HANNAH JENKINSON KNITWEAR

Guest blog post

Hannah Jenkinson Knitwear, or HJK, uses knitting, hand-embroidery, and crochet. Collections are heavily inspired by the process of making and an innate love for the textile development process, following each idea through multiple experiments. The silhouette references today’s modern uniform of the casual sweatshirt, reformulated using labour-intensive, luxurious techniques. Everything is designed and developed in the studio in Southern California and made to order by a skilled team of specialists.

Collection 2 - now available through the website - was initially inspired by the technique of cross-stitch, and old embroidery lettering samplers. Realising that a modern interpretation of traditional techniques could be achieved by playing with size and scale, Hannah followed many experiments of material combinations and stitches. Old images of the San Francisco earthquakes of 1906 and 1989 were also an inspiration, of deconstruction, fragility, and the visible grids of disheveled building structures. Materials include luxurious Italian yarns of brushed Wool, cashmere blends, and contrasting optic-white Nylon; reflecting the juxtaposition of old and new, natural and technological, traditional and modern.

Hannah hails from a small village in the north of England and learnt to knit, crochet and embroider from her Grandmothers. Her professional career has taken her around the world, currently living in Southern California by way of New York, after showing at New York Fashion Week as part of her MFA in Fashion Design and Society from Parsons.

HJK - Hannah Jenkinson Knitwear - was born from a skilled knowledge of the textile development process, in combination with a love of a clean, modern aesthetic. HJK looks forward to some exciting collaborations in the new year, and is currently developing the next collection for Fall 17 which will be shown during fashion week by appointment only in her New York showroom.