Myrrhia Knitwear’s Spring 2014 collection is made from yarns sustainably grown in the USA. 

This season the Oakland, CA based Myrrhia Knitwear is launching a gorgeous collection of fine knitwear, skirts, dresses, camis and soft scarves made in the USA.

The entire collection has been made from organically grown California cotton, naturally dyed silks and eucalyptus fiber-based Tencel and manufactured in a local, zero-waste factory. A collection for the stylish, sensible and ecologically aware woman, Myrrhia’s latest wares are empowering yet feminine and minimalist yet  intriguing.

Founded in 2010 by designer Myrrhia Resneck, a native of Santa Cruz, CA, Myrrhia Knitwear is a sustainable and conscious fashion label with the aim “to be part of the antidote to a culture who treats it’s people–and the environment that sustains them–as disposable.” The label has achieved this goal by setting up a system of fashion manufacturing that is local and ethical, made with locally grown and sustainable fibers, and designed to embody the essence of an aware, stylish and intelligent woman. 

Drawing inspiration from the protests in Brazil, and the historical female figures that have rebelled and risen against oppression, Myrrhia Knitwear’s Spring 2014 collection plays between the duality of romantic softness and strong female edge. The collection includes simple yet alluring silk camis and slips, tailored moto chic jackets, hand knit dresses and tops, infinity scarves and structured skirts. The entire collection is made with love at Myrrhia’s studio in Oakland, CA, where zero-waste practices, conscious creation and a love of sustainable fashion reign supreme.

Featured in the Spring 2014 collection is knitwear made from organically grown cotton from a farm only 90 miles away from Myrrhia’s studio in Oakland. Sally Fox, owner of Foxfibre farms, has been experimenting with the cultivation of organically grown cotton in California since the 1980s. She has successfully created a method of growing apparel grade cotton that is easier for handspinners to work with and is in the process of  cultivating various cotton types that take natural dyes very well. Myrrhia Knitwear has been supporting the development of Foxfibre’s gorgeous yarns by turning them into spectacular and wearable garments that will bring stylish and sustainable self-expression  to your Spring wardrobe!

Related on EcoSalon

Brazilian Inmates Knit Their Way to Freedom with Doiselles Knitwear

Designer & Artist Liz Collins Launches Innovative Knitwear Collection

Homeland Fashion: 7 Brands Born and Raised in the USA

Images: Myrrhia Knitwear, Foxfibre

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When Raquell Guimaraes had the opportunity to expand her Brazilian fashion knitwear label Doiselles, she looked to a most unlikely place for nifty fingers. She found her crafty companions at Arisvaldo de Campos Pires maximum security penitentiary about 100 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, who had time to kill—with a pair of knitting needles.

When Guimaraes first presented the idea of prisoners to help produce her designs, she thought that women would be likely candidates. The prison administration, however, found that it could be more productive to work with the male prisoners, a risk which has turned out excellent results (see above and below!). Several of the knitting prisoners have violent histories, having been imprisoned for offense like drug trafficking, murder and armed robbery.

Through this project the participating prisoners have learned a valuable handcraft skill that has also given them motivation to re-enter society. For every three days an inmate spends creating knitwear, he receives one day off his sentence, along with receiving a minimum wage salary.

Today 18 prisoners work with Guimaraes to help produce high quality, hand knit clothing under the Doiselles brand in Brazil, Tokyo, San Francisco and New York. She works side-by-side with the prisoners, spending time in a designated ‘knitting cell’ to share her designs and instruct patterning and stitching techniques for creating unique sweaters, vests, dresses and shawls. The results of working with these hard-working crafters has been tremendous for Guimaraes and Doiselles, which has recently received significant international recognition for its philanthropic and business-savvy prison venture.

As former inmate Celio Tavares stated, “The program gives inmates skills and confidence they can use when they return to life on the outside. This raises the self-esteem of the prisoners and opens the door to work and employment for everyone else.” In the ‘knitting cell’ prisoners have a chance to socialize and learn a number of viable skills from the craft of knitting itself to design principles, time management, and dexterity.

Think about it: I know that if I had to do some time, I would definitely choose to knit. Wouldn’t you?

Image: Doiselles

Related on Ecosalon: 

Industry of All Nations: Ethical Production and Preserving Cultural Traditions

Complete Factory Transparency: Everlane Delivers

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As Oscar Wilde once wrote, “One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.” Liz Collins’ capsule collection of knitwear is now available for those who choose the latter option.

“The Void” is a new exhibit by acclaimed artist, knitwear designer and educator, Liz Collins. Designed to challenge viewers to rethink their fashion consumption habits, large-scale knitted wall hangings cover the brick interior of the Textile Arts Center in Manhattan, and a pile of machine-knitted pieces are heaped on the floor generating questions about the true scale of our culture’s addiction to purchasing ever more clothing.

The antidote, says the designer, is to create truly unique clothing. “There’s a certain timelessness to interesting designs,” says Collins. Launched in tandem with the opening of the exhibit, her collection of limited-edition unisex designs are as bold and thought-provoking as her latest installation.

We caught up with Liz as she was preparing for the opening of the exhibit, here’s what she had to say:

Rowena Ritchie: Why did you decide to launch a collection alongside the exhibit?

Liz Collins: People are always telling me how much they love the pieces of mine they have. They come up to me and say they’ve been wearing their sweaters for years and cherish them because they’re such special pieces. After devoting more than 10 years to my art and performance project, KNITTING NATION. I thought it was time to get going on some new wearable design ideas that have been percolating in my imagination for some time.

RR: What is the collection comprised of?

LC: There are 4 different sweater styles: HOLE, BUBBLE, FRINGE and HALF FRINGE. They are all the same basic design, featuring a drop sleeve and oversized, sweatshirt-style shape. It looks great on so many different people. They are hand loomed in Peru with baby alpaca and silk yarns with a basic neutral and bright palette. I work with a women-owned enterprise in Lima, Innovative Knitwear, which I’m really excited about. They employ some amazing craftspeople that are able to do more specialized work.

RR: What do you see as the ‘The Void’ in today’s fashion consumption?

LC: There are just way too many products on the low to mass-market level. It’s at an extreme and totally overwhelming level. No one needs all the options that are out there now. Where does all that stuff go once no one buys it? It’s so depressing. Closing down all the factories that are making all this low-grade apparel and laying everyone off certainly isn’t going to help. The whole infrastructure of countries and communities would have to change in order to support people and allow them to sustain their lives with alternatives to those jobs. I fear we’ve gone down a path that is perhaps irreversible.

RR: What was the concept behind your critically received installation project, KNITTING NATION?

LC: Knitting Nation is a performance and site-specific installation project. It reconfigures textile fabrication and apparel manufacturing in relation to the human labor behind it, with performance and collectivity as mediating forces. The project functions as a commentary on how humans interact with machines, global manufacturing, trade and labor, brand iconography, and fashion. The concept emerged in a series of conversations I had beginning in 2002 with friend, fashion designer Gary Graham. As independent and emerging designers working in the fashion industry, we felt the need to create a platform to reveal the emotions – the raw creative energy and labor-intensive processes that were part of our work. The project has been extremely well received and has been going now for almost 8 years, with 10 different phases.

RR: Your sweater designs are as relevant today as when they were first released, what do you think are the qualities of a design that makes it timeless?

LC: Design concepts that are based on simple phenomena and experiences, high quality materials use a straightforward color palette work best. A pared-down silhouette that is easy to wear, comfortable, versatile and accessible for various body shapes helps. A playful sense of joy is ultimately what I want to express in my designs. A garment that has a fun quality is enduring because it makes a person feel special, happy, and unique.

RR: What is it about knitwear that you find so inspiring?

LC: I love making things with knitting machines because this is where I have found a language. I’ve been able to create material and visual experiences I could not find and make anywhere else in any other way.

Images: Liz Collins

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Using patented no-waste technology, knitwear brand Kotoba makes pieces that are as conscious as they are covetable.

At New York Fashion Week, knitwear seemed to make an appearance in some form on just about every runway. On Thursday, collective knitwear brand Kotoba celebrated the launch of their Spring/Summer 2013 collection with a fun, low-key presentation at The Maritime Hotel in the Meatpacking District.

Kotoba is the Japanese word for language and the collection, designed by Melinda Danko and Lindsay Mann, featured timeless pieces in simple, versatile silhouettes enhanced by unexpected structural details and textures. Basics in black, taupe and ivory were complemented by pieces in bright and playful colors, particularly orange and mint green, two of the most on trend hues this fall and going into spring.

“We were inspired by multiple things, but it all came down to leisure activity,” says Melinda Danko. “We thought about the one thing that people forget to do, which is how to enjoy themselves – how to have fun doing sport activities, going to the beach, taking care of environment – things that are important in life.” This playful spirit was evident in the presentation, as the models were given props like footballs, skateboards and baseball bats.

“Lindsay and I developed the collection very organically,” says Danko. “We just burst out ideas and silhouettes and with the yarns we have it just came together. We started with one design and it all just fell into place after that”

All the pieces in the collection are produced using WHOLEGARMENT technology, a patented production technique derived from Shima Seiki, a Japanese knitwear machine manufacturer that has been around for fifty years, but has more recently, in the past five years, developed knitting machines for making clothing. It’s an innovative way of producing knitwear that is lightweight and stretchy and made virtually without any waste.

“We wanted to bring back crafts and trade and the sustainability aspect to the U.S. domestic market,” says Danko. “Everything we make is seamless, there’s no waste in the production, and the entire collection (except the yarns, which are from Italy) is made in America”

Kotoba’s spring collection is everything I love about sustainable fashion – it’s locally and ethically produced (in NYC’s Garment District), using innovative technology, but it’s also fun, sexy, wearable and timeless.

Danko says: “We make qaulity garments that, yes, you are going to spend more money on. But the lifetime and durability makes them pieces that you can have in your wardrobe and love for years.”

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Designer Brooke Roberts takes inspiration from her medical industry past and designs knitwear based on CT scans and x-rays of the brain.

Sometimes inspiration can come from the strangest of places. Designer Brooke Roberts worked for a few years as a radiographer in Australia before moving to London to study fashion design and pattern cutting at London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins. However, it was not until her second collection that she was inspired to merge her science past with the fashion future she is trying to build.

Using her unique scientific and technical insight and broad knowledge of human anatomy, Roberts started looking at x-rays and CT scans for inspiration. Using Photoshop and a textile design program called Eneas she programs knitting machines to translate these medical images into bold yet organic graphic patterns for her clothing. Roberts’ pieces are knitted, with each pixel representing a stitch, in a mix of cotton, wool, cashmere, silk, and lurex. This material mix gives the final pieces a wonderfully layered, luxurious quality.

Inspired by fashion greats like Thierry Mugler, Pierre Cardin, and Haider Ackermann as well as starchitect Zaha Hadid, Roberts has a very specific person in mind when she designs. In an interview on Stylenik, she talks about her:

A woman who belongs to a seemingly unserved segment. I think about science, technology, medical and media professionals who will not only appreciate the beauty my designs, but will also connect with the story and information behind it. I am targeting a group of incredibly smart people – people who work in industries that advance by the hour, people who enjoy, if not expect, to learn something new every day. I am aware that for many people in this niche, fashion can be a bit too subjective, too lacking of structure, rhyme or reason. With my brand, I want them to make sense of it all. I want my customer to see their field combine with the enigmatic fashion world to create products that are cutting edge, innovative and serious conversation starters.

The collection, which is called “Cuts” is sold exclusively at British retailer Browns Focus. Brooke Roberts is based in London and, while she grows her line, continues to support herself as a radiographer.

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Designer Juliane Camposano in a Rosel shrug

Sustainably-designed knitwear isn’t something new, but really fashion-forward knits are.

Rosel designer Juliane Camposano is one of those trendsetting knitwear lines to watch.

Camposano grew up in Northern Germany, on the North Sea, where knits were commonplace garb. She says an additional influence to create came from her Aunt Rosel, a fashion designer and illustrator for a Berlin fashion house in the 30s.

What really interested me about Camposano (besides the fact that she makes a boogie suit) was that she wanted to design a line that didn’t irritate her skin, creating options for people wanting warmth without the itch.

I caught up with Camposano recently. Here’s what she had to say:

How has your quest for skin-sensitive knitwear helped you evolve as a designer?

It has defined me and still does in many ways. Since there are very limited eco-friendly fibers currently on the market I have to work around what’s available which affects how I design the pieces for a collection. The choice of yarn determines the fit of the design. And I also constantly search for the newest and latest eco yarns out there which has turned into the quest to find the latest in yarn technology available. This R&D is something I never thought would influence how and what I design but has become an integral part.

What do you mean by the “creative exploration” influence of your Aunt Rosel?

My great aunt Rosel was an incredibly progressive woman for her generation, a mother of four with a career as a fashion illustrator and designer in pre-war Berlin. The war forced her to relocate to the North Sea shore with her family. I remember spending endless summer days at her house. On Sundays, stores in Germany are closed – time is spent in family circles. Rosel was an amazing hostess, always impeccable in manners and style with large sunglasses and hats, just like Jackie O. Her style was completely effortless. I would spend hours exploring her closet finding gowns, boas, Chanel suits, the most amazing hats and bags. Her incredible ease of style inspires me to this day in my quest to create effortless, comfortable fashion.

60s and 70s lifestyles and values were pretty far ranging. You say you were inspired by them. How? And how does it translate in your designs?

In the 60s and 70s movements, people expressed values that mattered to them: global peace, the sexual revolution, the first green wave. This hippie movement inspired many worldwide to be part of a cause and purpose. In a way we’re reliving history with multiple wars going on and the big green/eco movement inspiring everyone to change their values and lifestyle. That is what inspires me, to be part of this movement, to be able to make a difference with what I do. My designs are inspired by shapes from that era but with a modern twist of sustainable luxury.

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Is there a hole in the heart of that beloved camel cashmere from your freshman year at Stanford?

Don’t become unraveled! The crafty set – people like Stefanie Girard, who wrote Sweater Surgery – take the green approach to spinning yarns, reconfiguring new objects d’smart from those ratty pullovers that once warmed our bones.

Handwash your old sweater (I like to use baby shampoo) and treat it for unsightly coffee or red wine stains. Then circumvent those Jarlsberg cheese holes in the wool and make something cool!

Here’s a look at 10 reclamations, from Ugly Dolls to pretty petal pins:

1. Stuffed Toys

A favorite project at Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Francisco, parents are asked to contribute old sweaters for the students to conjure their own, arty Ugly Dolls. My own 10-year-old, Lauren, made this creature in just a couple of days and they instantly became BBF’s.

2. Bitchen Boatneck

Deborah Lindquist makes her groovy dog wraps from recycled cashmere sweaters, and you can do it, too. Just find a square without holes and make two for the front legs. Then your pet can walk the walk!

3. Beaded Cuff

I love this upscale take on the 70s tennis sweat band. The beaded cuff woven by Olive Brown is simple to make, by cutting your own elongated rectangle from your rescued sweater, stitching the borders and embellishing with beads or other hot glue glam.

4. Pet Bed

Lately, my pug has taken to sleeping in the laundry basket. Why not take your old sweaters and other scraps and make a patchwork pet bed, like Apartment Therapy suggests? Gather an assortment of old sweaters and a pillow and get working on that soft place for your pooch to land.

5. Pullover Coasters

Olive Brown made these from a shrunken woman’s fair aisle v-neck pullover. The set of eight, sold at Etsy, is something you can also try to make by cutting the circles and top-stitching the front, leaving a zigzag stitch on the back. The edges are finished with an overlock stitch.

6. Snuggly Slippers

Follow the footsteps of Craft Stylish, and avoid booties made from yucky  synthetic materials. These old woolen slippers are stitched with love. All you need is paper, a pen, scissors, an old sweater, thread, a machine, a scarp of yarn and a crochet hook. Have fun padding around!

7. Doll Clothes

If you or your child can knit, this book from Amazon provides patterns and ideas. I always loved sewing my own Barbie clothes from discarded items that wound up in our rag box. Let your kids try their hand at Project Runway ensembles using old sweaters. Try some lederhosen for that Heidi doll!

8. Flower Brooch

Thick rose wool felt from a rescued cardigan is paired with a heavy vintage bronze shank button in this classic flower. Found at Etsy, you can arrange your own floral jewelry with scissors, glue and a pin from your neighborhood craft store. Add a center flourish and attach to blazer lapel. You grow, girl!

9. Cell Phone Cozy

Craftbits is calling! Pick up and read the steps for making your own, fetching felted mobile phone pouch with a key ring at the top for attaching to jeans or your purse.

10. Teapot Cozy

We adore these at EcoSalon and even touted the beauty of the pot sweater for Mother’s Day this year. This one from Etsy is ideal because the pretty blue yarn is washable. Accented by a handknit multicolored flower with a vintage button for the center, it’s about 19 inches around and stretches over a 4″-to-6″ teapot. Not handy with a needle? Ask a friend to help.

Main Image: Amazon

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