"I want to prioritize quality, beauty, meaning, respect for the planet and living"
I'm Katia Sanchez. I've been designing sweaters for a long time now, since I created the Des Petits Hauts brand in 1999, which I left in 2017 to take a break, travel, see my daughters full-time, read and sleep ! I went to India. This magnificent trip was a crazy contrast between beauty, intense colors and unimaginable pollution (fields of plastic...unbreathable air). This shock will fuel my reflection.
A few months later, just as I was feeling the entrepreneurial urge again, an old friend of my father's, a house builder like him, said to me: "You do well what you know how to do". That phrase clicked. I like to create, I like color, I like quality. I love knitwear. I decided to continue doing what I do best, and embarked on a quest for responsible mohair sweaters.
In my thoughts, I oscillated between reading about the depletion of resources: deforestation, eutrophication of waters, global warming... and my color ranges and model designs. In other words, it wasn't easy to reconcile all these every day! I did a lot of research, asked a lot of questions and worked with the MU eco-design agency to really understand what was at stake. I met manufacturers in France and Italy. I visited spinning mills, dyers and breeders.
Today, in 2023, I can say that this quest has guided me to the finest Italian mohair yarn, RMS-certified mohair from South Africa or from French breeding farms, it has taken me near Venice to Marzia's family factory, it has brought me closer to Raphaëlle who knits marvelously...
But this quest also led me to create joyful and colorful mohair sweaters that ultimately put a smile on your face, surround you with softness and color, and connect you to the people you meet, in a cloud of good mood.
And in this quest, beyond the "well-made sweater", what's so close to my heart: creating a sweater that you'll love and keep for a long time! Less but better, keeping beautiful things, not constantly renewing them, waiting for them - that's what I've come to understand on this journey, the outcome of which I still don't know.
My story
Discover my approach
I'm talking about materials, manufacturing, time, "no plastic"... because it's all important. And above all, let's not forget that all production has an impact, so "less but better" remains the fairest approach in my opinion.
100% natural materials
100% natural materials
Quality has always been my #1 concern. And for me, quality rhymes with natural materials. Because they're far more beautiful and pleasant than synthetics, because they're renewable resources, because they "breathe" and the associated properties are far more interesting. Synthetic fibers such as polyester, polyamide and acrylic are derived from chemical reactions based on hydrocarbons. It's more or less the same process used to make a plastic object 😬. That's why I've set out to create, among other things, sweaters in mohair and silk or mohair and wool 0% polyamide.
Exceptional thread quality
Exceptional thread quality
Beautiful, soft yarns with good color rendering, which allow you to knit sweaters that last and are as eco-friendly as possible, are rare. Beautiful, well-knit sweaters made from such yarns are even rarer! The yarns I select are therefore of the highest quality, which is why I concentrate on a few truly exceptional qualities. A few words about my yarn in 70% SuperKid mohair and 30% silk: SuperKid mohair fibers are the finest mohair fibers (less than 28 microns). This fineness allows us to achieve outstanding quality. We've blended the finest mohair fibers with a silk filament for a natural, breathable yarn that reflects colors beautifully. My latest mohair wool yarn also blends superkid mohair with an extra-fine wool for a soft, puffy feel.
Knitting in small, local and conscientious factories
Knitting in small, local and conscientious factories
Manufacturing in small, close and conscientious factories, respecting their rhythm and at a fair price for all, is essential for me. To produce my machine-knitted sweaters in Italy, I met Marzia. Her small factory is located near Venice. Her mother still makes the patterns, and her siblings and extended family work in the factory. Marzia's expertise in mohair knitwear is invaluable. Indeed, a 100% natural yarn requires meticulous readjustment of knitting tightening, washing and drying settings for each batch and even each color. Her factory isn't far away, and I'm in regular contact with her (she speaks excellent French!). Marzia makes my Italian knit sweaters as if they were her own! The workshop that makes my beautiful Portuguese cottons or the one in Romania where my sweaters are hand-knitted are also close by and driven by this sense of a job well done and the love of a beautiful product.
Reconnect with the pleasure of
doing it yourself
Reconnect with the pleasure of
doing it yourself
My favorite sweater is my pink sweater knitted by Raphaëlle, creator of Cousine haberdashery, who joined me today at La Caserne in our pretty pink and green office. She knitted it by hand a few years ago. I took the time to think about it, choose the color and discuss the shape with her.Today, we're continuing this exchange. She's a great help when it comes to trying things out before sending a request for a new reference to Marzia, and above all, we work together to imagine hand-knit patterns and propose them to you. Raphaëlle also runs knitting classes in Paris, at the office, to share her passion and teach you how to knit.
The choice of pre-order
The choice of pre-order
Buying a pre-ordered sweater means buying a sweater that hasn't been produced yet. It means producing as fair as possible, to avoid using the planet's resources unnecessarily.
It's also about patience and the joy of waiting for the right reasons.
Less, better, slower, at the right price
Less, better, slower, at the right price
I'm driven by the desire to create high-quality, sustainable and ethical sweaters. Production is local and on a small scale. All this comes at a price. By offering a few new references a year, renewing them from season to season, selling partly by pre-order, but without discount; my price is right from the design process. Because a beautiful sweater deserves a long life, whether on my e-shop or in your wardrobe ;-)
I say no to single-use polybags
Every year, 100 billion items of clothing are produced and packed in single-use plastic polybags. They protect the clothes, and eliminating them is unfortunately risky.
To avoid this waste, I decided to reuse the same polybags several times. At the warehouse in Paris, we keep each polybag and, when we have a good number, we send them back to Marzia, who reuses them. This is possible because Marzia is not too far away, because she has this "saving culture" and so agreed to play the game. As for me, I wrap your sweaters in upcycled fabric that you can reuse to protect your sweaters or make a scrunchie, a tote bag... see our tutorials specially made by @lea.sionneau!
The power of a conscientious
joyful sweater
The power of a conscientious
joyful sweater
I'm convinced that when the entire value chain is virtuous and respectful, a sweater is beautiful beyond the aesthetic. It has that little extra touch of soul of the truly beautiful things.
When, in addition, it's colorful, has hearts or rainbow on it, then you're a real cloud of good vibes and you attract smiles and compliments!
I hope you'll love your sweater for a long time, because it has a power: transmitting good mood, good vibes and a certain vision of things that can make sense and link you with those around you.
MORE INFORMATION ON MY SWEATERS
