Beautifully British Made Limited Editions
Beautifully British Made Limited Editions
I design true limited editions. Every one of my hand-knitted ties and scarves is different from the next. Designed individually by me in London, the items are inspired by travels, conversations and textiles of wondrous colours. For my own designs I use beautiful, fine wool hand-dyed in small batches by artisan dyers in Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Italy and beyond.
I am fascinated by colour and texture and the way in which the two combine to unfurl and spill across the fabric of each stitch pattern. Since my very early childhood I have pored over fashion catalogues from the 1930s, and would carefully turn the fragile pages of my great-aunt’s knitting patterns that had been passed on to my mother.
People pick up my ties and spontaneously talk of their memories. One man spoke of being a small boy watching his father knot his knitted tie every morning, another of his grandfather wearing his knitted tie to his architect’s practice each day. A third told me how he had nervously approached an eminent professor in New York after spending the whole lecture looking at his knitted tie and complimented him on his neckwear. The professor took off his tie and gave it to the man as a gift and he has it still.
I am touched by how a simple, traditional craft and a clean, pure design can evoke such nostalgia in my customers. Each sale and each commission teaches me more about how my designs carry personal meaning for their purchasers and their wearers. They enjoy a nod to the past and invite a knowing glance from those who recognise the timelessness of good contemporary design.
All the production processes that make up my ties and scarves use traditional, heritage techniques – there are no short cuts here. Each skein of wool that I select is dyed in exquisite, saturated colours by the carefully selected studio dyers. No two skeins are the same, and each tie is unique.
I use this hand-dyed wool to create a beautifully crafted item whose distinctive loops and ridges of knitting combine with the rich colours of the wool to create texture and pattern. Each piece has its anomalies, its mark of being truly original and entirely hand made. A knobble here, an unexpected splash of colour there – these are items for elegant men who truly appreciate individual style. They are selected by those with flair and with an understanding of the value of natural materials worked over time into an original item.
The shop contains examples of the designs that are available to buy. If a tie that catches your eye has been sold, please get in touch as something similar may be in production.
Bespoke orders are welcome. A bespoke commission offers the opportunity of working with a designer to create jointly an individualised piece to complement every wardrobe. Please see the dedicated section on Bespoke Orders.