As a slow fashion creator, I care about the longevity of my clothes, and the clothes I recommend to you. It’s why I look for good quality and sustainable fabrics. Where I can, I like to review clothes after many wears, much care, and even some repairs. That’s why I’m so excited for this review, featuring responsible fashion brand DILLING and my favourite pieces of their knitwear that I have been wearing for years. If you’re looking for new knitwear this season, here’s why I recommend them, as seen through my existing pieces, and a few new ones…
Is DILLING a responsible fashion brand?
DILLING was originally established in 1916 in Denmark. It started as a small family business, grown around a sheep farm and a hand-operated knitting machine. Today, DILLING remains a family business, with 80 employees and a continued passion for good quality, wool clothing. This is easily found in their product descriptions and material guide, which covers the microns, material weight, treatment, warmth and softness.
As merino wool specialists, DILLING also uses their own unique enzyme treatment, which uses electricity and air to treat wool fibres. This is a much more eco-friendly method of removing itchy hairs and ensuring fabrics are machine washable. In comparison, the industry standard is the ‘Superwash treatment’, which involves chlorine and coating fibres in resin or plastic.
Given their commitment to transparency, eco-friendly practices, organic and mono-materials, and other various certifications, I really rate DILLING as a sustainable fashion brand.
My DILLING Knitwear, Reviewed
Pure Lambswool Knitted T-Shirt
Of my various DILLING knits, my burgundy knitted t-shirt* is the one that draws the most compliments. This deep red jumper is perfect for the autumn. Its short raglan sleeves and loose fit are great for layering. While I tend to match tight-fit clothing with slouchy pieces, I’ve taken to wearing this jumper with my equally slouchy grey jeans, for a really comfortable, everyday outfit.
This jumper is made from GOTS-certificed 100% organic merino lambswool, at 19.5 microns. The rule of thumb is lower the micron count, the thinner and finer the fibre. Seeing as my cashmere sweater is 17.5 microns, it’s a really soft yet warm top.
The Magical Merino Wool Sweater
It’s been 18+ months since I started wearing my DILLING merino wool sweater and it’s still good as new. (You might recall seeing it in my guide to sustainable knitwear). This jumper is a secret work horse in my wardrobe. I love wearing it as a base layer; it’s great under lighter knits, fleeces, and coats. The neutral colour (also offered in a navy) means it goes with everything, and sits nicely if I want to wear it with the collars or neckline peeking out.
The magic of this sweater is that it is machine washable (!!!) This saves on a lot of hand washing, which I tend to do with my other knitwear. It means I also get a lot more wear out of it, and still, it holds its shape and size beautifully.
Pure Cashmere Sweater
Onto another of my favourite DILLING pieces. This beautiful cashmere jumper is definitely an investment piece, and one that I will treasure for years. It is as soft as it looks, with fibres at a fine 17.5 microns. I’d been looking for a grey cashmere jumper for some years now, and was so happy to find this design by DILLING. It features a classic collar, deep cuffs, and a standard length that can be worn many different ways. I took one size larger than I normally wear as I like knitwear with a slightly looser fit, and also to accommodate any future changes in my body.
P.S. If you’re investing in cashmere, you’re going to want to watch my guide to handwashing knitwear!
Pure Organic Merino Wool Fleece
The final stop on my tour of my DILLING knitwear collection is this black half-zip fleece. I like minimal pieces, and it’s surprisingly hard to find a good quality, minimalist fleece. Of course, DILLING is the place to look first. I’ve been wearing this fleece just shy of two years now and while it’s not super chic, it is incredibly functional. In my post about staying warm and saving money in the winter, one of my tips is to layer up. This fleece is perfect for that. It’s lightweight yet incredibly warm, and again, is treated with DILLING’s Naturetexx® Plasma – no Superwash. This is a good quality, good wardrobe staple, no doubt about it.
My Overall Rating: 9/10
I am a big fan of DILLING. They have great ethics, make great material choices, and employ great quality production. My years-old pieces are still in very good shape, even after being washed in the washing machine. My newer pieces are timeless, and will be worn for years to come. I suppose the missing piece is that DILLING doesn’t offer exciting clothing – just classic designs, designed to last. The excitement comes from styling them with exciting pieces of your own!
What do you think of my DILLING collection? Let me know if you have any questions!
