This Autumn, Colèchi launched YKWU East – a six-week programme and knitwear collective for emerging designers. YKWU East combines the skills and technical application from Colèchi’s award winning knitting club, with their AGREENCULTURE principles that explores connecting agriculture, farming and fashion.
Can we design a beautiful piece of knitwear within local parameters – starting from the fibre, right up to manufacturing and distribution? YKWU (You knit With Us), our very own knitting club, branched off into a collective to pilot this concept. 15 emerging designers were put together for a 6 week programme, which included a chance to expand their understanding of knitwear through an ‘AGREENCULTURE’ lens and the opportunity to produce a localised and traceable product, collaborating with British Alpaca Fashion home of EKOALPAKA – a natural alpaca fibre brand founded by Anila and David Preston.
This video captures our trip to Anila and David’s farm in Somerset, giving an overview of their ethos whereby they priortise animal wellbeing in their farm practice, whilst collaborating with neighbouring farms and mills to produce locally made items using alpaca fibre. Whilst the collective share the importance of connecting with the craftmanship and skill behind the clothing industry.
The knitwear collective consisted of designers: Ruby Sorrell, Neeraj Appadoo, Natalia Reda, Matilda Lunt, Aeyesha Cundy, Aniya Sofia, Judah Maffia, Maddy White, Rosie Merriman, Corene Ang, Sehar Mehra, Tansy West, Aramide Gillett and Karla Thum.
Alongside producing a garment, the cohort learned from industry experts including Orsola De Castro (Estethica), Alicia Robinson (AGR Knit), Thijs Verhaar (The Knitwear Lab), Alexandra Hadjikyriacou, Renée Materials and many more. Under the guidance of menswear designer Fraser Bruce Miller, the knitwear collective collaborated with British Alpaca Fashion to design four garments, which were later exhibited at the 2024 Clean Fashion Summit: (G)Local, at Somerset House.
The collection featured a scarf, a convertible blanket, a modular vest, and a cardigan—each designed on a Shima Seiki machine at Wakefield Farm and inspired by the collective’s multicultural heritage and connection to East London. Each garment also came with a digital product passport (DPP) and when scanned it gave the product journey from the origin of fibres to the designers involved and the final product.
Credits
Images by Katherine Chisham
Film by Charlotte Sawyer and Micheal Kenny
