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It is a fact that at least 40,000 to 50,000 silkworms are killed in the process of making enough silk for just one blouse. Here at Kitty Ferreira, we felt that this wasn’t acceptable and didn’t fit with our values of remaining elegant, ethical, sexy and sustainable. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that our new Autumn Winter collection, which effortlessly incorporates city chic into ethical fashion, is committed to using only non-violent silk. We are also proud to have introduced the use of azo-free dyeing methods, keeping you safe from dangerous carcinogens. We are happy to give you more information on both below.

How is silk made?

There is often very little awareness over how silk is made. Caterpillars of silkworm keep themselves busy for up to four weeks, feeding on mulberry leaves and growing up to 10,000 times in size. They then begin to secrete a combination of fibroin (silk) and siren (gum) and form a white cocoon around themselves. In the production of conventional silk, it is at this point that the cocoons are dropped into boiling water – with the caterpillar still inside! Non-violent methods instead wait a week for the caterpillar to metamorphose into a moth and leave the cocoon until they use it. Although this means the cocoon is now damaged, takes longer to process and yields less silk, it is worth it to stop using such an inhumane method to produce silk.

AZO-free Dyeing

Colour is applied to fabrics using a variety of different methods of dyeing at different stages of the textile production process. The most often used of these methods uses a class of compounds called azo compounds, which are also found in potential carcinogens. This means that some azo-based dyes can shed carcinogenic acryamines as the garments are worn, posing a significant health risk! Although these have been banned in many European countries, many fabrics which arrive from China have been found to contain these dyes. This is a situation which the Creative MD & Founder, Valerie Goode witnessed first hand when experiencing the horrendous pollution in China and this is why Kitty Ferreira are committed to using azo-free dye, that has had the metallic component removed.

Autumn / Winter Collection

As you know, we are not slaves to seasons, rather celebrating slow fashion, so though this collection had been produced in time for AW15, these pieces are infact timeless and transitional, investment pieces designed to be worn in years to come. These pieces represent a juxtaposition of city life, (illustrated by the inky black blotches polluting our clothing), with the natural world, (through the use of non-violent peace silks), ultimately creating a classy collection that challenges any hippy connotations of ethical and sustainable fashion. Creative MD & Founder, Valerie Goode said: “I wanted to keep the natural element of the Spring/ Summer print and bring it back into a more edgier field, whilst keeping the timeless and classic silhouettes this label has become known for”.