Montesogno: fashionable and ethical accessories

A new luxurious wool and silk range with animal conservation at its heart

Wild animals have always been a passion for Mungo Tennant’s family, but for wildly different reasons. “In 1910, my grandfather was attacked by a lion whilst hunting and was stretchered across Africa with sticks in his arm to drain the bacterial poison.” Therein lies irony, as today the hunter’s grandson is passionate about animal conservation and has put his fervour into a Montesogno, anew luxurious wool-and-silk accessories range with animal conservation at its heart. For each item sold – including wool-and-silk scarves (from £185, example, third picture), travel blankets (£350) and throws (£750) – a charitable contribution of 10 per cent of production costs will be donated to protect endangered species.

The origin of the name, Montesogno, is a mix of the Italian for “mountain” and “dream”, and the first season’s collection – which also includes T-shirts (£60) and wool hats (£85) – pays homage to three endangered species. “We chose the European wolf, snow leopard and bateleur eagle not only for their interesting prints but also to highlight different elements of the animal conservation crisis,” Tenant says. “For example, we picked the bateleur eagle because in Africa vulture numbers have declined dramatically due to pesticide misuse by livestock owners.”

Sales of the latter designs go to support the Evolutionary Distinct & Globally Endangered (EDGE), the only global conservation programme to focus specifically on threatened natural heritage species, one of which is the bateleur. The two other beneficiaries are The Snow Leopard Trust, which protects cats from illegal hunting and retribution killing, among other threats, and The Whitley Fund for Nature, which helps protect the European wolf.

Montesogno’s designer Sophie Dunster – who was discovered after a year’s exhaustive search and while she was still at Edinburgh College of Art – is behind the imaginative and bold designs. Beautiful snow leopard silk scarves (£205), for example, come in blue/white or blue/gold (second picture) colourways, and sit alongside a striking bateleur modal scarf (£250, first picture) and another motif in pink and green (£205). The wool accessories are made in Scotland, with the modal scarves produced near Lake Como, and the silk scarves are printed and handrolled in London.

As for his grandfather, Tennant has a philosophical take on his hunting hobby. “Often things skip a generation in families, so perhaps the lion who attacked my grandfather wanted to deliver a message. It is being heard 104 years later.”