Nature can be worn

For more than a year, the slow process of creating VULNA's first pieces has shaped and inspired our every move. Building a network with the different people involved throughout the making journey—wool scouring mills, spinning mills, knitters, artisans, seamstresses and label makers—has been a joyful process that added extra layers to the already beautiful journey of making nature wearable. Along the way I've had the privilege of meeting remarkably kind and talented people, and I know that the network will continue expanding. Artisans from places in Uruguay as diverse as Salto, Florida, Canelones and Maldonado have been creating samples, refining ideas and experimenting alongside us until the collection gradually took shape.

While showing our first pieces to friends, we were genuinely surprised by their reactions—of course they are friends and feel enthusiastic about VULNA's dream project—but the exceptional quality of our 17.5 micron extrafine merino, combined with the sensitivity and craftsmanship of everyone involved, seems to surprise almost everyone who touches it. Ruanas are soft, light and pleasant to wear, yet made to be kept for a lifetime; felt pieces feel like a cloud on your shoulders and receive compliments from strangers, while our booties keep babies' feet warm with incomparable purity.

Along the way we realized the kind of garments we were creating could not fit into the traditional apparel production chain. We wanted to create pieces to be chosen with intention, worn often and kept for a lifetime. For that reason we created three different lines within the brand: the Essential Collection, pieces we intend to make repeatedly in small batches because they are highly functional and, once experienced, naturally become everyday favorites; the Limited Editions, produced in very small quantities through collaborations with different artisans; and the Studio Pieces, where unique creations and artistic expression through wool find their purest form.

As the collection evolved, we realized we were not simply creating garments. We were building a community of people connected by a shared respect for wool and for the slow process of making things well.

The same care we put into creating each piece begins long before the first stitch is made. It starts with the fiber itself. We believe that understanding where a material comes from is as important as knowing who transformed it. Our family's farm in Salto, Uruguay, is part of CRILU, a community of growers devoted to producing some of the world's finest ultrafine merino under certified and traceable conditions. The wool we use is sourced from farms within this network, where generations of sheep have been carefully bred to produce exceptional extrafine merino while respecting animal welfare, responsible land stewardship and the natural rhythms of the landscape.

Every fiber can be traced through Nativa™ and comes from farms certified under the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), ensuring respect for animal welfare, responsible land management and complete traceability from farm to finished piece. These are not certifications we pursue to satisfy a trend, but a natural extension of the values with which we have always worked.

Our work begins in the Uruguayan grasslands, where generations of sheep have grazed beneath open skies among native grasses and where wool remains deeply connected to the rhythm of nature. Healthy pastures support birds, native plants and countless other species, reminding us that wool production can exist as part of a living ecosystem rather than apart from it.

We also believe that nature has already perfected wool. Instead of changing it, we try to preserve what already works. Our extrafine merino is simply scoured, combed and spun, allowing its natural softness, breathability, temperature regulation and durability to remain intact. We are constantly reminded that some of the best innovations have existed for millions of years.

Working with such a valuable natural fiber also changes the way we think about waste. Every meter of yarn and every handful of wool deserves a purpose. Leftover fibers become new samples, experimental pieces, felted objects or the beginning of future creations. Rather than seeing scraps, we see possibilities, allowing the material to continue its journey in different forms.

For us, traceability is not simply knowing where a fiber comes from. It is knowing the landscape, the people, the sheep, the crafts and the values behind every piece we make. It is our way of making sure that the respect we have for the material remains visible from the grasslands where it begins to the person who chooses to wear it.