WLM
| Wyoming Woman
from the inner belly of cashmere
goats. Creating quality cashmere is a
consequence of original fiber quality,
the process taken to spin the fiber into
yarn, and the skill used to knit the
yarn.
For her products, Courtney made
sure that the quality of cashmere
was second to none. Winter & Bract’s
partner spinning mill, founded in
Scotland in 1867, has privileged
and consistent access to the very
finest cashmere fibers available,
predominantly combed from Inner
Mongolian goats. The spinning
and dyeing of the cashmere fibers
takes place on the bank of Loch
Leven in Scotland, using “…the
loch’s uniquely soft Scottish water.”
The water is a factor in the Scottish
tradition of cashmere excellence. The
yarn is sent to Hawick, along the
Scottish Borders, where it is handled
by experts, including second and
third generation cashmere craftsmen
and women. “Each piece necessitates
more than twenty different steps to
produce, with exacting standards on
quality applied throughout the entire
process,” W&B adds.
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Courtney grew up in Casper, and her
family currently resides in Wilson.
Her sister Katrina, a filmmaker by
day, provides her artistic creativity
Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Fall 2014
as designer of W&B’s blankets. The
name Winter & Bract pays homage
to Wyoming and her family’s
connection. “It’s a play on Wyoming
seasons as well as two words that
most symbolize Wyoming to me,”
Courtney explains. ‘Winter’ of course
refers to one of our longest (and some
do actually argue, most glorious)
seasons, and is “…a reference to a
piece of music that always reminds
me of Christmas in Wilson.” The word
‘bract’ was new to me – Courtney
taught me that this is the term for
the “…strong and spiky leaf-like
structure that surrounds and protects
the more vulnerable flower inside”
the Indian Paintbrush flower.
Courtney’s passion extends to creating
products that are environmentally
and socially sustainable as well
– particularly the Slow Fashion
movement. “{It’s about} being more
focused on quality over quantity…
resisting the throw away fashion
culture that has grown so much in
recent years,” she explains. Winter
& Bract launched in April, and their
products can be found at Rodeo and
Amangani in Jackson Hole. Be sure
to visit their website, winterandbract.
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