Behind the Brand: The Knotty Ones
Just like us, The Knotty Ones was founded by best friends with a shared passion for sustainable design. Read on to find out more about our newest knitwear brand..
FOUNDED BY THREE BEST FRIENDS
Dorm rooms, travels, sweaters: Akvilė, Danutė and Sandra have shared them all. Three Lithuanian natives with a penchant for sustainable fashion, they met back in 2011 at grad school and have been inseparable ever since. Growing up in Lithuania comes with a few certainties: being dressed head to toe in knits made by our grandmas and aunties and spending summers outdoors in forests, lakes and meadows. We're seriously proud of our Baltic heritage and the traditions passed down by our ancestors. That freedom-filled, wild-spirited energy? That’s what you’ll find here, in clothes form. Pieces that represent our heritage with inspiration drawn from our Pagan roots.
CLOSE-KNIT SISTERHOOD
We call ourselves a close-knit sisterhood and that's not just a play on words. Currently, we employ just over 70 female artisans who live in rural Lithuania. As you might expect, jobs here are scarce - let alone those that pay a living wage. By working with female knitters in these parts of Lithuania, we’re providing financial independence for more women and a voice in their families and communities.
As well as working with independently employed female artisans, we also work with a few partner factories, run by highly talented women with a passion for all things yarn-based. Everyone works 'normal' Monday to Friday hours: the factories close on Friday and don't reopen until Monday. Weekends off, living wages and safe working conditions are non-negotiables here.
TONED-DOWN SHADES, DIALED-UP DESIGNS
We design timeless pieces inspired by our Baltic heritage that'll last you season after season, year after year. Most of our inspiration comes from our surroundings: the crashing waves of the Baltic Sea, the dark, inky skies of our winter nights, the long blades of grass and colourful blooming flowers in meadows throughout the country. If we spent days and weeks exploring it as kids in Lithuania, it’s probably something we’ve infused into a knit design.
But we also like to mix the old and the new, by incorporating our favourite elements of free spirited pagan mythology, something that’s been celebrated in our region for centuries. All of our knits are founded on the tradition of functional design, while being stylish enough that there’s a good chance you might accidentally match with your closest friend.
ALL NATURALE AND NOT ASHAMED OF THAT
All of our yarns are biodegradable and we’re totally plastic free: even down to our buttons and compostable packaging. We work with ethical suppliers from around the world who source only natural, the highest quality, cruelty-free yarns, like local family-run wool farms.
And we’re big on things like cotton or wool quality. We use only OEKO-TEX® non-toxic certified dyes and also work with a number of local artists who specialise in hand-dyeing with natural herbs.
Our knits are always produced in small batches which, sure, means less profit for us but ensures we never have leftovers. We only make what we know we’ll sell.
