Saturday 6 December 2014

My Obsession with Babaá


Now that it's properly cold out, all I can think about is warm, amazing, comfortable jumpers! I love myself a beautiful jumper and I have just the brand that makes just that! I met Marta the owner and designer of the Spanish brand, Babaá last year at the Babyccino ShopUp. I was instantly obsessed with her beautiful collection of organic jumpers. Her jumpers are so tastefully designed and beautiful you almost want to hang it on the wall to stare at. She now designs jumpers and cardigans not only for your little ones but for us fashionable mamas as well. Heaven! Hopefully in the future I can get Edith and I a jumper from the ever so beautiful Babaá! One to work towards! 



Check out her beautiful collection here:
http://shop.babaa.es

I have copied information about their manufacturing here for you to read. I find it very important and useful information. Reading this information will show you just how much Marta cares about the production of her garments! 

kelly xx








PRODUCTION
All babaá knits are made in a small workshop in the North East of Spain. They are knitted with domestic flat knitting machines which gives them a very special feel and finishing. All knitted pieces are then washed and dried flat before assembling to make sure that our knits will remain in perfect condition for our customers. They are then assembled by hand or with use of  a special overlock when possible. Finally they are all pressed and blocked and ready to be sent to you
This is still quite an artisan process which allows us to develop nice textile designs with use of very simple elements and it means that our productions take time, but sure… like all good things. 
MATERIALS

At babaà we are really passionate about all the materials we use. All of our labels are made of undyed cotton printed with water soluble inks and all the buttons we use come from natural organic materials,  GOTS certified. 
Our Yarns:
We are in constant search for the best yarns for our knitwear collections . We use only high quality yarns mostly local ones and when that´s not possible we choose organic ones.
Local Virgin Wool
This wool is so resistant and the more you wear it the better it gets. It all comes from sheep from  Zamora, Valladolid, Soria and León.  It is perfect for childrenswear as it is a very stable yarn that remains in perfect condition after a lot of use. We are so proud to have this wool and have had the best feedback about it from our costumers . It is washed, spun and dyed  in the North West of Spain and then treated with special wax to make it softer before it is knitted into timeless , long lasting pieces.
Organic Wool and Alpaca
This yarn comes from a traditional Italian Woollen Company  that works with the finest fibers.
The mixture of the organic wool with the alpaca makes it so warm , soft and light. Being organic wool certified means more than just sheep being fed with organic food. It also means that the sheep have not been horribly dipped in parasticides and that shepherds ensure that they do not exceed the natural carrying capacity of the land on which their animals graze. We are proud to support this practice ensuring slow but very important changes in The Textile Industry worldwide.
This yarn has a very nice texture and an extremely soft feel. We normally mix it with very fine Merino yarn to increase resistance and to add a nice textile effect.
Merino
Did you know that all Merino Wool worldwide originally came from Spain?
The arabs brought Merino sheep to the country from Morocco and they were bred here troughout the South and all the way up to La Meseta . By the end on the 15th Century Spain was the only producer of Merino Wool in the world and no Merino sheep were allowed to leave the country. It was only in the 18th Century when Merino was first introduced into France and Merino sheep were then bred all over Europe  and America. The following century they were finally brought to Australia and New Zeland by the British.
But this was back then, nowadays it is nearly impossible to get access to any Spanish Merino Wool in Spain. The entire production is shipped to China to be processed and sold from there. We are so excited and proud to be preparing our first Spanish Merino stock. We are working really hard to save this  precious local yarn and be able to spin it here to bring it straight to you in the form of cozy knitwear. Stay tuned! 
Cotton
We use the best quality cotton and we are proud to say that most of it is local! Spain is the second largest producer of cotton in the EU after Greece. This means only 19% of the Production in Europe and less than 1% of the production worldwide. So yes, we are happy to have access to this wonderful local variety.
It mainly comes from Andalucia and it is a very soft and resistant yarn. We particularly love using undyied cotton mixed with a finer more colourful one for a nice textile effect and a more natural look. A classic babaà look.
 Organic Cotton
All of our organic cotton comes from a wonderful company based in Girona, North East Spain. This company has been working with Organic cotton for more than 20 years and they  finally have their own plantations in Brazil. They practice fair trade and really provide the best quality yarns. Their work is truly fascinating and we can not wait to share their new website with you when it is launched. On this website you will be able to trace the yarn from the cotton buds until they deliver it to us. They only work with the natural colours in which cotton comes. This is certified pure cotton with no dyes, no additives and no chemicals. At babaà we love this yarn so much: so natural, so resistant and so perfect.

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