About Us
Lochaven International Ltd is situated in the Scottish village of Stewarton on the Annick water in the north of rural Ayrshire in an area of natural beauty and historical interest. Situated only 10 minutes from Kilmarnock and 30 minutes from both Glasgow and Prestwick International Airports. Stewarton like many a small rural town relies on the spirit and resourcefulness of it’s people to ensure the community continues to thrive. The village of Stewarton has been involved in various forms of Felting for centuries and the first Felting guild was established in 1590. This has worked in Lochaven’s favour by having the foresight to locate the business in a historic knitwear town with a wealth of skilled labour to tap into.
Employing carefully chosen people who possess the vital skills of knitting, felting, cutting, sewing and linking all of whom are dedicated to the success of the company is the secret of consistent quality and customer satisfaction. The craftsmen of Lochaven have more than 500 years of experience between them in the art of knitwear manufacture.
History of Felting
Felting predates spinning, weaving or knitting and for centuries, this non-woven fabric has been used for yurts, blankets, rugs, hats, boots and clothing. Felt has the ability to protect against cold and insulate against heat, and can absorb and hold moisture, and can be cut without fraying.
Wool fibres are felted using moisture, friction and heat causing the scaly fibres to shrink and interlock, producing felt, a natural, tactile, friendly fabric. Fleece from different sheep breeds has characteristics that vary and affect the ability of the fibres to felt. Felting ability is dependent mainly upon the length, thickness and quality of each single fibre. The fleece is first "scoured" or washed. After drying the fleece is "carded", a process which teases out and separates the fibres forming a continuous soft untwisted rope that can be used for felt making. A further carding process removes the shorter fibres, the remaining long, parallel well separated fibres are known as "tops". Good quality tops felt most easily and are available ready dyed.
We Know It’s Important So Why Not Shout About It . . . . . . . Our Carbon Footprint!!
From sheep to purchasable garment the distance covered is approximately 10500 miles. The majority of this distance is in raw form, from the Geelong region in Australia to where the wool is carded and spun in Dalry, Scotland.
From Dalry the carded and spun yarn then makes the short 9 mile journey to our factory in Stewarton where the purchasable garment is made which proves to be sustainable.
Our Factory in Stewarton where the knitting, washing, cutting, linking and all aspects of garment assembly takes place has the best practices in place. The Quality of our garments is second to none and environmental cost is extremely low.