Get cozy with these ethical and sustainable brands for blankets and throws. Whether you’re watching the sunset outside on a cool night, snuggled up on the couch or looking for a little extra warmth that will also look divine on the end of your bed, these blankets and throws have you covered. We’ve wrapped up some of our favourite Australian and New Zealand brands below.
1. Variety Hour Studio
Textile designer Cassie Byrnes is behind this Melbourne-based brand making brightly patterned, printed throws. Produced in thoughtfully small batches, Variety Hour starts with artworks painted by Cassie herself and then distorts them through different scales and palettes before adapting it into its patterns, using its products as canvases. 90% of the Variety Hour products are produced in Australia and the business has an ongoing commitment to support the Australian manufacturing industry. The woven throws in particular are made in the USA with a mix of spun cotton and recycled cotton that is grown, spun and woven in the USA.
2. Curio Practice
Curio Practice focuses on responsible kitting and using consciously selected yarns for its Australian Merino wool blankets, made with love in Melbourne. These blankets come in select colours in the brand’s signature check pattern and are definitely worthy of being on display in your home. The brand’s wool products are stain, odour and wrinkle resistant allowing for minimal maintenance and washing. The product descriptions on the website are also supremely detailed when it comes to the production of its blankets.
3. Seljak Brand
The sisters behind Seljak Brand imagine a world without waste and that is exactly what they are aiming to achieve with their recycled wool blankets. Working with the oldest mill in Australia, these gorgeous blankets are made entirely from offcuts from the factory floor (70% wool and 30% any other offcuts, including mohair, cotton and alpaca), giving it a zero waste production process. These blankets come in a range of different colours and prints and the use of this natural fibre makes its blankets antibacterial, moisture wicking, long-lasting and extremely warm.
4. Geelong Weaving Mill
Blankets that are made to be used and loved indoors and outdoors? Yes please. Geelong Textiles Australia, who have been weaving Australian wool and wool blend upholstery fabrics for over 40 years, decided to explore ideas on how to repurpose its leftover upholstery yarns to save them from going to landfill. The team landed on blankets and Geelong Weaving Mill was born. Textile designers Ana Petidis and Gemma Glazik got to work to develop weave designs and colourways using the available yarn and the results are one of a kind releases of retro-inspired blankets in robust woollen yarns.
5. Waverley Mills
Since establishing in 1874, Waverly Mills has been committed to using natural fibres, which are biodegradable, recyclable and a renewable resource. The brand uses quality wool, alpaca, mohair and cotton for its throws and blankets, which are well-known for their quality and usability. The Waverley Mills and WM Recycled brands have a wide range of styles and colours to use across your home. The products are all Australian made.
6. Bed Threads
Keep warm and look cute with the Bed Threads 100% flax linen throws. These beauties come in a range of sizes and hues that will elevate your space without being overpowering, making them both stylish and practical. The signature Bed Threads flax is grown in France by registered farmers and suppliers and is ethically manufactured by a certified factory in China. Producing flax linen also requires less water and fewer pesticides to cultivate than other alternatives.
7. Dazed but Amazed
Another linen throw specialist to add to your wishlist is Dazed but Amazed. Made from flax sourced directly from France, these durable throws will get better the more you love them, softening with every use and wash. These throws are multi-purpose and can also be used as a cot bed sheet, baby wrap, lightweight blanket and pram cover. The Dazed but Amazed linen is custom woven and OEKO-TEX 100 certified and has the feel of vintage washed so it will be ready whenever you are wanting to snuggle up.
8. Bhumi
Behind every decision the Bhumi team makes, they aim to have a positive environmental and social impact. If that hasn’t convinced you to add to cart, then its simple range of certified organically grown and ethically made cotton blankets and throws will. The quilted blankets are available in baby size all the way up to king size and come in natural hues. Bhumi works closely with cotton farmers to ensure that its products remain luxurious, while being sustainable and protecting all parties involved.
Britt’s List readers can get 20% off full priced purchases at Bhumi wth code BRITTBHUMI20 at checkout.
9. Baksana
Baksana focuses on bringing sustainable, conscious and ethical products to New Zealand and Australia. Across all of its product ranges it holds five industry recognised accreditations including OEKO-TEX Certification, European Flax, BCI (Better Cotton Initiative), BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) and Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange). Its 100% cotton blankets and throws are perfect to warm up with or to decorate your bed or couch. It focuses on craftsmanship and works closely with its partners in Turkey, Portugal and Hungary to ensure all of its manufacturing is being done in accredited mills. The simplistic designs and muted colours that reflect a mix of European elegance and Australaisan colour palettes make these pieces incredibly versatile alongside their practicality.
10. Bedtonic
For Julie, the face behind the Bedtonic brand, growing up in New Zealand before settling in Australia allows her to combine a little bit of New Zealand and a little bit of Australia in her designs to bring you blankets that you will want to feel against your skin every day. The small but sweet blanket selection is made from OEKO-TEX certified 100% pure soft washed linen and has European Flax® Certification, meaning it certifies traceability and accountability for growers and traders to follow sustainable practices at every step of production.
11. Peek Neek
When it comes to being both cool and conscious Peek Neek is where it is at. The crew behind these Australian designed and Indian made blankets blend nostalgia and boutique foods together for a new generation of ‘picnic-ers’. To fulfil its conscious promise, the Peek Neek Thicky Rugs are made from RPET yarn, which is produced using 100% recycled plastic bottles, and are handwoven by skilled weavers in a family-owned and Care and Fair accredited business in Uttar Pradesh, India. While inspired by picnic culture, with versatility in mind, these blankets have been designed to be used as the backdrop to both your outdoor and indoor memories. With designs named Sea Salt and Sunshine and Pink Frosting and Lime, you can imagine the electric and eccentric energy behind this funky and fun brand.
