fashion – KDD & Co

All dressed in yellow

how our attitudes to colour are bound up with the stories we tell ourselves

sock of the week no.12

creative and industrious stocking knitting men

sock of the week: no.10

the “everlasting stocking knitters” of Wales

Natalie Warner

Introducing a talented designer and her fascinating professional journey

make / mend: Collingwood-Norris

Kate talks to Flora Collingwood-Norris about mending, Scottish islands, and how colour makes you feel

I’ve a long-held fascination with late eighteenth-century hot air balloons and ballooning. In fact, I’ve even knitted an eighteenth-century balloon (in a square of our International Women’s Day blanket, which references the Montgolfier balloon that appears in the final lines of Anna Laetitia Barbauld’s brilliant poem, Washing Day) In the past few weeks, my historic…

ReJean Denim

One of the things I’ve been really struck by, as I reach the end of the process of writing our People Make Glasgow book, is just how many thriving enterprises in this city are led by brilliant young women. I’ve found learning more about the innovative work of makers, artist and designers like Rachel E…

Coracle

I’m really excited to reveal something which has been a long time in development and of which all of us at KDD are really proud – Coracle. Before I became a manufacturer of yarn and knitwear I was a consumer of both these things. And, as a consumer, I often found myself deeply troubled by…

return to the water

By: Kate Davies Designs September 8, 2016March 5, 2018

stroke, swimmingAnnette Kellerman, disability, fashion, feminism, Gertrude Ederle, Jantzen, olympic swimming, recovery, stroke, swim, swimming, swimwear, women86 Comments

Prior to my stroke, I was an enthusiastic swimmer. I found swimming both invigorating and relaxing: a great form of exercise and a useful way to wind down when I was busy and stressed out at work. My body and balance changed radically following my stroke, but I’ve attempted (and enjoyed) the occasional swim, mostly…

Journal des Dames et des Modes

By: Kate Davies Designs April 30, 2016April 30, 2016

clothing, fashion, Historydress, fashion, fashion history, haps, History, history of dress, images, journal des dames et des modes, shawls, textile history48 Comments

Over the past few months, while working on the project that has now become The Book of Haps, I’ve examined countless images of wrappable textiles. I’ve encountered many ways to wear such textiles, and also reflected on the many different contexts for their wearing. Some of these groups of images were very useful for me,…

La Mode Ecossaise

By: Kate Davies Designs April 14, 2016April 14, 2016

fashion, Scotland, textileseccosais, fashion, fashion illustration, fashion magazines, France, french fashion, illustration, plaid, Scotland, scottishness, tartan38 Comments

I am deep in research and writing at the moment, and thought I’d keep bringing you some of my incidental finds and thoughts as I come across them. Searching through online images of French fashion magazines from the first few decades of the last century (as one does) recently, I came across several references to…

A busy week

It has been an incredibly busy week here! As you might imagine, the imminent arrival of Buachaille means we have a lot to do, and I am hard at work creating a small collection of designs to accompany the yarn’s release (only a few weeks to go!) Then my friend and colleague, Jen, came to…

Sonia Delaunay: the dress of the future

Sonia Delaunay Rythme (1938) I don’t know about you, but I am extremely excited about Tate Modern’s Sonia Delaunay retrospective, which opens in a couple of months. I’ve long had a thing for Delaunay’s work, but have never had the opportunity to see much of her work in person, particularly her textiles. I wrote an…

not a onesie?

By: Kate Davies Designs September 2, 2013September 2, 2013

clothing, costume, fashionall-in-ones, boiler suits, clothing, costume, decorating, dress, fashion, LHD marine supplies, moving, onesies, renovating108 Comments

I purchased this boiler suit from LHD Marine supplies in Lerwick a while ago and have been wearing it pretty much constantly for the past three weeks. We have not had a washing machine; I have been spending most of my time decorating, and for both reasons it has formed a useful uniform. For some…