By Cherie Birkner
Photography by Stephie Braun

We know this controversy of it being considered normal to eat pigs, cows and/or chickens but NOT dogs or cats. So what happens when we think about wearing knit made out of dog hair instead of sheep or goat hair? Does that sound feasible to you? I surely does to me, especially in the way it is produced by Modus Intarsia. But lets rewind for a second: what are we talking about? Dog hair clothing?? Genau! Also known as chiengora.

Chiengora (pronounced she-an-gora) is the term for yarn spun from dog hair. Chien is the French word for dog, and gora is derived from “angora” the soft fur of a rabbit. The spinning of dog hair is an ancient art form dating back to pre-historic Scandinavia. It was the main fiber spun on the North American continent before the Spaniards introduced sheep. Chiengora is up to 80% warmer than wool and sheds water well. Its fiber is not elastic like wool, and is characterized by its fluffiness, known as a halo effect. It has a similar appearance to angora and is luxuriously soft.

WHAT IS MODUS INSTARSIA?

Modus Instarsia is a textile company producing yarn from soft dog fur, gathered together by a huge network of dog owners who either give the lable their combed out dog hairs for them to process into their own production OR to have their own yarn made from their beloved dogs fur.

Did you know that an estimate of 470 million dogs kept as pets worldwide[1]? Most owners regularly brush their pets hair and throw it in the bin. Uuuuuhhh WHAT, wait stop: Isn’t that a total waste of valuable resources?? Qui! And that’s why they are now raising money for the production with this -> crowdfunding campaign <-. Rewards are a selection of DIY knit projects, ready-to-wear beanies, scarfs, pillows… and for those of us who run upscale a fashion labels there is even an exclusive brand partnership for your H/W 21 collection up for grabs. That’s hot!*

*Literally! Because remember chiengora is up to 80% warmer than regular wool ;)

“THEY”….? WHO IS BEHIND MODUS INTARSIA?

Behind Modus Istarsia, the chiengora fashion start-up, are Ann Cathrin Schönrock and Franziska Uhl. As a sustainability focused knit designer Ann came up with the idea as she observed her mother keeping the combed out hair from her two long haired dogs because ‘it would just be such be a waste to throw it away’. It didn’t take long for Ann to find out that spinning dog hair into thread is actually an old tradition and wonder why this valuable resource is no longer being used.

Just a few months later the ground work for a network of dog owners to source from was layed. After the first chiengora yarn was in her hands she reached out to Franziska, aka Franzi, an aspiring textile engineer and sustainable fashion advocate to get some feedback and, well as you can see, today Franziska is Ann Cathrin’s co-founder <3

Together they want to diversify the yarn and knit market by making use of all the excess dog hair which otherwise just gets thrown away by their owners. “We are living in times where we can no longer afford to waste such valuable resources” - Modus Istara.