Undyed British Alpaca Blankets
This was a very special project that was in progress for over a year before finally coming to fruition. It started with finding a spinner, someone willing to take a punt on our vision, then sourcing a mill that would enable the development of these stunning blankets. The journey was both fascinating and nerve-wracking in equal measure, particularly when we took these blankets straight to production to avoid the risk of not having them in time for winter. The day they arrived was slightly terrifying, but thankfully we can say they surpassed our expectations. Stunning. One of a kind pieces, made to be used daily.
To develop such a unique product we knew we would need to enlist the help of a professional, and fortunately we have a good friend whom we could call upon. Olivia Johnson spent over a decade working for Scottish cashmere and fine woollen mills, developing woven accessories for luxury brands. She now consults on weave design and innovation within the industry. Observing an increasing homogenisation of products on the market, Olivia saw a need for craft-led innovation to reconnect designs with the materiality and integrity of the fibre. Her creative vision and ours were a perfect match.
Working on a handloom from her studio in South East London, Olivia uses the ancient process of hand weaving to drive her design developments. This enabled us to trial and test various configurations and iterations for the design development and experiment. 'I have the flexibility to play with pattern, sett (density) and structure freely and spontaneously. I am constantly responding to the weave I have just created, then developing on. I can genuinely interact with the fibre I am working with - convene with the yarn - ask it what it wants to do. The results are often surprising, mistakes can be pushed further. Somehow I feel freer hand weaving, more inclined to break the rules.’
For this alpaca blanket project, Olivia worked alongside Freight to create two unique shades of undyed yarn using alpaca sourced from small UK farms. Inspired by the naturally occurring, subtle variation of the yarn itself and the irregular skittish lines of German-Venezuelan artist, Gego, beloved by Creative Director Adele, Olivia developed an entirely irregular ‘single collision plaid’, paring back a traditional check to just one, anarchic, off-set crossing of lines.
A broken herringbone structure was chosen to give the blankets beautiful drape and a subtle texture. Two much plainer designs were chosen to accompany the single collision plaid, with just a tiny contrast selvedge border, simply showcasing the raw beauty of the alpaca yarn. Simple they may look but the process was where the hard graft went in.
The collection has been manufactured by the small Lancashire mill that we have had a longstanding and loyal relationship with. The bespoke alpaca yarn did not have to travel far to be woven - just 13 miles over the border from the brand’s spinners in Yorkshire.
This yarn is constructed using undyed British alpaca tops combined with 30% responsibly sourced merino yarn to provide the softness and loft that you feel. This yarn was a bespoke commission by Freight, using alpaca tops gathered from independent alpaca herds across the UK. There is no dye involved in this blanket production. The colour is entirely unique to the animals at the time of shearing. No two batches will ever be the same; another element that we love about this yarn. Entirely unique.
This new yarn, we hope, is going to be in the Freight collection for quite some time. We aspire to produce it in a number of different guises. But for now we will enjoy these blankets and their incredible warmth through the winter and beyond.
Available in three different options as seen above - Bitter chocolate, Grey or Patterned.
