Meet Kōpilā – Our New Favourite Conscious Cashmere Line

Kōpilā Cashmere –

Kōpilā is a Nepali name that means ‘flower bud’ and speaks to the vulnerability of new beginnings. Their journey begins with the vision of a better, kinder world in mind. The brand was born out of a desire to bring conscious cashmere to consumers that is made from luxury raw materials by artisanal craftmanship. The result is a range that is timeless yet relevant, that showcases incredible artisan skills. These are pieces to be worn, loved and treasured for time to come.

Kōpilā is proud to partner with The Good Cashmere Standard (R) by AbTF, so you can trust they have full visibility of the journey of your pieces. They only use nontoxic dyes – an issue we are super passionate about, and they offer a completely dye-free home wear collection! The brand also has a zero plastic packaging policy, and they use biodegradable corn bags, paper parcel tape, handmade lokta tissue paper, and the garment labels are even made from organic cotton. 

What makes the brand so special -

Kōpilā not only adheres to their many sustainable values such as using certified cashmere, non-toxic dyes and their zero plastic policy. Kōpilā also use the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a guideline to inform their sustainability strategy. These goals are a fundamental blueprint for anyone to follow when working towards a peaceful and healthy planet. By being influenced by this larger goal Kōpila show they are dedicated to the long term vision for this planet and hold their business to the highest standards. Discover more about Kōpilā’s own sustainability pillars here.

Interview with the founder of Kōpilā -

And what about the environmental impact of the goats – How are they treading more lightly on the earth in the way you are working with them?

The Good Cashmere Standard® have strict regulations on the protection of the environment and biodiversity. One of its key principles is that goat farming should have no negative impact on the environment, especially on the land and biodiversity. By having yarn certified to The Good Cashmere Standard® our customer can be assured that we are doing the best we can to minimise the environmental impact in the farming of the goats.

We are very concerned with toxins in dyes and were thrilled to see you guys work with all non-toxic dyeing…can you tell us a bit about why this was important to you and what your dyes have in them to make them gentler on people and planet?

First hand I know the impact of toxins from our environment on our health, but also the impact on the planet and our soil. So it was important to us from the start to make sure our dyes were certified by OEKO-TEX (R) STANDARD 100 and to offer a completely dye-free home wear range. All of our yarns and buttons are dyed using non-toxic dyes and are approved and certified to OEKO-TEX (R) STANDARD 100, this is an internationally accepted standard and means the dyes don’t contain any harmful substances, are completely safe for human touch and have reduced chemical impact. Our dye-free range comes in natural tones that are blended from the three natural cashmere goat colours giving the softest neutrals from creamy white to earthy brown, and using only the essential processes of blending, carding and spinning, so they are pollutant free and fully biodegradable cradle to cradle. We also offer a few dye-free day wear pieces and hope to expand that offer in the coming seasons so watch this space!

Your yarn supplier and garment factory both have ISO14001 certification – what does this mean?

ISO14001 is an internationally-agreed standard that sets out the requirements for an environmental management system. It helps organisations improve their environmental performance through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste, covering air pollution, water and sewage issues, waste management, soil contamination, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and resource use and efficiency. Which ultimately improves resource efficiency, reduces waste and improves overall environmental impact.

How do you design with circularity in mind?

From our yarn to our corozo buttons, our labelling and our packaging, 99% of our materials are recyclable or compostable. We know from farm to end of life our garments won’t harm people or the planet. We also minimise waste as much as possible, we make our garments in small batches, and any left over yarn is used for the following seasons sampling. By using such a specialist factory and skilled artisans we also keep our sampling to an absolute minimum and all samples are sold – No garments or yarn are wasted. Our knitwear is also designed with longevity in mind, made from a premium long staple fibre and knitted with a tight tension to minimise pilling and we purposely create contemporary and lightweight garments that transcend the seasons so our customer can re-wear again and again.

And what other steps have you taken with your sustainability journey that you feel are unique to Kopila?

Culture is one of the pillars of sustainable development, so cannot be missing from our sustainability strategy, Nepal and the cultural heritage of its communities are celebrated and integrated into our business wherever possible. Alongside supporting the tradition of hand knitting on needles, We are also using Lokta paper packaging which is a traditional handmade paper indigenous to Nepal. It’s made from the bark of Lokta trees – which is non-wood forest that conserves biodiversity, and is fully sustainable. Using this paper supports local communities in the manufacture of the paper and celebrates the use of traditional techniques Kopila is known for. We are also developing handmade delivery boxes in Lokta paper for our AW24 collection!

Can you tell us a bit about the home of your knitwear, Nepal, and why this place was special to you?

Nepal is special to us as it is home to the artisans that craft our pieces – without whom we wouldn’t exist. So as a thank you to their skills, care and patience our AW23 colour palettes, patterns and textures are inspired by Nepal: from the vibrancy of Kathmandu and Nepals traditional dhaka textiles to the sunsets over the Himalayas and the quiet waters of Pokhara’s lake.

Can you tell us a bit about the artisans you work with and the approach they take to making Kopila products by hand?

Knitting is a traditional craft in Nepal and an important part of Nepalese culture. We celebrate our artisans expertise and support this tradition’s continuation with our hand-knitted garments. These are knitted by hand on needles and can take up to 15 days to knit. All of our garments are also hand finished with great skill and care, meaning all of the details are paid attention to – if you look inside our cuffs no seams are evident, these have been finished invisibly by hand. Even our machine knits are created on hand-operated knitting machines. They say when a cake is baked with love it tastes different! – we really believe our garments feel so beautiful because they have been made with great skill, care and pride. When you hold a Kopila garment we really believe you can feel the difference.

How have you thought about the aesthetic of Kopila when it comes to longevity?

Our aesthetic is very important to us and we wanted our garments to be not just sustainable but beautiful too as when garments touch your heart you want to look after them and keep them forever. We have designed the range to have a feminine feel to the silhouettes and detailing , the pieces are contemporary but wont look out of place in years to come – but most importantly they are individually beautiful, considered pieces that we hope will find a special place in our customers hearts and will be loved and treasured forever.

Finally, what do you hope the Kopila consumer knows about the line’s commitments to community, environment and sustainability?

I hope our customer trusts we have done as much as we can before launching our brand and as our sustainability promise states: We will continue that journey. As a small business we promise to act responsibly with transparency and integrity as we grow, continually expanding and developing our sustainability intentions towards a better, kinder world.

Our favourite pieces as worn by the REV team –

“I feel so chic in all the Kōpilā pieces I have and already know I will wear them again and again – regardless of the season. They are all so timeless and can be styled so effortlessly – with jeans, on top of a dress, or skirt – you name it!”

– Taylor Blair-Dubuis, REV’s Head of Brand Partnerships

Taylor’s Picks –

no 70 – cropped collared jacket in Haystack and Eco Alabaster (un-dyed).

no 61 – chunky dip dye effect sweater in Dune & Eco Smoke.

no 75 – hand knitted textured Winter Stripe jumper.

no 59 – simple crew in Velvet Pink.

scarf no 6 in Spice.

Cora’s Picks –

no 87 – bobble texture handknitted sweater in Feather.

no 32 – un-dyed bralet in Eco Paper.

no 85 – un-dyed pyjama pants in Eco Paper.

no 42 – un-dyed robe in Eco Alabaster.

no 9 – un-dyed bralet in Eco walnut.

no 41 – un-dyed shorts in Eco Walnut.