Made by makers.
Made to last.
Substantial New Zealand wool. Soft fleece inside. Three practical styles, knitted in Kathmandu and chosen for cold Canadian days.
Shop the woollens
Find your woollen.
Try it on.
That’s what I say when someone picks one up at a market, and it usually does the whole job.
You can’t from here, so here’s the closest description: New Zealand wool on the outside and a soft fleece lining inside. It has the substantial warmth and rugged texture of a proper wool knit, with the familiar comfort of a favourite sweatshirt.
KARU is inspired by the Sanskrit kāru: maker, artisan, craftsperson.
Soft on the inside.
A fleece lining creates a soft barrier between your body and most of the wool. The wool keeps its rugged texture and substantial warmth on the outside; the inside has the familiar comfort of a favourite sweatshirt.
It is the difference people notice as soon as they put one on.
One honest caveat: depending on the style, wool may still touch at the neck or trim. If you are especially sensitive there, choose a zip style that can be worn open.
I went to see
where they are made.
I travelled to Kathmandu and visited the workshop behind these woollens. I met the people working there, saw the knitting machinery and finishing tables, and took the photographs you see on this site.
The pullovers and accessories are knitted by hand. The jackets are knitted on manual knitting machines and finished by hand. Either way, the knitting gives the wool its structure and the finishing brings each piece together.
Read our storyBehind every garment.
I took these photographs in the workshop: yarn being prepared, garments taking shape on knitting machinery, and finishing work being done at the table.
Finishing details by hand
Preparing the yarn
Garments taking shapeVisiting the workshop in personReal people, visible work and woollens chosen because they are genuinely worth wearing.
Where it goes.
School drop-off. The sidelines of an October practice. Coffee in Vancouver, an outdoor table after the sun goes down, frost on the gate and animals to turn out. A beach walk, a bonfire, a cabin weekend or a cold morning by the water.
It’s the one you reach for without deciding.
Who it’s wrong for.
It is not a summer sweater, and it is probably not the one you will wear all day in a heated office.
If you run warm or want a light layer, this probably is not it. Cold air, damp weather and standing around outside are where it earns its keep.
Warmth first.
A real relationship behind it.
I design most of the pieces, pack every order and answer the email. There is no customer-service department between you and me.
- Soft where it countsWool outside with a soft polyester fleece lining
- Substantial warmthA warm layer for cold mornings and time outdoors
- Known provenanceI had the pleasure of spending time with the team who knit them, in Kathmandu.
- Direct personal serviceYou're buying from the person who designed or chose it, and packed it.