STYLISH & ECOLOGICAL
Kuura Saunawear: ecological leisurewear Fashion designer Krista Virtanen has designed a sauna clothing collection from Metsä Group’s Kuura fibre. Kuura Saunawear is a great example of wood-based textile fibres leading the textile industry’s transition to a more sustainable future.
TEXT PÄIVI BRINK PHOTO MIKKO RYHÄNEN
METSÄ GROUP’S TEXTILE FIBRE is produced from soft- wood pulp at the Äänekoski bioproduct mill. Kuura offers an alternative to cellulose-based fibres, viscose, Lyocell and cotton, as well as to synthetic oil-based fibres such as polyester. Kuura can be used on its own and combined with cotton and wool, for example. “The Kuura fibre has attracted wide international interest. Its strengths include product quality, a natural feel and better environmental values than those of other cellulose-based fibres,” says Anna-Kaisa Huttunen , who is responsible for Kuura business development at Metsä Group. Fashion designer Krista Virtanen ’s Kuura Saunawear prototype collection is made of soft terry, featuring the Kuura fibre. Kuura Saunawear is made of fabric that contains 30 per cent Kuura fibre and 70 per cent cotton. In addition to the fabric, Kuura was used for padding in the bag. “The textile industry is a major source of emis- sions globally, and raw material production accounts for a large share of emissions. Wood-based fibres such as Kuura play a very important role in the textile industry’s transition to a more sustainable future,” says Virtanen, a fashion and textile designer, who gradu- ated from Aalto University. The collection includes a skirt, trousers, a jacket, a bag and a sauna cap suitable for post-sauna cooling and for city use. “I want to design versatile clothes, which is why the sauna bag doubles as a pillow or seat cushion, and the skirt can be spread out as a towel. The jacket can be used as a bathrobe or as an outfit for going out,” says Virtanen.
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