Natural Yarns Collection

Natural yarns are yarns from the natural world, as opposed to synthetic yarns most of which are derived from petro chemical products such as oil. Synthetic yarns, in general do not have the same levels of insulation and softness as natural yarns, and of course they have a much heavier environmental footprint. They are not recyclable and even buried in landfill will take hundreds of years to break down.

On the other hand, natural yarns come from various sources and have numerous benefits over synthetic. Natural yarns are in general derived from either the plant world or the animal kingdom. All animal based yarns are protein based whereas all plant based yarns are cellulose based and as such these yarns have differing characteristics. The most common animal yarns are wool and silk and these have been evolved by nature to protect and to keep warm the creature that is wearing it. By far the most common natural yarns are wool and silk with most wool in domestic use being harvested from sheep which are farmed around the world. The thickness and other qualities of the yarn are in part defined by the climate in which the sheep are reared. Sheep reared in the wilds of Scotland and in the hills of Wales and north England are renowned for their hard wearing properties and wiry nature. Probably the most common wool used in high end wool scarves and woollen shawls these days is Merino Wool with the majority of this coming from Australia and New Zealand. Merino wool is a very fine soft yarn and is used widely in the making of fancy scarves that command premium prices.

Silk is also from the world of animals but in this case the silk thread, about 300 to 900 metres of it, makes up the cocoon of the silk worm. The worm is the larva, or caterpillar of the Bomby Mori moth and many centuries ago these moths would have lived in the wild but now only survive on silk farms where they are fed a diet that consists exclusively of mulberry leaves.

Probably the most widely used natural yarn would be cotton. This is a soft fibre that is part of the seed head of the cotton plant and has been used by humans for over 7,000 years. At York Scarves we sell a lot of wholesale cotton scarves of all sorts of weaves, weights and textures. Cotton can be farmed and grown in large quantities and its price is much less than that of silk or wool. Cotton is lightweight, soft against the skin, absorbent and easy to look after.

Another natural yarn is linen which is made from the fibrous stems of the flax plant. This also has been used for thousands of years and is renowned for its special properties. Linen is light and hard wearing and also a little stiff. The nature of linen means the weave is usually quite open and the stiffness of the fabric means that it doesn’t flatten out and collapse on itself like heavier softer fabrics like viscose. This makes it perfect for warmer weather and it has been valued for millennia as the best fabric for summer attire.  

As the UK's only fair trade specialist scarf business recognised by BAFTS, we are proud to say that all our scarves are produced by skilled craftsmen and women who are well paid and well treated. We do not use any petrochemical yarns such as polyester and acrylic and none of our scarves come from China.

If you are a business owner and want to retail our fair trade fashion scarves we can also supply wholesale scarves. Just fill in the wholesale enquiry form below. Our wholesale scarves UK all come bagged individually and carry a swing tag with the BAFTS logo thus assuring you and your customers of their ethical footprint.

For Orders & Enquiries Call: 01904 471026