Design Challenge and Design Ideas

“Enjoy Yourself’ Scarf (knit in 100% merino wool)
The challenge was to create a relevant, positive and inclusive piece that was to launch in the middle of a pandemic during uncertain times for the retail and creative industry. The key elements for this design (which is part of a bigger collection) was that it was commercially viable yet brave enough to tackle difficult subjects. It was important that the story was meaningful, authentic and playful while addressing the current climate. The intention was to brighten up and lighten the mood while at the same time creating a detailed jacquard that could stand in its own right as a visual tapestry-esue textile. A textile that crosses the line from functionality to art.”

How the brief was fulfilled

“Originality, storytelling and acute detail were key to this design. We created a story about our own pandemic experience and the theme of ‘home’ being central to our new world. ‘Enjoy Yourself’ scarf is about lockdown and how we found ways to enjoy ourselves indoors. In the details of the scarf you can see three floors of a house with intricately drawn interiors. The top floor shows a girl in the bath, set against patterned tiles. It also features three mini TV screens that depict the background story of the time; breaking news (Covid-19), BLM (positive change) and a retro music video. Sofas, flocked wallpaper, bookshelves, a fireplace and a drinks cabinet are drawn stitch by stitch to include all the tiny details of a living room on the second floor. The ground floor depicts a kitchen scene; again with tiny fun knitted elements like a dishwasher. Overlaid on this happy house is the figure of our Electronic Sheep character, residing and presiding over the whole design.

The execution and finish are notable; illustrated by ourselves on screen, it is also redrawn by us at the production stage so it can be converted to a knitted jacquard. Another restriction was size; the detailed image needed to fit into the limited space of our signature triangle scarf so the yarn and gauge needed to be superfine. We sourced 100% superfine merino yarn from Italy and sampled the piece on different machine gauges. The yarn is fine yet extremely warm, soft, supple and biodegradable; the colours are rich and vibrant. The scarves are framed with colourful handlinked binds. All of our pieces are ethically made in a small family run factory.

Lastly this commemorative piece has a personal, apt twist. ‘Enjoy Yourself’ was something Helen’s mother always said to us since we were teenagers. It was her attitude to life. Eileen Ludwina passed away during the pandemic; we like to think of this piece as a celebration of life and death. This piece (and collection) are dedicated to all those who were lost during Covid-19.

This a Universal Design, accessible to everyone.”