The British knitting industry has been experiencing a decline since the mid-1970s. The post-war employment peaked at 159,000 in 1973-1974 and then started to fall, until it reached around 30,000 in 2002. This, however, may have changed, according to the British retail expert Mary Portas, who believes that British manufacturing is alive and is kicking.

Mary Portas shared her optimism at the first-ever Meet the Manufacturer sourcing event and conference, which took place in London last year, attracting nearly 3,000 visitors. In her opening speech, she said: “As a nation, we occupy an extraordinary place in the world because of the inventions at Coalbrookdale and Stanhill and the amazing sacrifices of the people who toiled away in our early factories.”

An event, organised by Make it British, the campaign for UK manufacturing, welcomed kilt makers, knitwear and hosiery manufacturers and lace weavers, and some of the most established clothing manufacturers from all corners of the UK.

The communication platform, which now takes place annually, aims to bring together British manufacturers with buyers and designers looking to have their products made in Britain, reinforcing optimism in UK manufacturing, something that Genevieve Sweeney, an advocate for British manufacturers, has adopted in her own knitwear brand.

Premium British brand

Genevieve Sweeney is a British brand, determined to ensure its authenticity by showcasing artisan skills and the rich heritage found within the British knitwear industry. As an advocate for British manufacturers, Genevieve Sweeney aims to demonstrate her commitment to inspire and reinvigorate the British textile industry.

Genevieve Sweeney fuses contemporary design with traditional techniques, using unique yarns and innovative colour blends. The label started recently with a collection for both menswear and womenswear, bringing together an exciting collaboration of silhouettes and key seasonal pieces. The goal is to offer luxurious knitwear products that allow each customer to have an exclusive insight into the story behind the product and learn where it was made and what materials were used.

The brand uses antique knitting machines, some of which haven’t been used in over fifty years. Founder and designer of her eponymous brand, Genevieve finds time to fully restore them back to working order. These machines have allowed her to experiment with stitching and techniques, which has all influenced the brand’s overall essence of combining chic new designs with traditional hand crafted techniques. “I want to show people that knitwear is more than just a jumper. There is so much more that you can do. It’s actually incredibly exciting and the possibilities are endless,” she said.

Made in Britain

Establishing herself as a supporter of small local mills that specialise in custom yarn blends and keeping her production within the UK, Genevieve demonstrates her commitment to sustainability, as well as embracing the ethical practices and responsibilities of a premium British brand.

Genevieve Sweeney produces premium British knitwear, utilising yarn sourced from Italy, Yorkshire and small micro-mills that specialise in custom yarns. “Finding suppliers to do the production has been the biggest challenge, especially keeping it in Britain. Not many have the capacity to work with start up quantities, but I’ve made some great working relationships and wasn’t prepared to compromise.”

Genevieve Sweeney Brand Film from Robert Regan on Vimeo.

Last September, Genevieve drove around The Scottish Borders to meet suppliers and family run mills, where she met John and Juliet at their micro mill, The Border Mill in Duns. John and Juliet are specialists at bespoke spinning of alpaca fibre, as well as other rare sheep breeds. During the visit Genevieve bought some beautiful natural coloured alpaca yarns, which were later used for her Autumn/Winter 15 collection.

Passion for knitwear

Genevieve graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a Fashion, Knitting and Textiles degree.  During her course, she spent a year gaining experience at Marks & Spencer, New Look and Sophie Steller. Her graduate collection Shadow of a Doubt, inspired by Hitchcock films, was so impressive, that she was sponsored by the Hong Kong based yarn mill Novetex and invited to showcase the collection at SPINEXPO, the leading yarn and fibre trade show that takes place in Shanghai.

After graduating, Genevieve was freelancing with a number of luxury design houses, before moving to New York as a Knitwear Assistant for the award-winning brand Rag and Bone. Later, Hugo Boss found a role for Genevieve as a Creative Knitwear Developer for the company’s Sports Collection, Boss Green, which took her from New York to Lake Como, in Italy.

“This is where I learned how to program the machines and more about innovative knitting processes such as 3D Shima Simulation. Hugo Boss are very forward thinking with their knitwear, so it was great to be there and learn how to fully translate a sketch into a final product.”

Moving to Italy allowed Genevieve to build relationships with yarn mills and suppliers. Some of the mills that she worked with during her time in Italy continue to work with her today. Returning to London, she worked on a children’s collection for Burberry before moving to Lyle and Scott and deciding to start a business of her own. “I realised I had no experience in running a fashion business straight after university. I needed to learn how to go from sketch to production, so every job I’ve ever taken was quite strategic in order to specifically gain the necessary experience to get to where I am today.”

Creativity hub

Nottingham, where Genevieve learnt about fashion and knitwear, is known for its creative and innovative spirit. Last year, marking the Nottingham Trent University’s anniversary of 170 years of art and design, a major exhibition Knitting Nottingham was launched at the Bonington Gallery. Ever since 1589, when William Lee invented the knitting machine in Calverton, Nottinghamshire has been at the heart of global innovations in both knit design and technology.

Current research into the potential of knitting and knitted structures being developed at Nottingham Trent University was displayed, including work by academics Will Hurley and Catherine Challender. They have machine knitted a complex structure resembling the delicate individual bronchial tubes of a pair of lungs to demonstrate the creative possibilities of industrial machinery.

Nottingham Trent University was also selected as the only university from Europe in 2013 to participate in SPINEXPO. Students’ work from the university’s School of Art & Design was on display at an event that was attended by thousands of designers, buyers and decision makers from retailers, international brands and manufacturers.

Karine Van Tassel, founder and organiser of Spinexpo, said: “Our partnership with Nottingham Trent University has increased with mutual respect, as Spinexpo consider the university to be one of the best, worldwide. At the moment, England is the vanguard in terms of style and techniques, so we go for the crème de la crème.”

Further reading

www.genevievesweeney.com

Knitting Nottingham highlights city’s creative influence

Meet the Manufacturer partners with UKFT to launch ‘Meet the Buyer’ initiative

Industry event heralds the return of British fashion and textile manufacturing

www.thebordermill.co.uk