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For this International Women’s Day, I’d like to celebrate the skills of the women who knitted the original Norfolk Gansey jumpers by sharing their story with you. 

Little is known about the lives of the Norfolk fishermen, even less about the women who knitted their jumpers. No one really knows why the Ganseys jumpers became such an important part of the Norfolk finishing communities in the 19^th century, but they developed within the large fishing families of Sheringham, Caister and Winterton, with each clan inventing their own version. Family seems to have been an important factor and the women were the matriarchs of the family who held the purse strings and kept everyone in tow. 

I know that several of the women would get together to knit them ganseys… you see if an older woman like my grandmother … she would teach them the way she was doing it… they all got together and the older women taught the younger women so they taught them their way.

Hazel Chaney in conversation with Martin Warren. 

The patterns were rarely written down, probably because they could knit better than they could write. Certainly, there are no original patterns left today. Like recipes and songs, they were learnt through doing. 

I’ve noticed through reading the transcripts of interviews with the knitters, transcribed by the curator of the local museum in the 1980’s, that some families had very strict rules about the patterns with every man requiring an identical knit, perhaps to show they were part of the clan with a reluctance to stand out from the crowd. However, other knitters did have more creative freedom adapting stitches that they saw other people wearing and incorporating them into their own patterns: 

“They used to make lovely ganseys and she used to go and look at the patterns from the “fishergirls” and she used to look at photographs, old photographs. Sometimes she would draw a pattern out.” 

Hazel Chaney in conversation with Martin Warren. 

Fishergirls knitting courtessy of the Knitwear and Crochet Guild / sampler of Norfolk Gansey stitches. 

The “fisher girls” were Scottish women and girls who would travel around the British coast line in the early oart of the 20^th Century processing the herring which were caught by the trawler boats. They worked outside on the sea front in all weather, gutting and packing the fish into wooden barrels. The women would knit Ganseys whilst they waited for the fishing boats to come in.  

Great craftsmanship always comes with an enormous sense of pride. When you see these Gasnseys in photograohs or in real life, you can appreciate the skill and expertise that went into creating them. They have a timeless quality that has stood the test of time. 

“… you know what the older people were in those days, whatever they did they did well. It didn’t matter whether she was baking cakes or knitting ganseys or singing in the Chapel Choir, she did it well.” 

Hazel Chaney in conversation with Martin Warren. 

@piagrace wears the Esther scarf with the “Craske” Gansey in Heather Pink / flat images of the “Esther” scarf, back in stock this week in Oatmeal and Heather Pink. 

Every piece in the Charl collection is named after a fisherman or a Gansey knitter. I like to try and find out as much as I can about each character. Esther Nurse was one of the most talented knitters in Sheringham, she knitted for her brothers, husband and sons. She knitted some of the finest, most detailed jumpers, one of which still exists to this day and is held in the collections of the Sheringham Museum (“The Mo”). 

Sally Middleton outside her cottage / the “Middleton” nautical knit in Navy with Cream stripes. 

Sally Middleton was another great Gansey knitter; she is pictured here in her cottage garden wearing her version of a Gansey adapted for herself. It’s a knitted gilet with a front opening and buttons, completely different in shape to a Gansey, but it incorporates some of the same stitches. This is the only known version of a Gansey designed for a woman. 

To find out more please head over to my Journal page and read the article about Women and Knitting https://charlknitwear.wpenginepowered.com/journal/women-and-knitting 

I’ve long been fascinated by the history of the Breton stripe with its multitude connotations. I was delighted to find this image of a “French Onion Seller” taken by Olive Edis in the early part of the 20^th Century (courtesy of Norfolk Museums Service). The stripes worn by the Breton onion sellers tended to be narrower than the stripe on my Chibbles knit. They look closer to the stripes on Coco Chanel’s classic Breton jersey seen in the image above, which feels like a natural progression towards springtime and lighter days.

Meet “Johnny” the new Charl Breton stripe which has been inspired by this piece of history. With a pretty, open crew neck, parallel sleeves and a narrower stripe, this is the new springtime version of my best selling Chibbles Breton knit.

“Johnny” has the same body shape as the Chibbles, because this is such a flattering silhouette for so many women and can be worn tucked in or left loose. It comes in 3 sizes: XS/S, M and L so that XS/S fits a UK size 8-10, the M fits a 10-12 and the L fits a 12-14 with the option to size up if you prefer a slouchy fit.

“Johnny” is knitted in the same certified British Wool as the other wool pieces in my collection (it’s always a good idea to have a wool jumper to hand until at least the end of April in the UK). A blend of the bouncy Masham and lustrous Bluefaced Leicester fleeces which are both British breeds of sheep. This mix creates a lovely light silhouette in my bespoke True Navy Blue colour and the natural undyed Cream, whilst remaining soft to the touch,

I’ve been trying to find out more about the enigmatic character of the “Onion Seller” in this picture by Olive Edis as he doesn’t feature in any of the books on her work. At last, I discovered that “French Onion Johnnies” as the onion sellers were known, were French farmers and agricultural workers crossed the channel from Brittany on small boats and travelled round the country on bicycles selling their distinctly coloured “pink” onions. Dressed in a striped Breton shirt and beret, and riding a bicycle strung with onions, they became the stereotypical image of a Frenchman. In many cases he was probably the only French man most British people would meet.

The trade is said to have begin in 1828 where the sellers first made the crossing from Roscoff in Brittany. The British market was said to be more profitable than selling in France and actually, the journey was easier than travelling by road to Paris at that time. It would’ve been a hard life with the onion sellers staying in the UK from July until January.

By the end of the Second World War, the industry fell into decline due to heavy importation taxes on many goods being transported from Europe into the UK.

In Roscoff there is still an annual Fête de l’Oignon (Onion Festival) every summer and an “Onion Johnny museum”.

I love the expression “everything has its season” and for wool this most definitely means the Autumn, which is currently being celebrated throughout this month in Wool Week  Campaign for Wool and British Wool. After an unbearably hot summer, I think most of us were ready to welcome the Autumn, I know I certainly was. So, last month, just as the days were getting cooler, I headed up to Yorkshire to visit some of the sheep whose fleeces are used to produce the wool in my collection.

The sheep (Yorkshire Dales)
There is a real pride that the farmers feel for their flocks up here and you can understand why. Bred for their fleeces, every care is taken for the sheep’s wellbeing, they run free up on the Yorkshire moors in the freshest of air, just as they have done for centuries. Indeed, the methods the farmers use have been passed down from generation to generation. The ewes lamb outside in the fields and often have a favourite spot which they go to each year, where they feel most comfortable.
When I visited father and daughter John and Christina’s flock of Masham ewes and lambs, their coats were glistening and bouncing in the bright sunshine. You can see, even when the wool is on the sheep, that their fleeces are lovely and bouncy, creating a lightweight, but very warm wool.

The sorting (British Wool Depot, Bradford, Yorkshire)

This is where my wool officially begins its traceability journey; most of the fleeces that go into my yarn come from Yorkshire and flocks like John and Christina’s who hand deliver their fleeces (packaged into bails and sewn up by hand, as in the picture above) to the British Wool Depot in Bradford. From here, the bails are carefully marked by Dean and the team so that they can be traced back to the farmer whose sheep the fleeces came from, and who can then be paid the correct amount when the wool is sold at auction. British wool is like a co-operative, owned and funded by the sheep farmers, for the farmers so that, by pooling resources, the farmers can get a better and fairer price for their wool whilst it is expertly sorted and regulated for quality. 
The fleeces are then sorted and graded by hand, by highly skilled graders who divide it by type (Fine, Medium, Cross, Lustre, Hill or Mountain, see image below) and staple (length) and quality. It is then sorted into skeps (the blue buckets that hold the wool) according to the type of fleece and its quality. This ensures that only the finest quality of Masham and Bluefaced Leicester wool is selected from the highest-grade fleeces for my yarn.  Each skep is given an additional code which remains with the bail throughout the grading. 

Once the bails have been sorted, graded, and packaged up the wool merchants buy the wool and get it scoured and combed to be produced into silky wool top, ready for my spinning mill (Laxtons) to use. 

The scouring (Bradford, Yorkshire)

Because Yorkshire has always been a centre for wool in Britain, all of the accompanying industries, such as spinning and scouring, have traditionally been located close by. The scourers where my wool is cleaned is literally down the road from the depot where the wool has been delivered. The scourers are called Haworth and were founded in 1966. They are one of the largest, modern and environmentally responsible wool scourers in the world and one of only two in the UK. Rob is the Production Manager at Haworth and his job is to devise the “recipes” used for blending each particular batch of wool. He told me that wool from all over the world is cleaned here but they begin each week with the British wool! All the water used in the facility is recycled ensuring that the process is as environmentally responsible as possible and although it looks like a lot of water, this is only a fraction of the water used to clean and produce most other textiles. 

The wool goes through a rigorous process of being washed and re-washed at varying temperatures, gradually removing the dirt that the sheep have accumulated throughout the year, not to mention bits of rope, metal and thorns which all get tangled in their fleece!

The Combing (Bradford, Yorkshire).

The last part of the scouring process is the combing which is where the wool is combed into skeins in order to be spun at the mill. You can see in the pictures above, how the natural Oatmeal yarn, used in my Harrison and Craske styles  becomes a beautiful heathered colour from the mottled fleeces it originates from.
I have often wished that the pride in local craftsmanship and sense of tradition I experienced in Italy (when I lived there) might be found in the industries we have created here in the UK. I am so pleased to be able to say that I really did see this pride whilst visiting the wool industry in Yorkshire. From the sheep farmers’ love and deep understanding of their flocks, the highly skilled graders at the wool depot, to the scourers and combers with their secret recipes for blending and cleaning the wool. 
In my next newsletter and Journal entry, I will be taking you on the second part of my wool’s journey to the century old mill who create innovative new blends using increasingly sustainable and traceable methods and the dye house where my bespoke “True Navy” colour is created. Every single part of this process is carried out with a sense of pride in place, tradition and in the end product.

The Craske and Harrison Ganseys and the Charlie scarf are all knitted in Nottinghamshire meaning that the cycle once the fleece has been delivered to British Wool, until the knits are delivered to my studio in Warwickshire, all happens in under 125 miles!

I wanted to tell you the story behind the new Mellis cardigan knitted in GOTS certified organic cotton, the final piece of knitwear to slot into the Charl cotton collection.

I’ve always been fascinated by the work of the St Ives group of artists which included Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, so when I discovered the work of Margaret Mellis whilst studying for an MA at the Sainsbury Centre, UEA, Norwich, I was intrigued to discover that she had been part of this group too, before relocating to Southwold in later years.

What initially attracted me to her work was her sense of colour; she created collages out of driftwood which she found on the beach, rescuing them from” the obscurity of neglect” and repurposing them through art.

“Mellis encourages us to see the commonplace “found object” in a bright new light,” 

 Mel Goodling. Margaret Mellis A Life in Colour.”

I felt an instant connection to her work because in my own way, this is what I set out to do in my reinterpretations of the Norfolk Gansey knits.

My particular inspiration for this cardigan is her 1952-4 Blue Lighthouse painting above. I love the intensity of layering blue on blue interrupted by clean white stripes. The Mellis cardigan comes in Navy Blue, Cobalt Blue and a classic Navy stripe on a Chalk/White base in response to this painting.

The Mellis cardigan also incorporates elements of the Norfolk Gansey jumpers in the “Herringbone” stitch detail above the cuffs and hem. Herring fishing has been a big influence on the collection so far, and is also featured (using different stitch techniques) on the West Gansey and the Hardingham scarf. Herring fishing was the main source of income for The Norfolk fishermen during the first half of the 20^th century before the fish mysteriously migrated to new waters leaving the fishermen to fish mainly for crabs, lobsters and whelks (which they still do to this day).

The fit of the Mellis cardigan is slightly longer and less boxy than on the Codling cardigan, with a deeper arm hole and wider sleeve to incorporate pretty blouses or dresses worn underneath. Designed to be the perfect cover up over a floaty and possibly semi opaque dress as it hides the bottom and adds an element of slouch to what might otherwise be quite a formal outfit. The Mellis is equally at home over a T shirt and shorts for a trip to the coast or better still – on board a boat.

Made from the finest 100% GOTS certified organic Peruvian Pima cotton in a chunky fisherman’s rib, the Mellis will see you through the last days of summer and well into the autumn. In fact, I predict you’ll be wearing the Navy version all through the winter too!

For more information on the organic cotton used in my collection please head over to the sustainability page on my website and scroll down to the “100% Cotton” section.

In the fist of a series of insights into the stories which inspire my collection – Charl Knitwear, I’d like to share the conversation I had with The Female Fisherman – Ashley Mullenger with you.

If you’ve been receiving my newsletters or reading my Journal entries for a while now, you will know that I’m fascinated by stories; whether this be the stories of the original Ganseys in museum archives or piecing together the lives of the fishermen who wore them, mine is not a collection that pays lip service.

One of the founding intentions behind my collection was to share the craftsmanship that was born out of these extremely proud fishing communities along the Norfolk coast, because theirs is a heritage that deserves to be cherished and preserved for future generations. It is the identity of a people that will be lost if there’s nobody to share it with.

Last month the Harbour Master at Well-Next-the-Sea, Robert Smith MBE invited me to photograph the Charl collection (including new additions) in situ – where the original Gansey jumpers were knitted and worn. This was an absolute privilege and gave me the opportunity to experience how it might have felt to be a fisherman off the Norfolk Coast at the mercy of the infamous tides. We filmed on various craft including vintage Life Boats and traditional fishing boats with the Norfolk “ribbed” hulls – one of which, the “Lucy Lavers” a beautiful wooden boat, answered the call to Dunkirk and rescued soldiers off the beach during the II World War.

Robert also took us onboard a working fishing boat – the “Fair Lass” owned by real life female fisherman Ashley Mullenger (@thefemalefisherman). I was so excited to hear that female fishermen exist and that fishing is not just the realm of men as it has been in the past. When I returned home, I arranged to talk to her her to find out what it is really like to be one of the few fisherwomen in the British Isles and what drew her to such a demanding profession in the first place.

To me, as I imagine for most people, fishing as a career is an elusive, slightly daunting occupation. How could you ever fully grasp the pattern of the tides, know exactly where to set the crab pots, or how to handle the boat in stormy weather, not to mention being prepared to go out at all times of day and night and in all weather conditions.
What Ashley described, reminded me of the words Julia Blackburn wrote when re-imagining the thoughts and life of John Craske (a Norfolk fisherman and artist) in her book “Threads – The Delicate Life of John Craske”. Ashley explained that the feeling of freedom and tranquillity that she experiences when out at sea is so strong, that it draws her back time and again:

“The minute I chuck my pots out I think – right I’m there now… it doesn’t matter what’s going on dry land, you leave it behind and live in the moment, just you, your boat and the sea.” I imagine that not much has changed in this respect from when my fishermen were out at sea a century ago.

I wondered why it was so unusual for a woman to go out sea fishing. Ashley told me that initially she had been worried that hauling in the pots might be too physical, but that in practice with a crew of two (herself and her skipper Nigel) this is not the case. She also reminded me that traditionally women were considered bad luck on board fishing boats. Since starting her social media page @thefemalefisherman, Ashley said that at least least 95% of the comments she gets are extremely positive and encouraging.

      Ella wearing the Middleton knit onboard “The Fair Lass”

Ashley’s boat “The Fair Lass” is a beauty – a gritty, oily functional fishing boat that began its life in the Outer Hebrides, when Ashley first brought it back to Wells, it was not easy navigating the choppy North Sea waters. She explained to me that there is a partnership between a fisherman and his or her boat – “it needs you and you need it”. She admitted that on occasion, she even talks to it, especially when it’s not behaving!

“Boats like these aren’t pressed out of a mould, they’re built by hand, and you have an emotional connection with them. A fisherman can never leave their boat – they always need to go back and check on them, see if they’re OK, you can’t survive without each other.”

Not surprisingly, Ashley is also passionate about supporting the British seafood industry and she told me that shamefully 80% of all British seafood is exported. The truth is that the British public are so used to buying pre-prepared, easy to cook, cod and haddock that we are reluctant to try our native catches. Norfolk fishermen fish for whelks, crabs, lobsters and sometimes mackerel which are cheap, healthy and have a low carbon footprint.

After our chat, I was keen to ask Ashley how to prepare some of her catch. She recommended her recipe for crab dip which is on the Great British Food Awards website.
https://www.greatbritishfoodawards.com/recipes/easy-crab-dip
 
From my research and talking to Ashley, I now understand that being a fisherman or woman is more of a way of life than a job. Those who choose it, do so because they love being out at sea in the fresh air and the sense of space and tranquillity that this provides. Fishing is not an easy way of life, but the rewards are immeasurable – a completely different life to working in an office from 9 to 5.

I admire Ashley and her fellow fishermen and women, for following their intuition and choosing a profession that fulfils their need for fresh air and freedom (words often used by Robert Smith to describe this way of life) . I am also glad to see that Ashley is proudly lighting the way for other female fishermen to follow in her steps and that she has encountered such support from within and outside the industry.
If you’d like to find out more about Ashley and her day-to-day experiences as a fisherman, you can follower her on Instagram @thefemalefisherman.

If you’d like to find out more about Wells, the location of our photoshoot, its history and stories, I recommend reading “Crossing the Bar” by Robert Smith MBE Harbour Master;
https://seabreezes.co.im/shop/crossing-the-bar/    

The Chibbles knit in the new Navy stripe colourway available to buy now

Washing and caring for your knitwear

As the sun is getting increasingly warmer and the days longer, it’s so nice to be able to dry washing outside again. Nothing beats the smell of naturally dried laundry!

Although if I’m honest I don’t love housework, I do really enjoy doing the washing, especially hanging it out as this gives me a moment of peace and reflection in the fresh air; a break in a busy day.

Washing knitwear can be confusing and off putting as some garments might have “machine washable” labels; this is because some specially treated or synthetic yarns might not shrink or become misshapen in the washing machine. I would honestly say though – after many years of experience and quite a few mishaps, that it is far safer to wash by hand as you can see if the wool is beginning to felt and you can quickly change the temperature of the water or dilute the soap accordingly.

This doesn’t mean hours of washing and drying by hand, and it can also be a pleasurable experience, thanks to artisan cleaning brands like Norfolk Natural Living https://www.norfolknaturalliving.com/ who make their beautifully perfumed wool and silk wash, fabric softener, hand creams and perfumes locally from 100% natural ingredients! My favourites are their Norfolk Lavender Wool and Silk Wash, their Costal Walks Fabric Conditioner and their Wild Fig Hand Cream (to nourish your hands after the washing!)

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If you have time, you could also make your own wool wash and fabric softeners by following the 100% natural recipes in Jen Chillingsworth’s book “Clean Green” which puts to excellent use the gorgeous herbs and flowers that you might be growing from seed this year. (If you’re anything like me you’ll be having a go!)

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So, I would suggest giving your woollen hats, scarves or jumpers a freshen up this weekend so that you can either put them away to store or keep fresh for al fresco socializing over the coming weeks after all: “Cast not a clout until May is Out;” an old English saying that my mother and grandmother used to swear by reminding you to keep your warm clothes handy until the end of May!

It’s also worth remembering that you don’t have to wash the WHOLE garment, you could spot wash certain areas like the neck if it has make-up marks on it, or the cuffs if they’re beginning to look grubby. Natural fibres like wool, cashmere and alpaca have natural anti-bacterial and odour absorbing qualities which mean that they don’t need to be washed as frequently as cotton or synthetic fibres. This is also great for the environment as it will reduce your water consumption. I would advise hanging your knitwear on a hanger to air after wearing and spot wash where necessary, then wash the whole garment when it’s warm enough outside to let it drip dry (laid flat on a clothes airer for heavier items to avoid misshaping) before you put them away for the summer.

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So, to wash, run a sink of luke (hand) warm water and pour in a little wool wash, swirl the water to dilute the soap then add your woollens, or dip in the area that you want to clean. Leave to soak for 5 minutes (time for a cup of tea!) then gently rub the areas that are dirty. If you have a particularly stubborn stain you could squeeze a small amount of wool and silk wash onto the area, add water and rub a little more, then squeeze out loosely and change the water to clean water, swill the knits around and drain squeezing gently again to avoid misshaping or twisting the seams. You could rinse again using fabric softener if you’d like to soften your knits, I would do this by adding some of the softener to the sink of luke war water again and soaking the knits for another 5 minutes before rinsing in clean water and hanging out to drip dry on a clothes airer.( I tend to move the position of the knit once it is drying to avoid getting any lines on it from where it has been hanging over a rail.)

Once the garment is dry or almost dry you can turn it inside out and steam iron on a medium heat ensuring that you have positioned the garment so that the side seams are lying flat, then you can gently ease it back into shape.

Store all knitwear folded so that it doesn’t stretch on the hanger and if you are putting it away for the season, store in an airtight bag with some anti moth sachets – I particularly like a brand called “Colibri” which uses natural aromas to deter moths and they smell beautiful.

If you have any particular questions, please email me directly at frankie@charlknitwear.co.uk and I will do my best to help!

Well, it’s April and we’ve already had a mini heatwave! But today it looks like the traditional April showers that we’ve come to expect from this month are back!

It’s a funny in-between month – we are all so ready to pack away the dark winter clothes and dig out the lighter, airier spring versions, but it’s still a little bit early. It does pay to have an “in-between” rail of clothes for just now so that you can be ready for the sun, but not get caught out if the weather turns. A cardigan is essential, and our Codling and Rook versions are perfect to wear over pretty spring blouses – even those puffy sleeved ones that are usually so awkward to tuck inside sleeves.

Behind the scenes, I feel a bit like a gardener, busily sowing the seeds of new designs and waiting for them to pop up! I’m working on some new spring shapes and colours including some fun stripes that recall the Edwardian seaside era – more of this to come…

This month, here at Charl Knitwear we’re still happily collaborating with Wardrobe Icons on our Icons Exclusive Chibbles nautically striped knit (WardrobeIcons) which is the perfect piece for a British weekend getaway!
We are also joining the new all British Brand online department store which went live today! BritYard

Back to this weekend, I hope you’ve got something fun planned? – whatever the weather? Mine is bound to involve chocolate and egg hunts in our new (very wild) garden! I’m gradually building up to getting some chickens – we’ve inherited a hen house from the previous owner so there’s no excuses, and I love the idea of collecting up real eggs! It reminds me of one of my favourite childhood poems.

The Little Black Hen

“The Little Black Hen said,
“What will you pay,
If I lay you an egg
For Easter Day?…
I’ll show you the nettle-place
On my leg,
If you’ll lay me a great big
Eastery egg.”

A.A. Milne The Christopher Robin Verse Book.

Happy Easter! x

Welcome to our March journal entry!

What a busy few weeks it’s been! Back at the end of February we launched an exciting new collaboration with uber stylish Wardrobe Icons  website where our Chibbles nautically striped knit became their very fist “exclusive” (if you haven’t done so already, you can pre-order your jumper there now) . Then almost two weeks ago, we packaged up our house and moved from our lovely Georgian town house in the centre of Kenilworth to an equally gorgeous converted barn in the Warwickshire countryside! Now all I can see are fields out of my window and soon, the sheep and lambs will be out in the fields again…

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March for me is when Springtime really arrives; lambing has begun, the primroses and daffodils are gradually coming into bloom and the joyful mimosa buds which hail the arrival of International Women’s Day are in season. I’m rather embarrassed to admit that I didn’t really know about International Women’s Day until I moved to Italy where it is fiercely celebrated and sprigs of mimosa are on sale at all the pavement flowers stalls.

I’m a second generation feminist, in the sense that feminist values were instilled in me by my mum, (I had an enviable reading list!) but I’ve never really had to fight the cause myself. However, I strongly believe that it is vital to celebrate the women who have managed to carve out successful careers, following their dreams, in an environment which must have been challenging, whilst encouraging and supporting those around them to grow with them.

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Franca Patumi, the owner and founder of the small knitting factory who knit half of my collection in Perugia, Italy, is one such person. Whenever I call or visit her factory I am warmly greeted by her personally, she has a very close knit team of women who work alongside her, including her daughter and sisters. There’s a real sense of camaraderie in her “maglificio” everyone is passionate about what they do and you can feel the pride they take in their work. They are a joy and inspiration to work with, which is why, for International Women’s Day 2021, I asked Franca to share her story with us, I hope you enjoy the interview:

Frankie: How did you begin working in the knitwear sector?

Franca: As a little girl, I was always inspired by my own mother who created the knitwear for Luisa Spagnoli who was one of the greatest Italian female icons of the fashion and textiles industries, she was famous the world over and had a huge influence on the city of Perugia. Around this time, I began working for a famous local knitwear factory. A few years later, I decided that the time had come to “fly with my own wings” and I opened the knitting factory that I still own and manage today.

Frankie: Has the factory always been family run?

Franca: Exactly. It’s an all female knitting factory and every one of us has their own role tom play in the continual growth of the business.

Frankie: Who was your role model – the person who inspired you the most in your career?

Franca: The person who inspired me the most was definitely Luisa Spagnoli, for her entrepreneurial talent, and my own mother for the level of commitment she dedicated to her work. In addition, both of these ladies felt passionately about the work that they produced. This for me has always provided a guide on how to carry out my daily work.

Frankie: How did you go about choosing your team?

Franca: The first requirement that I look for daily in each person I work with is their own sense of passion for and pride in their work…if above all else, this is seen as a pleasure, then the hours spent at work are never tiring.

Frankie: Where does the strength and determination to manage your own business come from?

Franca: In tracing the journey of the thread and in the knowledge needed to turn this into a finished garment; there is an immense sense of satisfaction in being able to do this, which drives and motivates me to try out new ideas, developments and technologies.

Frankie: What are the challenges, raising a family and a fashion business at the same time?

Franca: Organization is definitely the key to find the right balance between home life and work. But when your family perceives and understands the passion you have for your work, they will support you in your choices and spur you on to achieve your goals.

Frankie: What would you do differently if you had to choose your career again?

Franca: I honestly cannot imagine choosing a different career path… I like exterior design, being surrounded by nature, agriculture and cooking, I would probably choose one of these.

Frankie: How important is it to you to pass on your knowledge of knitwear manufacture to the next generation?

Franca: It’s extremely important to understand how to make something from scratch, for this very reason, I’m trying to pass this knowledge on in a school environment, in order to be able to give young people the chance to begin to undertake this career from a very young age, just as I did.

If you’d like to read the original transcript in Italian, please email me and I will send you a copy…

Franca and her team

Hello, and welcome to my mid –February Journal Entry.

As Charl enters into its second year, I’ve been looking back at the core values of my collection, following the advice of expert gardeners and ensuring the roots are still strong in order to cultivate new growth! At the same time, I thought it would be interesting for my new subscribers to gain an insight into the collection and the motivation behind it…

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Earlier this month on Facebook and Instagram,  I remembered my first visit to the archives at Cromer Museum where I discovered their collection of Gansey jumpers for the first time. Then last week I was invited to talk at the prestigious Bradford Textile Society’s panel discussion on “Wool for the 21^st Century”, both of which brought me back to the core values embedded in the collection.
For those of you who didn’t get to join us last Tuesday evening, here’s a copy of what I talked about. The full event and discussion will soon be available on the Bradford Textile Society’s website – I’ll let you know when it’s ready to watch!

I’d like to share with you some of the content from the talk I gave as I hope it will tell you a bit more about the story behind my knitwear, and my motivation for bringing it to life!

I’ve been working as a knitwear designer in the fashion industry since I graduated from Kingston University more than 20 years ago.

I immediately began working in Italy, firstly in Milan and then in Treviso for the Benetton Group, where I became the knitwear designer for their Sisley collection. This was a great time to work for the brand as they still produced all of their knitwear in Italy, down the road from the design studios. I learnt so much from the yarn technicians, machine programmers and knitting technicians that has provided me with invaluable hands-on knowledge for the whole of my career.

After Benetton I moved to back to London, to work for Burberry as the Senior Knitwear Designer for their Women’s main line collection. This again was a great time to be at the company whilst it was transitioning from a small heritage British clothing company into a global brand. Since the birth of my two children, I’ve been consulting for smaller British labels, mainly Studio Nicholson and 2 years ago I began working on my own collection.

I have become increasingly aware of the impact fashion and clothing has on the planet, animal welfare and garment workers, especially after working in the industry and reading Lucy Siegle’s book “To Die For – Is Fashion Wearing Out the World” and Stacey Dooley’s TV documentaries on the subject.

At the time when I started working on my collection, I felt that most fashion brands were not seriously addressing this issue, so I felt compelled to create my own collection showing that it IS possible to create a sustainable and largely traceable knitwear collection. This is a work in progress because not all elements are as sustainable as I would like them to be, for example, I would like to use plant based dyes across the whole collection, but these are currently only available in certain yarns. But as with any supply chain, you keep pushing the boundaries and eventually I’ll get there!

I chose British WOOL for my collection, because it is a fibre that we have in abundance in this country, and which is being chronically underutilized. Not to mention its endless benefits, more of which are being discovered every year. In my opinion it is the most sustainable natural fibre, it’s completely biodegradable, regulates body temperature and it’s antibacterial to mention just a few of its attributes, but you can find out much more on the British Wool website https://www.britishwool.org.uk/did-you-know.

In my career I have been lucky to work for brands who can afford to use 100% wool in its various forms; from Geelong for colourful argyles and stripes, merino for next to skin softness and drape, to tweedy, more textured yarns for heavier knits and outerwear pieces. Wool is not cheap, but the benefits of using it from a designer’s perspective are endless: it is far more durable than synthetic fibres, maintaining its shape and form after multiple washes, it does not fade or become shapeless and it can be dyed or over dyed into an endless assortment of colours.

As a designer working to tight fashion calendars, it was always difficult to find the time to carry out in-depth studies of the yarns I selected. Designers often rely on what is being proposed by the mills each season and they don’t always have the same eco agenda as you. However, the textile industry is now responding to consumer demand for more ecological, sustainable and recycled fibres so more of these options are available. It is still a challenge though, to convince people to buy fewer products of better quality, as they will ultimately last longer, look better over time and most importantly be better for our environment.

Working with a local yarn like British wool, means that its carbon footprint is greatly reduced. The wool in my collection goes on far fewer and much shorter journeys than say, cotton or manmade fibres and it is much easier to monitor because it is certified by British wool and bears their crook logo of approval.

We are becoming increasingly discerning about the provenance of what we buy – certainly in food, we’re asking where it comes from, how it has been treated and how far it has been transported, and this is spreading into the clothing industry.

The Olive and George collection from my own Charl Knitwear takes its inspiration from the heritage craftsmanship and stitches of the Norfolk fishermen’s Gansey jumpers, near where I grew up. These were worn by the fishermen during the second half of the 19^th and first half of the 20^th centuries, before the wide use of manmade technical fibres were adopted for outerwear. I wanted to create a collection which celebrated the importance of their legacy and craftsmanship, making it more visible to more people through a more modern interpretation of fit and shape, better suited to our clothing requirements in the 21^st century.

The original Ganseys were knitted in a Yorkshire worsted yarn and I wanted to get as close to this wool as possible because it is perfect for re-creating the iconic stitches that were knitted into these pieces. Wool’s natural elasticity, lustre and evenness make these stitches stand out creating almost sculptural fabrics and silhouettes.

I found that using the Sheepsoft wool from Laxtons Mill, near Shipley, I was able to create machine knitted stitches that were really sculptural and three dimensional without being heavy, or dense. The garments have a hand knitted feel to them, like the original Ganseys, which is exactly what I was aiming for, as this is the antithesis of fast fashion and mass production. I worked extensively with my knitwear factories in London and Perugia, Italy to get the correct tension, wash and handle for the yarn which varies between colours.  This is all part of the challenge when creating a modern, collection which incorporates style, sustainability and heritage whilst feeling thoroughly resolved when worn.

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I set out to preserve and make the most of this centuries old  natural resource (the wool) in my collection, whilst creating garments that have a real cultural significance, story and sense of style to them. They are not just another jumper to be discarded after a couple of years, but instead, I hope they will become wardrobe favourites, cherished and passed down through generations like special clothes used to be in the past.

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