Inti Knitwear

Inti works with over 700 Ecuadorian women to produce their collections. This enables Inti to employ craftswomen in Ecuador. Inti’s founders, Anne and Leon, live half of the year in Ecuador and the other half in the Netherlands. This allows them to be in close contact with the individuals and communities making their collections. 

Inti values ethical production. Inti gives women purpose and their own source of income. The brand pays fair wages and connects the women with each other so they form social communities.

Inti also uses materials sourced from Ecuador. For example, a lot of the collection is made from alpaca wool. Alpacas come from the Andes mountains in and around Ecuador. This allows Inti to support the local economy even more.

Alpaca wool is also a sustainable material. An added benefit is that Alpaca wool contains less lanolin than ordinary sheep’s wool making it hypoallergenic. Alpaca wool is very soft and also has good insulating properties so it’s ideal for keeping you warm on chilly winter days!

In addition to alpaca wool, Inti also uses merino wool in their collection. This is another sustainable material known for its softness.

Unfortunately, Inti also uses less sustainable materials in their clothes. Alpaca wool is often combined with acrylic and nylon. This has the advantage that it makes the clothes cheaper to produce, as alpaca wool is a very expensive material. The disadvantage, however, is that these are synthetic materials which risk releasing microplastics when being used. This is especially the case when the clothes are being washed. Fortunately, wool is self-cleaning so the jumpers do not need to be washed often.

Clothes’ circularity depends heavily on their composition. If clothes are mono material, i.e. made from one single material, then they are easy to recycle after use. Inti has several pieces made from 100% alpaca wool. These are circular and even biodegradable!

Clothes made from different materials, called material blends, are more difficult to recycle. When natural and synthetic materials are mixed together, the clothes are no longer biodegradable. In knitwear, however, material blends are easier to recycle than in fabrics. 

Inti is committed to circularity. For instance, they use the wool remnants from their production to make new scarves, among other things. In this way, the brand aims to reduce their production waste.

Inti’s clothes come from Ecuador and therefore travel a long way to be sold in Europe. Inti does still have a short supply chain because they take care of production in Ecuador themselves. By employing their own people, they are not dependent on different manufacturers and have more control over quality and working conditions.

Alpacas are native to Ecuador so they are living in their natural habitat. Unfortunately, Inti does not provide information on the origin of the wool. As a result, we cannot assess exactly what conditions the animals live in. 

Merino sheep are not native to South America but are originally from Morocco. Currently, Australia and New Zealand are the main producers of merino wool. Unfortunately, merino sheep are often victims of mulesing. Mulesing is an ​‘animal-unfriendly’ practice where skin on the sheep’s breech is removed, often without any anaesthetic, to prevent infections from carnivorous larvae.

It is not clear where the merino wool used by Inti comes from, or what the animal’s welfare is like. 

Alpaca wool is one of the strongest wools, making it a high-quality material. Thanks to wool’s self-cleaning properties, you also won’t need to wash your new jumper very often. Airing your clothes is often enough. This way, your clothes will stay beautiful for longer and you’ll save water and energy. If you would still like to wash your Inti clothes, the brand recommends doing so at a low temperature and by hand. 

Inti’s collections includes mainly jumpers, but also accessories such as hats and scarves. The designs are often colourful, with knitted patterns or different coloured areas. Inti make hand-knitted jumpers, cardigans and shawls. All products are made by hand and in limited editions. Small irregularities may sometimes occur, making your new piece very unique.

A lot of information is known about the production of Inti’s collections. The brand is open and transparent about how and by who the clothes are made. Unfortunately, this transparency does not extend to the rest of their supply chain. For instance, no information is given about the origin of the materials. As mentioned earlier, the alpaca is native to Ecuador but merino sheep are not. Due to a lack of information, it is not possible to give a clear picture about the welfare of the animals or where exactly the wool comes from.