Innovation takes many shapes. Sometimes it comes in the form of a new technology or gadget, like the now-ubiquitous iPhone. Sometimes it comes together by combining two or three existing things and creating something new. For SAINT CROIX, their most recent innovation comes in the shape of several new fantastic knitwear items featuring our newest luxury material: our superlight Wool/Cashmere/Silk blend.
SAINT CROIX has a reputation for searching the globe for the very best materials—using only the finest raw goods in our menswear. Founder Bernhard Brenner was inspired by the quality of three particular raw goods they’d acquired: Australian Merino Wool, Mongolian Cashmere and Mozambique Silk. Mr. Brenner felt that the supreme qualities of each of the fibers blended together would create a new, even finer quality and luxurious fabric. This wasn’t something that happened overnight. A tremendous amount of R&D was put forth for over three years to perfect just the right mix of fibers that went into bringing something of this caliber to the market—and to get it right. To quote Mr. Brenner: “We got it right”.
Each of the raw goods contributes something similar and something unique to the blend. All of the fibers are fabulously soft…one more so than the next. In addition, the wool gives the fiber strength and elasticity, the cashmere gives the fabric it’s softness, and the silk gives the material the most fabulous hand and feel. Blended together and then hand-crafted in the meticulous SAINT CROIX way, the combination really provides unmatched luxury in menswear.
Looking at the garments being produced with this amazing material, you almost wouldn’t know there was anything this special about them. From a visual standpoint, it looks like fine-gauge knitwear. You really must touch the garments to appreciate the silky softness of the wool, cashmere and silk blend. It’s the true expression of “feel it to believe it”.
“It’s incredibly wearable”, says Design Director Dave Gebhardt. “The trimmer fit and design of our Heritage style coupled with the lighter and softer weight of this new blend make these specialty garments so easy to wear under sport coats and suiting—without adding bulk. The year-round weight makes these perfect for layering, which is such an on-going trend”, Dave says. For Fall 2016, six fabulous pieces of the new material blend are available in the Heritage Collection by SAINT CROIX. These will include limited quantities of a scarf, a V-Neck Vest, a Five-Button Cardigan, a Zip-Mock Pullover, a V-Neck Pullover, and an Intarsia Crew Neck Sweater
Another interesting trait of this new blend is how it takes dye. All the individual fibers are lighter and whiter, and uniformly accept dye. The collection includes rich, deep, neutral colors that go with so many clothing options.
As one of only a handful of top luxury brands that have a blend like this, it really is a collection to be seen—and felt—in person. SAINT CROIX created “touch cards” for their retail partners to really feel the difference that this new Wool/Cashmere/Silk blend offers. As Mr. Brenner puts it: “This is the ultimate luxury in blended fibers.” Don’t miss out on this special collection. In fact, join us at our upcoming shows and touch this amazing blend for yourself!
Remaining shows for the season:
MRket Las Vegas, Booth 32114/32116, August 15-16
Mid-Atlantic Menswear, Haberdashers Guild, August 21-23
Boston Collective, August 28-30
