Sustainable Spotlight featuring Clova

Clova is a brand specialising in woollen knits, keeping Wellingtonians cozy and warm all year around. Chloe from Clova is an entrepreneur who has successfully monitized her creative skill set which she acquired during the 2020 lockdowns. Today on sustainable spotlight we speak to Chloe who dishes on all things knitting!

"I taught myself to knit during the first lockdown in May 2020. It was mid autumn and I really wanted a mohair jumper of my own. I would spend hours trawling through TradeMe and marketplace trying to find the perfect knit. Then one day, I had a thought: 'maybe I could learn to knit myself,'and create my dream cardigan. I almost gave up multiple times after many failed attempts - but here we are!

One of the reasons I love knitting is because I need little resources to create a piece. Simply knitting needles and wool. Being sustainable and using only the best quality is very important to me. So much time and effort goes into creating one knit, so using quality wool is really important.

I buy all my needles and fabric (for packaging) from op-shops. The mohair yarn I use is grown, spun and dyed sustainably and ethically here in New Zealand. If I use sheep wool I make sure it's 100% wool with no synthetics. A cardigan or jumper takes me approximately 7-10 hours to make (spread over a few days). While a scarf can take anywhere between 1-3 hours. I knit by hand, so it does take awhile! This sounds cliché - but don't give up!

My first knit was absolutely terrible, with holes and dropped stitches, but I kept looking for ways to improve it. Work on learning to correct common mistakes and you'll start to feel more confident with your work. Then you'll get excited to make the next piece. Also, YouTube is an amazing resource - it taught me everything I know!

The knitting industry goes directly against fast-fashion. Good quality and locally sourced materials, created by hand, and lots of time and love goes into creating just one piece. Knitwear might be the most expensive item you own, but it is an investment piece. Knitwear should last years, compared to fast-fashion synthetic knits. When buying into the knitting industry, make sure you are looking for good quality materials, how sustainable the brand is and support local!"