KNITTING MEMORIES | why knitwear

IN THIS SERIES, FOUNDER AND DESIGNER ANA DIARTE SHARES PERSONAL REFLECTIONS THAT SHAPE THE WORLD OF DIARTE, FROM ITS ORIGINS TO THE VALUES THAT CONTINUE TO DEFINE IT TODAY:

Basket filled with various colored yarn skeins on a wooden floor with a plain wall background.

EVEN AS A DESIGN STUDENT, I WAS ALWAYS DRAWN TO KNITWEAR OVER ANYTHING ELSE.

I LOVED THE IDEA OF DESIGNING THE FABRIC ITSELF, TURNING A SIMPLE THREAD INTO SOMETHING WITH TEXTURE AND VOLUME.

A woman seated at a sewing machine, viewed from behind, working on a textile project in a craft room with fabric swatches on the wall.

Dental probing tools and a plastic ruler on a textured surface.

Close-up of a knitted striped fabric with black, brown, and beige horizontal stripes.

KNITWEAR IS TECHNICAL BY NATURE; THE MACHINE MUST BE ABLE TO EXECUTE THE IDEA, AND THAT RATIONAL, PROBLEM-SOLVING SIDE OF THE PROCESS HAS ALWAYS FASCINATED ME.

I STILL KNIT SAMPLES BY HAND FOR OUR FACTORIES, AND WORK WITH THE KNITTING MACHINE I BOUGHT ON EBAY WHILE LIVING IN LONDON.

STAYING HANDS-ON KEEPS ME CONNECTED TO THE DESIGN PROCESS AND REMINDS ME WHY DIARTE EXISTS. IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT CREATING PRODUCTS, IT’S ABOUT MAINTAINING A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP WITH WHAT WE MAKE.

Person folding a green knit cardigan with buttons, laid on a white surface.

Person operating a home knitting machine with spools of yarn and knitting needles in the background.