MG Rivers' Yarn - Our Italian Mill

Every stage of the production of our beautiful, hand-finished, fine gauge knitwear has been carefully thought out, to ensure our knitwear has been created in a happy ethically thought out journey.

Our yarn is a quality Extra fine knit, quality appropriate for artisan finishing. It had to be spun from sheep that had been reared to a high ethical standard. Our yarn is Woolmark Certified - An Australian award for responsible animal husbandry.

The Mill who create our yarn are amazing. It was the result of an extremely careful selection process - we wanted high quality extrafine Merino, but as ethically and sustainably created as possible.  

Our Yarn Mill is one of Italy's oldest, originating in 1850. Arguably one of their greatest achievements has been to institute sustainable and responsible production. They were one of the first to work to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. https://unric.org/en/united-nations-sustainable-development-goals/ 

Annually they  produce a thick report, which we can show you on request, their English translation is OK, but it reads better in Italian!

One of the main reasons we chose our mill is they run on green energy and have a ZDHC policy. Deploying highly sophisticated tools and machinery that optimize energy and water consumption, all water and heat used during the production process is repurposed and recycled in the plant, so no humans, animals or plants are affected. So for example heat generated from the yarn-dyeing plant, is used for the heating of production areas.

They also only dye to order and never double dye (a cheaper way to get rid of excess colour stock is to re-dye it darker colours) MG Rivers helps even further  - The stripes on our knitwear trims has a Silk / Merino mix, using barely any wool per singular colour, and as we create in bespoke small batches we would never qualify for the minimum orders. So we mop up the tiny excess from other company orders - 1/2 rolls left here and there. Complicated to create good colour pallets, as expensive to buy, but we hope you love the resulting colour blends.

Our factory adopts a Vertical system - they are one of the only Italian companies who oversees the whole process from raw fibre to finished yarn, all in the same location in Italy - teasing, carding and spinning processes, all using innovative, exclusive & patented technology. This means transparency and guarantees standards are met.

Crucial to the final product is their Quality Control Laboratory – credited INTER WOOL LABS for the Test Methods IWTO – 17 and IWTO – 47. This monitors all of the raw material purchased and verifies the compliance with the required parameters of yarn width, length, and fibre cleanliness.

An ethical focus is also important to MG Rivers - our Mill is renowned for treating their staff well and also running initiatives to build schools, hospitals and even houses with their profits. Their philanthropic business model is similar to that of the British firm Cadburys when they started.

Our 'Noble Yarn' Cashwool®

Our Mill has developed a revolutionary method to spin and craft our ‘Noble yarn’ a closely guarded secret, to create a prized Worsted Spun yarn called Cashwool® . The selection of the raw material is crucial: only ultrafine and pure fibres make the grade.The result is a super soft, non-itchy yarn,  adding pure Italian style to our knitwear. 

Cashwool® has a cashmere softness and is resistant to pilling. Unlike many other yarn manufacturers it is not double dyed, which not only makes the pigment stronger and unlikely to wash out or fade, but it is more sustainable too.  It is recognised to be the first and unmatched Worsted spun extra-fine merino, and has been used by top knitwear producers around the world for over 30 years, synonymous with quality and innovation. 

The cuffs, rib and neck trim use a merino and silk blend, created in the same factory. Silk lends a sheen and brilliance to colours.

The resulting yarns are refined and elegant. Expensive but we hope you will agree, worth it. The quality yarns are designed to make snappier knitwear, to create plays of lightness to achieve maximum comfort.