Today, we are celebrating the second release of three mini-collections as part of this season’s Yarn Support Programme.
Verena Cohrs is a designer you might be very familiar with, having designed for Pom Pom Quarterly, Laine Magazine, Taproot Magazine and Making Stories Publications. She is also an alumnus of our previous round of the Yarn Support Programme. Her style is modern and minimalist: the kind of pieces you want to wear for a lifetime.
We are delighted to have Verena in our Yarn Support Programme again – this time, with an extra-special mini-collection. We interviewed Verena about the collection, her design philosophy and the values that shape all of the work she does.
An Interview with Knitwear Designer, Verena Cohrs
Hi Verena! Could you tell our readers a little more about yourself?
I live in Berlin, Germany, where I share my life with my husband, our friends and two cats.
After working in educational research for a while, my deep desire to contribute to a more sustainable, fair and eco-friendly everyday living ultimately led to founding my own business, Sustainablist (formerly The Wool Club) in 2016.
Treating everyone around us and the world we live in with respect is essential in everything I do, and I’m so grateful to be able to incorporate those core values into my work.
What is your design philosophy?
Like with everything else we do at Sustainablist, we hope to inspire others to embrace a sustainable lifestyle with our designs, too.
To us, sustainable making and design means aiming to create pieces that are a joy to knit, easy to wear and minimalist enough to be loved for a long, long time, carefully choosing the materials we work with, and supporting knitters in making the most out of our designs, e.g. including various options or instructions for customizing our patterns wherever possible.
It’s a beautiful, versatile collection. What inspired it?
COLOURS 2018 is centred around the idea of making our handmade wardrobes a little more colourful.
Given all the time, love and effort we put into making a piece of clothing with our own hands, choosing a neutral colour can easily feel like the best option because it promises versatility and many wears.
With this collection, we want to invite knitters to take a look at colours outside of what they’d usually go for and support them in making them blend into their wardrobes.
What is your favourite part of COLOURS 2018 and why?
I would have to say its playful, happy vibe! As someone with a tendency towards calm, neutral colours, I’m constantly amazed at the power of colour.
You designed this collection as part of our Yarn Support Programme. Which yarn did you work with?
Now where to begin with all those gorgeous yarns? If you want to go for a bold colour, you really want to use a great yarn.
For this collection, we used four of The Fibre Company’s wonderful bases: Acadia, Cumbria, Luma and Meadow. We wanted to showcase a variety of yarns with different characteristics and textures and honestly couldn’t pick a favourite if we had to!
What advice would you give to knitters wanting to knit a design from COLOURS 2018?
Allow yourself to get creative! All designs in the collection have been created to shine a spotlight on beautiful yarns in vibrant colours – all you need to do is pick a favourite and then enjoy your new knitting project!
And if you’re looking for a bit more help with choosing a colour or wearing a more colourful piece, we’ve included tips & tricks in the COLOURS 2018 eBook.
Thanks, Verena, for sharing more about COLOURS 2018. It’s a gorgeous collection and certainly inspires us to experiment with colour this year.
You can download any of the patterns in Verena’s latest collection in her COLOURS 2018 e-book. You can also follow her on Instagram to keep up with her latest designs and information on living a more sustainable life.
Details of your local or online The Fibre Co. stockist can also be found on our Stockists page.