Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Joha
Wool that is kind to the wearer and the bearer We may not always think about it, but the treatment of animals in the clothing industry can be as cruel as that in the food industry. Therefore, Danish wool expert Joha has made a conscious choice to only produce sustainable and ethical wool garments. This means, among other things, that the brand never uses mulesing wool in any of its products. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Joha
Joha, a much-loved Danish children’s wear company, has spent decades improving and expanding the brand’s top-quality wool products. Today, the Joha collections include not just children’s wear but also collections for adults and products that combine materials such as silk and wool. However, it is not just the comfort of the wearer that motivates the family behind the com12 | Issue 104 | September 2017
pany. “To feel pride in our final product, we must be able to look ourselves in the mirror and truthfully say that we are proud of how our clothes are produced,” says Kristine Frølund Johansen, who is, with her husband Michael, the third generation of Johansens to run Joha. “We don’t just care about the welfare and comfort of the people who wear our clothes, but also very much about the
animals that make it. Although we think about it less, the treatment of animals in the clothing industry is just as important as animal welfare in the food industry.” This not only means that Joha never buys wool from mulesing sheep, but also that the company always maintains the strictest standards when dyeing fabrics and, as far as possible, uses organic materials.
The warming (and cooling) qualities of wool Some people might think that woolly underwear is just for cold winter nights or skiing trips, but they are wrong. Thanks to the various advantages of wool and