IN FOCUS | Jonah Organic Rugby Sweatshirt
JoNAH, more like JoYAH!!
Part 2 in our ‘In Focus’ series is a biggie. The Jonah Organic Rugby Sweatshirt is our most popular piece and deserves some special attention. A lot has gone into the making of these things of beauty and we know you’re dying to hear all about it, so here goes...
Cotton On to Organic Cotton
We’ve already spoken at length about organic cotton and how much better it is for the environment and the people who farm it than bog-standard cotton. But just a quick note on it whilst we’re on the subject. Conventional cotton farming requires numerous harmful processes. Firstly, there is the heavy irrigation of water from lakes, rivers and other water sources to the farmland. Diverting salty water to the farmland not only damages the soil but it is taken from bodies of water far quicker than it can be replenished. Then there is the intense use of pesticides and insecticides. These chemicals not only destroy the land rendering them useless upon harvest, but have also proven to cause cancer, deformities among children and even death within cotton farming communities. It may come as no surprise that we want to steer well clear of all that. So, like with all of our garments made from cotton, we use some lovely organic cotton. The farming of organic cotton is free from all of those harmful chemicals and uses nearly 90% less water. Also, the farmers are paid fairly and treated nicely, unlike those on conventional farms.
For the Jonah we’ve used a really heavyweight, 320gsm, organic cotton. This makes it the perfect piece for layering as we approach the colder months and is an awesome transitional number for when the weather warms up again. Being mindful of the environment as we are, and priding ourselves on creating clothes that last, it is essential to have versatility within your wardrobe. The Jonah is the epitome of versatility (friggin ‘ell I’ve really got to stop brushing our egos, it’s sickening haha). We’ve added two new colours into the mix for you too, to make the Jonah even more wearable. Introducing…ivory and black (you’re welcome).
Ain’t No Ripping the Ripstop
Right, you’ve definitely heard all you need to hear about cotton. But it comes in many forms, one being ripstop. Traditionally made from nylon, ripstop is woven in a very special way that makes it resistant to tearing. We don’t like using man-made fabrics such as nylon, so we’ve incorporated organic cotton ripstop instead. By garment dyeing the fabric, it has given the ripstop a wonderful texture . Being as tough as it is, the ripstop utility pocket is sure to keep your valuables safe whilst you’re moving, grooving or even doing the hoovering! We’ve used it for the collar too, so if you get into any scraps whilst wearing it, your opponent is gonna have a task ripping that collar off (btw we don’t condone fighting of any kind, except fighting against fast fashion!).
Buttons, in a Nut Shell
You may not be able to see them at first glance, but there are some lovely buttons concealed within the organic cotton body. These buttons are pretty cool too. The majority of buttons nowadays are made from plastic, but there’s a great alternative. In the forests of Central America, grow these amazing Tagua Palm trees. They produce Corozo Nuts (a.k.a vegetable ivory). Each year, the Tagua Palm produces 15 large spiny balls called, ‘mococha’. Within the mococha, there are 20 compartments that all contain 6 corozo nuts. These nuts are only harvested when they fall to the ground naturally, so no trees are harmed in the process of making our buttons. As long as we keep it that way, there will be thousands more nuts to make buttons from for years to come. You can’t get a more environmentally friendly button!
Zipperdee-do-dah, Zipperdee-day!
Are you blown away by the Jonah yet? Before you answer, just zip it and read on (I’m joking of course, you can answer the question if you want, if anyone will listen haha)!
Having a ripstop pocket wouldn’t be any use if you couldn’t seal it, right? Therefore, my friends, we knew a zip would come in handy. If you haven’t clocked on yet, we’re not the biggest plastic fans, so we weren’t going to start by using for a zip. Actually, that’s not true, we have used plastic. But, we aren’t adding to the environment’s woes by making zips out of new plastic. Instead, our zip’s are made from recycled PET plastic bottles, made by the great people at YKK who make pretty much every zip in the world (pretty much).
Unbe(label)able!
The icing on the cake, the cherry on top, the labels on WAWWA garms, these are all one and the same!
Finishing touches can sometimes go a miss and you probably won’t even notice the labels. But be rest-assured that all of of labels are made from recycled polyester!
To top all of this off, the Jonah is made by a family run manufacturing company in Portugal. It’s made with care and superb quality so it stands the test of time and the UK’s unpredictable weather. So if you feel like you’re falling short in the layering department, pick one of these bad boys up!
