The Alchemy of a Thread

I learnt to knit, sew and embroider from my mother and grandmothers from when I was about 5 years old, living in a little village in the north of England. I loved making things, and was enraptured with the process of getting my brain and little hands around how to twist the yarn around needles to make knots and loops, and somehow with that repetitive motion it turns into a fabric, and a thing you can wear. A seed was planted, and then once I went to University to study Fashion Textiles my love of knitting became what I dedicated my work to. 

The alchemical process of turning a thread into fabric, and that fabric into a design you can wear to make you feel something - warm, cosy, loved, connected, will never cease to intrigue me. 

My career has taken me all over the world! From London to New York where I studied at Parsons doing an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Fashion Design, to Los Angeles working for other fashion brands, and now to Peru where I founded HJK. I learnt a lot while working for other companies, how I wanted to do things, and not do things. 

The missions I laid out for HJK when we first began were to be as sustainable as we could possibly be; using only 100% natural and biodegradable materials, bringing work to local women and workshops, making things in batch productions that ensured we wasted nothing. As well as designing things that were timeless, crafted and that you wanted to pick up day after day to feel cosy, comforted, warm and yourself. And once they have been worn to death can be literally put in the compost to go back full circle to the earth from whence they came. 

Following this thread of my life, from the ‘Peak District’ of the UK to the Peaks of the Andes has brought me so much I could never have imagined. A deeper connection to the earth, the people, the materials and fibers and how we all impact each other, something that is sometimes hard to get a tangible grasp of when living in the western world. 

But everyday we take another step to grow with the knowledge that in doing what we do, we can change people’s lives for the better, as well as create beautiful things in connection with our ecosystem of people, products and Pachamama. 

Thank you for being here.

We wouldn't be here without you. 

Hannah