Even though slow and sustainable living is against the stream in this fast world, I am amazed by how much this topic has resonated with you readers and has even motivated some to make changes in their lives connected to live a simpler, cluster free lifestyle.
When I chose to put even a bigger effort into living more eco-friendly and share it here in the blog with you, dear readers, I also started researching more on sustainable brands and was also there surprised to find many brands that focus on producing sustainably and are not interested in mass production.
All of this has led me to get to know Kati, the founder and brain behind the Finnish brand Bonden. Let me tell you a little about this amazing brand.
In collaboration with Bonden.
Nordic Design essentials made of natural materials
Reindeer leather, Finnish wool, wool felt, linen, organic cotton. These are the materials used by Bonden. One of the things that made me first feel that the blog’s philosophy and mine match perfectly with Bonden was the fact that they use mainly Finnish wool in their products.
Some time ago I had heard and read something really shocking. In Sweden and Finland journals started to publish articles revealing how majority of the wool produced in these countries is thrown away as a waste and fashion companies prefer to buy ready made woolen textiles from abroad. The reasons are various and complex, I link you the articles that elaborate these points and you can translate them if interested (Iltalehti, Kemikaalicocktail, and svt Nyheter), but the thing is: the process can be reversed if
- We start to appreciate Finnish wool as a competitor and quality material
- Pay a fair price for the wool to the sheep farmers (according to Iltalehti farmers can be paid less than a euro per kilo of wool)
Bonden is not only doing great by using Finnish wool in their products, but they also giving an example to other Nordic companies not to underestimate a valuable product that is right under their noses.
Designed to last
In this post we already talked about why is it important to choose natural materials and here comes another aspect: be sure that the textile you buy is made to last. To be frank, not all the textiles made from natural materials are made with a long term view in mind. They can be mass produced, woven poorly or they can just be of poor quality. For this reason, many times a good product also costs more, which is in my opinion to be viewed as a sign of quality and durability. Even though a quality product must have costed more at the beginning, it will last much longer that an inferior one and also it will motivate you to stop and really think: “Do I really need this?”.
Multi-usable textiles
To be truly sustainable, we have to forget the idea of seasonal fashion. What we have to focus is finding textiles for our home and ourselves that are of quality and are not dependent of an ever changing fashion world, but that are timelessly beautiful.
Bonded textiles not only are timeless, but they also transcend seasons. Some of their shawls and blankets are reversible and composed of two sides: a Finnish lamb or merino wool side and a crushed natural linen side. Think about it. It’s genial. With one shawl or blanket you are covered for all the seasons. The woolen side will keep you warm in winter and the linen side will keep you cool and fresh in spring and summer. Both materials absorb moisture and are hypoallergenic and antibacterial.
I am so excited to announce that from now on I will be an ambassador of Bonden Living!
Bonden products are created to bring a piece of nature into our homes, but also to come along wherever home may be. Being an ambassador, I will bring Bonden along my adventures, both in the nearby forest and wherever else in the world I might travel next. Stay tuned and subscribe to our newsletter to see what will be the next Adagio adventure!
