New SA brand provides sustainability & luxury
South Australian fashion designer Cathy Karuga, who lives with her husband on a wool-growing property in South Australia, has launched a new luxury ready-to-wear clothing brand, Yaneth, with wool central to its product range. Yaneth’s timeless garments are not only available to purchase, they are also available for hire to subscribers of the brand’s VIP Membership service.
Yaneth (pronounced Ja-nette) is a newly launched brand built on a foundation of natural fabrics with a strong emphasis on wool, a 100% renewable and biodegradable fibre. Yaneth founder, designer and director Cathy Karuga is closely connected to the fibre, living on a wool-growing property on the outskirts of the Barossa Valley in South Australia.
Cathy and her 7th generation wool-growing husband run 3,000 breeding ewes, which inspired her to use wool as Yaneth’s hero fabric, a material deeply rooted in Australian heritage.
“The brand utilises the premium and natural benefits of wool to produce sustainable and sophisticated garments with the contemporary and discerning woman in mind,” Cathy said.
“As well as emphasising the beauty and versatility of wool, the Yaneth collection showcases the fibre’s trans-seasonal appeal, a functionality that further highlights the sustainability of wool, with each piece able to be worn, layered and styled throughout the year.”
Designer Cathy Karuga styling the wool crepe bandeau during the collection’s photoshoot.
The brand launched its first garments in October with a 16-piece Spring/Summer collection for women sized 6 to 20, with each piece designed to be worn either with other items from the collection or existing pieces in customers’ wardrobes.
The collection features 12 wool garments, including a coat and blazer; a cardigan, bandeau and tops; plus, dresses, shorts, trousers and a skirt. A silk shirt, pants and dresses complete the collection. Yaneth will launch collections each season with new styles, prints and colours.
100% wool dress
Yaneth’s commitment to sustainable innovation extends beyond the choice of fabric. In addition to the brand’s garments being available to purchase, Yaneth has also introduced an innovative subscription-based VIP Membership service enabling customers to hire its garments, which encourages circular consumption.
Cathy says her previous experience running a fashion label helped her identify this gap in the market.
“For a monthly membership fee, customers can change and refresh their wardrobes by accessing Yaneth’s past and present collections. This luxury hire model allows consumers to create new looks for the week ahead or a special occasion, without cluttering their wardrobes,” Cathy said.
“As well as providing customers with the opportunity to look good, the hire service helps reduce the impact of clothing on the environment by extending the usage and life of each garment.”
Cathy says it is important to her that the brand’s clothing is designed and made in Australia.
“We are proud to work with the finest local, family-owned and operated businesses who share our principles in supporting Australian manufacturing, nurturing local craftsmanship and producing the highest quality garments and packaging,” Cathy added.
More information: www.yaneth.com.au
This article appeared in the March 2024 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
