Our origins
Selected from specialist producers and artisan communities of the Arctic.
What we do, and what we do not
QIVIUQ does not farm musk oxen, spin fibre or knit. We are a Swiss house that selects finished qiviut and brings it to Switzerland.
We buy from established producers in the north. Our first collection is intended to include pieces sourced from Alaska. Future pieces may come from other Arctic regions, and we will say so when they do.
How we choose a producer
Origin we can follow
We ask where the fibre comes from and who worked it. If a producer cannot tell us, we do not list the piece.
Real hand work
We look for pieces knitted by hand, in small quantities, by people who have done it for a long time.
Quality of the fibre
Fineness, cleanliness of the de-hairing, evenness of the spinning. These are visible in the finished piece.
Honest information
We publish what the producer confirms in writing. Nothing else.
Artisanship
In the north, qiviut knitting is not a factory activity. It is done at home, by hand, often to patterns that carry the marks of a particular community.
A fine shawl can take weeks of work. That work is the largest part of what a piece costs, and it is the reason quantities stay small.
Where a producer allows us to name the artisan or the cooperative behind a piece, we name them on the product page. Where they do not, the field stays empty.
What we will not claim
- We do not describe QIVIUQ as the maker of the pieces we sell.
- We do not announce partnerships that have not been agreed.
- We do not invent certifications, fibre percentages, edition numbers or artisan names.
- We do not use the words sustainable, ethical or cruelty-free as decoration. If we ever apply them, it will be about a specific supply chain, with the reason stated.
Switzerland
QIVIUQ is a project by Dr. Import, Switzerland. Orders are prepared and shipped here, in Swiss francs, under Swiss law.
We are opening in Switzerland first. Other markets will follow when we can serve them properly.