How Skall Studio Is Preserving Danish Wool

Skall Studio is a mainstay on the Copenhagen Fashion Week schedule, best known for its billowing cotton prairie dresses, chic linen suits, and cozy woolen sweaters. Since its founding in 2014 by Danish sisters Julie and Marie Skall, the brand has worked exclusively with natural fibers. For the most part, that excludes animal fibers like leather and virgin cashmere. Wool has always been an exception. “We feel there are so many positive benefits to wool,” says Julie. “And you don’t need to kill the animal to use it — that would be a dealbreaker for us.”

But when the brand set out to set up the right wool supply chain, it struggled to find one that could live up to its standards around traceability, transparency, and animal welfare. “We explored everything from recycled wool to certified wool, but nothing was as transparent as we wanted. Often, the wool would come from New Zealand, then the yarn would be made in another country, and the final garment produced in a third country,” says Julie. “We wanted something more local.”

Skall Studio wants more brands to support local production, and form closer relationships with the supply chain.

The sisters started looking closer to home, but found that Danish wool production had been gutted by outsourcing, leaving just two spinning mills and a handful of knitting factories in operation. They became passionate about keeping these skills alive. “Our original motivation was animal welfare and transparency, but when we started working with Danish wool, it became about protecting local production and keeping everything within Denmark,” Julie says. “The wool is from local sheep, raised organically, and the spinning and knitting happens in Denmark. That’s quite unique.”

The Skall sisters struck up a relationship with another family business: the spinning mill Hjelholt Uldspinderi, on the picturesque Danish island of Funen. The mill has been operating since 1878, and is now run by fourth-generation owners Conny Dagmar and Henrik Hjelholt. A significant portion of the wool it spins is sheared locally, from the company’s organic sheep farm, which has a flock of 800 sheep and counting.

Skall Studio co-founders Julie and Marie Skall, on Hjelholt Uldspinderi’s organic sheep farm.

Though small, local supply chains come with limitations, says Marie. Danish wool — much like traditional forms of British wool, which has also enjoyed a recent surge in popularity among homegrown brands — can be quite coarse and scratchy. It’s not necessarily what consumers trained to appreciate ultra-fine, soft Merino wool are used to, so Skall sometimes blends it with 30% certified Merino wool from the Falkland Islands. (In the summer months, when heavy Danish wool isn’t quite as appealing to customers, Skall Studio generally switches to Italian Merino.)

The wool remains undyed for the most part, but when the brand decides to explore other colors, it has to partner with a dyehouse in the UK, since that part of the supply chain no longer exists in Denmark. There are also limits on production volumes. One sweater can take up to two days for a machine to knit, which is why Skall Studio starts the production process 14 months before the collection hits stores. “We can’t just produce as much as we want,” says Marie, “but that makes the pieces even more special.”

Danish wool is heavier and more coarse than Merino wool, but lends itself beautifully to traditional knitting patterns with braid or bobble detailing.

To try and get customers on board with the heavier Danish wool, Julie and Marie have incorporated its history into the design process. “When it comes to Danish wool, we are very inspired by the traditional way of creating knitwear in Denmark,” says Julie. “We grew up in northern Denmark, close to the ocean, and there are lots of fishermen. Scandinavian painters like Michael Ancher used to paint the fishermen in these amazing Aran pattern sweaters made from heavy Danish wool. Because the yarn is so thick, the patterns become 3D. We love our sweaters to look as classic and timeless as that.”

Classic designs also work best on local knitting machines, she adds. “When we make knitwear in Italy, we draw whatever construction we want and they can produce it. With the knitting machines available in Denmark, we can’t do everything,” Julie explains. “There are limitations in terms of workmanship and how we put the pieces together — how we connect the sleeves or do the rib finish — but we’ve learnt to work with that. Because the yarn is so heavy, it also has a life of its own. It’s quite fun.”

In recent years, the brand has sold the knitting patterns for its Danish wool sweaters, so customers can make their own — sometimes with the same Danish wool, if the spinning mill has surplus to sell. This is becoming more common, says Julie, as handcrafting and hobby knitting rises in popularity. In fact, she says this is why the spinning mill is doing so well financially, even though other parts of the supply chain are struggling. “Ten years ago, there were more than 10 Danish knitting factories. Now, there are just a few,” she explains. “We were working with three knitting factories, and the first two are closed today. That’s been a little sad to see. We wish more brands would support local production.”

Brands often have fractured relationships with their supply chains, and consumers rarely understand where their clothes actually come from — this is a failure of the system, Julie flags. “We are strong believers in being aware of where clothes are being made, and how they are being made. It’s important to be open and share that knowledge, to take a stand.”

The brand’s message to the industry is clear: “Support local producers and people who are really passionate about their handicraft, and support brands that support local producers. Otherwise, they’re not here for long,” says Julie.