Sustainability
Sustainability
& ethics.
The most sustainable garment is one you keep wearing. We build around that premise — in how we source, how we manufacture, and what we choose not to do.
Cruelty-free
cashmere.
Our cashmere is hand-combed, not sheared. Combing removes only the fine undercoat the goat naturally sheds in spring — a gentle, non-harmful process that doesn’t cut or stress the animal. Shearing removes the entire coat, including the coarser outer guard hairs, and is both more stressful for the animal and produces lower-quality fiber as a result.
The herding families we partner with in Inner Mongolia have every practical incentive to keep their herds healthy. The quality of the fiber is directly tied to the wellbeing of the animal — a stressed or malnourished goat produces shorter, coarser fiber. Good animal husbandry and fiber quality are not in tension here; they reinforce each other.
We have worked with the same herding communities since 2003. That continuity is itself a form of accountability — long-term relationships create expectations that short-term commodity sourcing does not.
Farm to closet,
no shortcuts.
The conventional fashion supply chain runs through multiple layers of intermediaries — commodity traders, yarn brokers, fabric manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and finally retailers. Each layer adds margin, reduces transparency, and creates distance between the producer and the person wearing the garment.
Quinn’s model eliminates that chain. We source fiber directly from the herding communities, work with manufacturing partners who share our quality standards, and sell directly to the customer. No distributor. No department store. No markup at each handoff.
This isn’t just a cost argument — though direct sourcing does allow us to pay fairer prices to the herders than a commodity buyer would. It’s a transparency argument. We know exactly where our fiber comes from because we go there.
Direct from herding families in Inner Mongolia. Same partners for 20+ years. Grade A fiber only — no blending with lower grades to reduce cost.
Produced by skilled artisans in facilities that share our standards for craftsmanship and environmental responsibility. Eco-conscious processes throughout — minimizing waste and water use.
No distributor, no department store. The margin that would go to intermediaries goes toward better fiber, better wages for the people who make it, and a lower price for the person who wears it.
The most sustainable garment
is one you keep wearing.
Fast fashion’s environmental cost is measured in volume — how many garments are produced and discarded per year. The antidote isn’t a more elaborate supply chain audit or a better certification; it’s making fewer things that last longer.
Grade A cashmere, properly cared for, lasts decades. A Quinn sweater bought today should still be in regular rotation in ten years. That’s not a marketing claim — it’s the physics of long-fiber Grade A cashmere: the fibers are long enough to stay anchored in the yarn structure, which means less pilling, better shape retention, and a garment that softens and improves with wear rather than degrading.
We design a smaller, more considered range rather than trend-chasing seasonal drops. Fewer SKUs, better execution. The goal is pieces that remain relevant for years, not just one season.
Small holes and snags in cashmere are often repairable by a professional reweaver. We include a cashmere comb with every purchase for at-home pilling maintenance. Extending garment life is the most straightforward environmental action available to a clothing brand.
Cashmere is a renewable resource. The goat regrows its undercoat each year. No synthetic petroleum-based fiber is involved. The supply chain is animal-based, land-based, and community-based — it has existed in some form for centuries.
What we stand for.
Quinn does not use fur. This is a non-negotiable position, not a marketing stance. Our CEO is vegan. We do not condone fur farming and go to lengths to ensure no fur in our supply chain comes from that source.
Any leather in our collections is sourced exclusively as a byproduct of the food industry — not from animals raised specifically for leather. Vegan leather alternatives are available wherever leather appears in our range.
Our cashmere is hand-combed, not sheared. The animals are not harmed in the harvesting process. The herding communities we work with treat their herds well because their livelihood depends on it.
We can tell you exactly where our cashmere comes from: Inner Mongolia, from herding families we’ve worked with since 2003. If a brand can’t tell you where their cashmere comes from, that’s worth noting.
By selling direct, we pay fairer prices to the people who produce our fiber and offer better value to the people who wear it. We don’t believe luxury should require a department store to mediate the relationship.
Every design decision — from fiber grade to stitch construction to fit — is made with longevity in mind. The most sustainable thing we can do is make a garment someone keeps for a decade.