Eyes on the wool

Julia Crew wears hand muff from The Nepal Collection. Photograph: Hackney Citizen

The fashion world may have had all eyes on Spring/Summer ’12 collections over recent months, but the realities of winter are finally approaching and the chunky knits that adorned last season’s catwalk suddenly make a whole lot of sense. From oversized sweaters to pompoms and snoods, the East End offers its very own array of woollen wonders. High-end to market traders, this is the Hackney guide to yarn.

Knitwear went tribal in the Autumn / Winter  ’11 shows, thanks to Jenny Postle’s graduate collection, which saw a mélange of tasseled, patchwork, Aztec knitwear grace the runway. The Central St Martins graduate, based in Hackney, created outfits that combined mesh with patches of chunky yarn, both baring skin and concealing it.

The garments, and their four-digit price tags, might not have been the most practical approach to knitwear but it made for some great inspiration. The designer embraced autumn with ocher hues and layers of fabric- facets that could translate off the catwalk. Head to Our Patterned Hand sewing shop on Broadway Market for pompom trim and Japanese denim swatches.

East End designer and don of knitwear Mark Fast notoriously keeps his knits urban with revealing cutout patterns and shredded fabrics. AW ‘11 was no exception: ruched and pleated oversize cardigans made waves amongst the front row.

The Von Sono knitwear label is one of the most exciting and elusive to emerge from East London. This season Von Sono, aka Stephanie Oberg, created zip-up knitted bomber jackets, available at Goodhood store in Hoxton. The German designer, with some humour, reinvented last year’s beloved snood into a snoot- a bandana-shaped knitted scarf. Von Sono’s timeless garments, referencing the draping of Junya Watanabe and ranging from the mid to high-end price bracket, are a worthy investment.

Thanks to the steadfast seventies trend, capes and ponchos can be spotted all over the East End and make for a simple and effective statement. The recently-opened shop Beyond Retro in Dalston has an eclectic range; choose bold colours or chunky patterns to avoid blob-ishness. For more throwback pieces, the vintage stalls on Broadway, Netil and Chatsworth road markets are worth rifling.

Here Today Here Tomorrow near Dalston Junction is a trove of sustainable knitwear and beautiful pompom hats. The shop-come-studio makes, showcases and sells ethically produced pieces with a focus on craftsmanship, the use of natural dyes and organic materials. These designers and makers are producing beautiful and well-made pieces, disproving the presumption that ‘sustainable’ equates to saggy hemp-wear.

The Nepal Collection – a collaboration between the HTHT designers, Nepalese craftsmen and the Association for Craft Producers –  has resulted in a range of brilliantly snug hand-muffs and hats in striking reds and blues.

The craftsmanship of knitwear can be found in many imaginative forms across the borough, leaving behind its association with twee and the childhood memories of itchy woollen atrocities. From the beautiful and complex designs of the East End’s newest stars to the vintage finds in Hackney’s many markets, all the woollen wonders you might want or need are right here.