About the brand: Hope Macaulay
If you follow fashion trends on social media, you’ve probably noticed vegan jumbo knits popping up. These oversized jackets are taking over Tik Tok and IG thanks in part to Hope Macaulay designs.
Hope Macaulay is not your average knitwear brand. Based out of Northern Ireland, Hope Macaulay creates stunning vegan jumbo knits as well as other designs. Each piece is hand made by the designer herself (and occasionally with a team of friends and family!). The Vegan jumbo Knits are also “made to order”. That means you’ll have to be patient if you purchase one… and that none of them will ever look EXACTLY alike.
Hope, the designer, painter, and seamstress behind it all, takes inspiration from distorted realities and dreams to create vivid, colorful garments that are true treasures. While most of us have come to know her thanks to her truly colossal knits, Hope’s other designs are more of a nod to her love of surrealism. Hope paints large, vivid paintings before turning them into patterns that resemble a page out of a Magic Eye book .
Overall her label is sustainable, I’m just waiting to hear where she sources her Merino Wool*. Besides that, the knit jackets are vegan and made to order (which means the brand isn’t dumping unsold items into a landfill, woohoo!).
*update: Hope replied to my email and shared that the Merino Wool used is sustainably sourced. Personally I still went with the Vegan wool since there are conflicting reports on how the animals are treated.
Vegan Jumbo Knit Review
I got the limited edition “Autumnal Colossal Knit Jacket”. This Vegan Jumbo Knit is a visually stunning blend of dusty pink and mustard faux synthetic wool.
Hope Macaulay offers both Merino and Vegan wool knits. While others may feel comfortable purchasing Merino Wool knits, I personally stuck to the Vegan wool just to be safe. I can wear my jacket worry free knowing no animals were even involved.
There are no buttons or zippers on the jacket which gives it a permanent “open jacket” look. The sleeves are JUMBO jumbo thanks to an added bell puff design; but the rest of the jacket is true to size. This is one of the more delicate pieces I own. I don’t wear it around my dog or with any jewelry that could snag it.
The Vegan Jumbo Knits are fun to style as well! I’ve been wearing mine with tanks and jeans, but I also adore it worn over silky slip dresses. Personally these Jumbo Knits feel like wearing a knit blanket to me! Which makes them perfect for everyone who’s a little shell shocked in social situations after staying in during the Pandemic!
Vegan Jumbo Knit Care
When getting a garment this unique, I always check the care guidelines first! That way I have an idea of what I’m getting myself into (and to decide if it’s worth it!).
And good thing! These Jumbo Knits require more care than your overage piece of clothing. Personally, I don’t wear it around my pet and I don’t wear big jewelry with it. I also keep it stored in the box it originally came in! So far it’s held up wonderfully! I’ve had no issues at all!
Hope Macaulay has an extremely informative “How to care for…” section on their website. Click here to see all the FAQs and a video on how to care for the Vegan Jumbo Knit Jackets.
The Importance of “Made to Order” designs
Not only is my jacket made from vegan wool, it’s also “Made-to-order”. That means the brand doesn’t make a new piece until there is an order for the item.
Why does that matter? If a brand is ONLY making pieces when an order is placed, they’re less likely to throw away any leftovers. It’s the opposite method of fast fashion brands like Zara. They crank out as many items as they can, as fast as they can; ultimately throwing away tons of wasted clothing every season.
Made to order pieces may take longer to reach the consumer, but the wait is WORTH IT! According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 17 MILLION tons of textile waste wound up in American Landfills in 2018…. 17 MILLION!!
Get your own made to order, vegan jumbo knit by clicking here!
Shop my yoga top and more plant based clothing from Purusha People by clicking here! Use code “kkantoinette” for 10% off!
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