Tricot has very high standards when it comes to selecting materials according to strict sustainability guidelines. That is why, from the very beginning, we have been striving to use materials like organic wool and cotton, natural wool and wool blends. Not only are the knits created from these materials are beautiful and warm, they are also durable. Those are pieces you will enjoy wearing and keeping for a very long time, which is what durability is all about.
Cashmere is the queen of wools: in addition to being incredibly soft, it is completely natural, biodegradable, durable and very low maintenance.
Tricot recycles cashmere sweaters, selecting only the best fibres by hand to create a blend of recycled and high quality virgin cashmere fibres. Our recycled cashmere is made of 50 percent virgin cashmere fibres and 50 percent recycled cashmere wool.
Our recycled 3-ply cashmere is knitted in 7 gauge. What does that mean? It means three cashmere yarns were twisted together and then tightly knitted to create thick durable pieces. So you can wear your knits all year long and enjoy the incredible softness brought to you by Tricot.
Organic wool
For knits that will never go out of shape or style, wool is the way to go. Durable, natural and breathable, this low-maintenance materialâmeaning you will save water and detergentâis a lifetime companion. Here at Tricot, we are pushing our standards even further, selecting high quality organic wool.
Our knits stand out because they are handcrafted using the âfully-fashioned techniqueâ: each sweater part is knitted and shaped independently following a definite pattern. Rather than machine sewing all the pieces together, they are stitched together. It is a longer and more costly process, yet it saves yarn and produces a sturdier knit.
In addition, we use English rib stitch. Trivia fact: this puffy stitch it is also referred as âbrioche.â This double-stitch knitting technique creates a denser fabric and calls for needles half a size smaller.
Combining those techniques provides unique, thicker knits that are also comfortable and durable.
Organic cotton
Cotton is everyoneâs favorite material. Soft, natural and comfortable on the skin, cotton offers a large variety of styles and resists the test of time. And most importantly for Tricot, it is a plant-based material, preventing the use of synthetic fibres. Another considerable advantage of Tricot cotton? It is organic.
Roving yarn
This thick and fluffy twisted yarn makes our hand-knitted sweaters extremely soft and warm. It has the characteristic fibre structure of wool prior to being spun into thinner yarns. Warm and fuzzy roving yarn is usually hand knitted with big wooden needles for that great authentic handmade look.
Our roving yarn is hand knitted traditionally with two wooden knitting needles and a ball of chunky yarn. Our Peruvian workshops specialise in this traditional craftsmanship that modern ready-to-wear brands seem to have forgotten about. This very demanding needlecraft can take up to 3 full days of effort to create one single sweater. An exceptional one-of-a-kind piece.
Alpaca
This natural wool is harvested from alpacas bred in the Andes Mountains. Celebrated for the quality of its fibres, alpaca is warmer, softer and thinner than sheep wool. Tricot alpaca is dyed in such a way that when knit, it gives our handmade or intarsia knits our signature heather effect.
Tricot alpaca is knitted on a manual knitting machine (gauge 3). This piece of equipment resembles a large piano and is traditionally used by local knitters. Each knitted piece requires the utmost attention and that is what makes our sweaters so unique.
