Jun
28
Knitting has been popping up on a few catwalks recently, including at London Fashion Week, so we were chuffed to learn that bespoke knitwear company Grannies Inc are embracing this ethos with two catwalks this summer devoted primarily to knitted vests!
The events are free to attend and will showcase the top entries of the Grannies inc Design A Vest competition, plus you’ll even get to vote for your favorites and possibly help to launch a knitwear designer’s career!
If you haven’t heard of Grannies Inc, rest assured that they are exactly what you might expect from the company name: a troop of talented grannies producing glorious knitwear.
Forget the famous Shreddie-knitting grannies, these nanas use only 100% British spun merino wool yarn, helping to support the UK’s yarn industry one beanie hat at a time.
We love the fact that the company, founded by Katie Mowat (who isn’t a grannie, but does love knitting and grannies in equal measure), brings together modern contemporary knitting while celebrating the knitting prowess of grans, while encouraging their customers to come up with original designs.
Anyhooo, back to the catwalk shows.
"I’ve wanted to engage the knitting nation of the UK in a design competition since starting the company as I feel there are so many creative knitters out there who perhaps don’t think of themselves as designers but who have amazing ideas for knitwear pieces,” says Katie. “I really believe in the power of public opinion so decided to invite the public to vote on their favourite finalist designs on the website and to generate a buzz around the competition and company I wanted to take the designs directly to the public."
The first event takes place at Brixton Village, on Thursday, 30 June 2011, from 7pm, with catwalk shows will run at 7pm and 9pm. In addition to the competing vest designs the models will be sporting handpicked fashion pieces from selected local shops.
The second event happens at London Fields on Sunday 03 July 2011, from 12 noon, with catwalk shows every hour, on the hour, and live musical performances in between.
If you attend the latter, take along your needles as you’ll be invited to get involved with knitting “teeny tiny hats for charity” at their ad hoc knitting circle.
At the London Fields catwalk event Grannies Inc are also hosting a knitting circle. “We’ll be chucking down a load of picnic blankets, lots of free wool (but donations would be happily received) and lending out needles out to encourage people to come and help us knit for charity,” Katie says. “It would be great if anyone wanted to get involved in this.”
It all sounds like a fabulous day out to us!
Even if you can’t make it to either event you can get involved by visiting http://www.granniesinc.co.uk/ratings.php and voting for your favourite vest designs.
“The winning designs will be taken to a panel of buyers at a top London store in hope of stocking them,” Katie says. “However we cannot disclose which store…yet!”
Find out more at http://www.granniesinc.co.uk/
Comments