The fascinating, complex, and multifaceted knitwear sector has always been an important component for all major international fashion brands. Creating knitwear not only means designing the shape and choosing the colour, it’s also about creating the very material that makes the garment or product. Knitted clothing is among the most versatile, both in terms of creativity and adaptability, and gives way to express 100% design creativity.
Knitwear Design at a Glance
The discipline has evolved in the following manner in the past decade :
- Handmades have become popular again and crafters are making money from knitting and other crafty skills
- There is easier access to exotic yarns and materials especially through the internet
- Handmade styles can now be sold internationally at a premium price, whilst mass-produced factory-made knitwear continues to get ridiculously cheaper and cheaper
Knitwear Designers can work in the following roles :
- Apparel Designer
- Knitted Fabric Designer
- Product Developer
- Graphic Designer
- Merchandiser
- Buyer
- Stylists
- Visual merchandiser
- Retail space designer
- Fashion Forecaster
- Buyer
- Retail Planner
- Independent consultants /Researcher
- Entrepreneur
- Quality controller for fabric
- Quality controller for apparel
- Costume Designer for Entertainment Industry
Following are the regular tasks of Knitwear Designers :
- Knitwear Designers combine an innovative approach to textiles with a practical view of the end-products as usable products
- These Designers are employed in a variety of different fields and specialise in product areas such as fully-fashioned knitwear, hand-knitwear, socks and hosiery
- They oversee the product throughout development and manufacture and therefore need to know about the design and technical side of production
- A Knitwear Designer may spend their time collecting ideas and looking for trends before sketching ideas or using a computer programme to draw designs. They, then develop these ideas into patterns, make samples and oversee the production of the items
- They also source, select and buy yarns
An aspirant of Knitwear Design must possess the following skills :
- Attention to detail
- Technical skills in sewing and pattern-making
- An appreciation of shape, proportion and human anatomy
- Creative flair and artistic ability
- An interest in fashion and textiles
- An understanding of trends and materials
- A good eye for colour, texture, fabrics and patterns
Following are the best Companies/Studios for Knitwear Designing in India :
- Madura Fashion and Lifestyle
- Louis Philippe
- Van Heusen
- Allen Solly
- Abof.com
- US Polo Association
- Arrow
- Unlimited
- The Children’s Place
- Ajio.com
- Myntra.com
- Jabong.com
- Beokoof.com
- Reliance Brands
- Max
- Lifestyle
- Levis
- H&M
- Mothercare
- Pantaloons
- Color Plus
- Jockey
- Decathlon
- GAP
- Pantaloons
- Future Group
- Shoppers Stop
- Defiance Knitting Industries
- Levis
- India Fashion
- Raymond
- Marsil Exports
- Vitamins
- Gini & Joni
Personalities to Follow :
- Ryan Roche
- Kim Haller
- Buffy Reid
- Archana Kochhar
- Sam Leutton and Jenny Postle
- Angela Bell
Associations to Follow :
- & Daughter
- Leutton Postle
- Coohem
- Sabyasachi Couture
- Shantanu & Nikhil
Links to Follow :
- https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/nov/01/cutting-edge-knitting-the-future-of-textiles
- https://www.feedspot.com/infiniterss.php?q=site:http%3A%2F%2Fblog.ravelry.com%2F%3Ffeed%3Drss2
- http://blog.nobleknits.com/
- https://blog.loveknitting.com/
- http://www.masondixonknitting.com/
- http://blog.knitpicks.com/wpblog/
- http://www.craftsy.com/blog/knitting/?_ct=rbew
- http://knitspot.com/
- http://katedaviesdesigns.com/
