woollen garments.
JOE CIRCULAR
In 2018, we introduced Joe Circular. The pullover made from 100% recycled yarn.
Recipe Joe Circular:
1. Take a sizable number of Joe pullovers that are worn out, or damaged and cannot be salvaged.
2. Sort them into three colours: Blue, greyish and the rest.
3. Remove small wares like zippers, buttons and labels.
4. Tenderly put them in the shredder, and clean the fibres in an environmentally friendly way.
5. Take the clean, 100% Merino wool, fibres, to the closest spinning mill where they will be turned into new yarns.
6. Add a thin polyamide fibre made from industrial waste for strength.
7. Design a cool pullover.
8. Start knitting, and add a subtle green stripe on the left arm, just for fun.