Knitwear

It’s nearly been a year since I graduated, I remember the stress and the sleepless night watching Six Feet Under but also the excitement I was going through this time last year.

Janet Prescott reports Filo in Milan showed a strong design direction for 2014/15, reflecting the desire of the trade to move ahead to more positive economic circumstances. There was little optimism about the present climate, beset in the week of Filo by serious problems in Cyprus, but rather a wry acknowledgement among the exhibitors and buyers that business was still being done , with some spinners servicing the very top end stating that business was better than satisfactory.

The 21st edition of Spinexpo, the international fair for fibres, yarns and knitwear held in Shanghai’s World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center from 12-14 March, exhibited an unprecedented level of energy, sophistication, and satisfaction on the part of the visitors as well as the exhibitors, according to organisers.

As we all know, crafts have seen a huge revival in the past few years. Old, forgotten and dying skills are being taught again and many people have started making and selling their work. Websites like Etsy, where small designers or hobbyists can set up an online shop and display their creations have become very popular.

I have found it really challenging in the past few months to sit down and work on something new: as I have been freelancing for a few companies the time I spend designing is usually devoted to work.

The Dornbirn-Man-Made Fibers Congress (MFC), the leading conference for the man-made fibres industry, will take place for the 52nd time in Dornbirn, Austria from 11-13 September 2013, where over 100 papers will address key industry issues under the banner - ‘Communicating the Future of Man-Made Fibers’.

Scotland's oldest continually operating knitwear mill is to close, with the loss of more than 30 jobs after liquidators KPMG say the have attempted to find a buyer but no interest was expressed.

Caerlee Mills Ltd, the company which runs Scotland’s oldest continually operating knitwear mill has gone into provisional liquidation after a drop in orders has left the company in financial difficulty.

Lenzing has succeeded in achieving the second best business result in its history in the 2012 financial year in spite of difficult market conditions in its core fibre business. The Austrian company’s Annual Report published today says that this can be attributed to new record fibre sales volumes and good performance of its specialty Tencel fibre. Readers can download the full Lenzing Group Annual Report 2012 at the foot of this article.

I discovered Rebel Yuths almost by accident as I was browsing online. Nigerian born Damier Johnson, the creative mind behind the label, moved to Italy when he was 18 with his family. I searched the Internet for as much information about the label as I could, and eventually I managed to track down Damier himself on facebook, who agreed to answer a few question for me.