We're thrilled to announce our collaboration with Swedish cashmere brand A Public Announcement. We love natural fibres, and when they're soft like a horse's muzzle we're sold. No surprise then that we fell in love with A Public Announcement's fine cashmere sweaters and it didn't take us too long to start dreaming of a horsey one. And so Victor, the founder of APA, found himself cast into the equestrian world. We doubt his life will ever be the same. ;)
A Public Announcement is a cashmere clothing company whose product line is distinguished by superior quality materials and refinement in design. Through creativity, attention to detail and a continual desire for improvement, the company gives a special appeal to style and comfort. They're also champions of sustainable production. What's not to love right?
We hope you will love these horse sweaters as much as we do. Take care of them and they will stay with you for a long long time.
So, what is Sustainable Production and how does it work?
Due to the increased population of livestock and the lack of appropriate pasture management systems we are facing a vast degradation to the fragile grasslands of Mongolia where almost 60% of the global cashmere supply is sourced from. This is the greatest threat to the unique heritage of Mongolian nomadic pastoralism. Lack of access to fair-priced markets and affordable services, low employment opportunities and high vulnerability to climate conditions are creating difficult circumstances for herders to achieve sustainable practices and high-quality cashmere production. Thus, they have a very weak bargaining position in the value chain and are often left with no economic security.
How is A Public Announcement involved?
A Public Announcement supports initiatives to develop pasture management systems which further aid improvements in the cashmere production value chain as well as ensuring it's traceability.
Encouraging the adoption of sustainable practice models developed by international NGO's such as "AVSF", A Public Announcement is working in close partnership with manufacturers, herders and herders' cooperatives directly to purchase, prepare and produce premium quality cashmere which ensures security to the traditional way of life for Mongolian shepherd families' with the aid of modern science.
This way, APA can provide premium prices above market value to reward such good practices. As a result, A Public Announcement was able to establish a successful long-standing relationship with the shepherd families.
A Public Announcement aims to improve cashmere quality and the livelihood of the traditional herder families by promoting and implementing good pasture management and selective breeding systems (to reach optimal herd mix), fair and ethical trading conditions as well as the application and certification of international standards such as ISO 9001 in our production stages.
