Huntsman partners with Tengri for exclusive, eco-friendly fabric

Savile Row tailor Huntsman is partnering with British knitwear label Tengri, known for its eco-friendly Mongolian yak clothing, to produce a special hopsack weave fabric in an eco-friendly dyeing process exclusively for Huntsman.

Huntsman will offer its clients the chance to own bespoke pieces, made in this new Tengri cloth, on a first-come, first-served basis. Not only does each garment take between 60-80 hours to craft by Huntsman's cutters and tailors, the rarity of Khangai Noble Yarns also limits the number of pieces made: on average, just 100 grammes of fibres can be hand-combed from each yak once a year and thus only 60 metres of fabric produced.

“At Huntsman, we have offered the ultimate in luxury tailoring for 167 years. We are dedicated to sourcing limited-edition luxury cloths, the very best available in the world at any time. To be working with Tengri and to discover this very unique fabric is truly special. The fibres of the Khangai yak, indigenous to this very specific region of Mongolia, transcend yak yarns and cloths currently available in the luxury market,” commented Huntsman owner Pierre Lagrange.

The cloth is available in undyed silver and natural colouring, as well as a bright new navy blue. The hopsack weave fabric has been woven by Yorkshire-based R Gledhill Ltd, well-known for spinning fine woolen yarns for more than 70 years.

“With Tengri we are able to offer some very precious rare colours, and key for Huntsman, finding exquisite fabrics that stand up to the stresses and tests of time. A Huntsman garment should be able to endure for generations! We are also very proud to be offering a truly sustainable option to our clients, there are not many luxuries in the world you can buy that help people, wildlife, and natural habitats. We fully support and embrace Tengri’s philosophy – ‘Noble Yarns, Noble Ways’,” added Lagrange.

“We are honoured to be working with one of the finest and long-standing tailors on Savile Row, an establishment which also happens to be the most innovative. It’s innovation that drives Tengri to push the boundaries of sustainable fashion and luxury goods, and our collaboration with Huntsman further realises that luxury and sustainability do not have to be mutually exclusive. The exclusive new cloth celebrates our shared dedication to rich heritage, integrity, craftsmanship and style,” said Tengri founder Nancy Johnston.

According to its own description, Tengri is an “edgy British knitwear label” that aspires to bring Mongolian yak knitwear to the forefront of the fashion industry. The label promotes 100 percent natural, un-dyed hand-combed and authentic Mongolian yak clothing that is fashionable, eco-friendly and sustainable.

Huntsman was founded in 1849 at the heart of Savile Row in London and has been offering British bespoke, made-to-measure and ready-to-wear tailoring ever since. Today, Huntsman’s clientele stretches far beyond Britain, with a large proportion coming from the United States, Asia and the Middle East. Last year, the company opened its first premise in the Americas, on 57th Street in New York, to address this demand.

Photos: Tengri via www.tengri.co.uk