Knitwear is a massive part of my brand, all of the knitwear products are either knitted in house or with freelance artisans, the knitwear is hand framed and fully fashioned. This creates very little waste as the yarn firstly needs to be ordered in small batches.
Fully fashioned knitwear means that you only use exactly what you need as the knit is shaped on the machine rather than cut out like sewn garments. Being hand framed (made on a manually operated knitting machine) and locally made, minimises the need for massive MOQ’s (Minimum Order Quantities) like you have in large factories.
The remainder of my designs are either up-cycled or use sustainable materials and sourced in small batches. Any time I have strayed away from my made-to-order or low-stock system, I feel that this has negatively impacted the brand, this is something I have also seen in the industry, as it demands large orders from brands, you end up putting all of your eggs into one basket and limiting your product range.
How do you source your materials, and what role does ethical sourcing play in your process?
The main yarn I use, I source from British mills, I then approach them with any ethical or sustainable credentials I feel necessary. As a sustainable brand you will always want to choose the most sustainable option, however you need to also balance this with the business needs and the wants of the customer.
That is why my main yarn is made from Ethical RWS (Responsible Wool Standard Wool) Merino, I had many customers comment on the softness of the wool compared to Shetland and Lambswool which is what I used at the beginning. The wool also carries the Oeko-Tex certification and REACH dye specification, ensuring that there are no harmful chemicals used in the processing and dyeing of the yarn.
Regarding my up-cycled products, I myself source each fabric, I get them from all sorts of places like e-bay, vinted, facebook marketplace, vintage and antique shops. I especially love when the fabric has a story behind it, recently a fabric I bought was a wedding gift to a newlywed in the 60s, the owner had owned it for years and decided it was time to let it go, she was excited to give it to me to give it a new lease of life.
Many small businesses face challenges in maintaining sustainable practices. What hurdles have you encountered, and how have you overcome them?
MOQ’s have been the biggest hurdle for me, I have had to kill products as I can’t get the fabric or yarn for the right price without ordering too much than necessary, I also want to keep my products at a relatively affordable price, paying the surcharge on those raw materials won’t make that possible.
That is why many sustainable brands have to limit or stick to the same fabrics like organic cotton/merino. I have begun to use recycled wool from a British supplier, however ideally I would love to incorporate more recycled wool/merino blends for its softness and quality. You realise that in order to do more you have to do less, working with what you have until a time where it’s viable to take that next step.
Being a made-to-order business has its benefits but also has its setbacks, you don’t know when you will get a large wholesale order and have to fulfil that, so keeping on top of stock levels is a hard thing to muster, this is something I am getting better at, having freelance knitters, and limiting my product options to the best-sellers.
Your designs have a distinctive artistic touch. Can you walk us through your creative process, from concept to finished product?
My creative process is much less linear and collection-based as it was in the past. I feel that when I make one large collection with a theme, it doesn’t tend to work as only a few star players in the collection will actually sell. I tend to design as if I am always continuing with the same big collection.
It will usually involve textile swatching first, creating textile pattern designs and punch cards for knitting and then splitting that into different designs, I will also get inspired by the fabrics I have sourced for my bucket hats, these can sometimes inform the knitwear designs. It’s a mismatch of different patterns and colours. Being a slow fashion brand, I also don’t discontinue products or fabrics.
This is a challenge that I enjoy as it means I have to design within a set colour scheme, as I will still have the same yarns available as the last season, it also means that I can create a continuation of the same designs, for example the Brithlen Poncho and Knitted Vest came from the scarf and mittens from the year before. I am trying to create different collections of designs based on the pattern it is based on, each pattern has its own story.
Do you have a favourite piece or collection you’ve created so far? What makes it stand out to you?
The Tegan Jumper will always be a firm favourite for me, it is one of my first ever designs and it always draws a crowd when I’m at a show or fair. I like the simplicity and cheerfulness of the design.
How do you balance honouring traditional influences while appealing to a modern audience?
Colour is an area which I’m really drawn to and can make or break a design. There are simple changes you can make in colour that modernises a design. It’s also important to be aware of current trends, my best-seller this year has been my knitted vest top, with the knitted balaclava being a second favourite, these are products I could have easily avoided as jumping on the bandwagon however I look at trends as a sign of the times and audiences will always respond to that, being aware of what trends to follow and ignore are the tricky parts. The way I present my designs or even the message of the brand has a massive impact with instagram reels of behind the scenes and storytelling drawing in more customers.
Are there any specific stories or symbols from Welsh culture that you feel particularly drawn to incorporate into your designs?
I have designed collections around Santes Dwynwen which you could call the Welsh equivalent to Valentines Day. It is a story of romantic love, deceit and self-love, with Dwynwen ultimately deciding to carve out her own path. In Wales we have something called the Welsh love-spoon, traditionally hand carved by men for their beloved, the spoons usually include a variety of symbols. In this collection, I designed the Love Spoon Sweatshirt which includes a variety of symbols I had chosen:
- Heart- Love
- Wheel – Work
- Key – Home
- Diamond – Prosperity
- Comma – Soul
- Horseshoe – Luck
