Recently opening its first UK-based retail space, Italian fashion brand Artknit Studios continues to champion Italian artisanal craft. Roddy Clarke speaks to the brand’s founder, Alessandro Lovisetto.
Courtesy of Artknit Studios, The Italian luxury knitwear brand Artknit Studios has opened its first pop-up in London, taking residence in Chelsea for the next six months
Words by Roddy Clarke
‘I founded Artknit Studios with a simple ambition: to preserve the excellence of Italian craftsmanship while reimagining how luxury knitwear can be made and consumed in a more conscious, transparent and meaningful way,’ says Alessandro Lovisetto, founder of the Italian fashion label. Now, seven years on from the brand’s inception, Artknit is celebrating the opening of its first pop-up store in London; a move that Lovisetto states is a ‘meaningful step’ for the brand. Taking residence in Chelsea for a minimum of six months, the newly opened store offers visitors the chance to immerse themselves in the heritage of Italian textiles while witnessing Artknit’s contemporary interpretation of a sector steeped in tradition.
Courtesy of Artknit Studios, The brand’s founder, Alessandro Lovisetto, founded the brand with a passion to connect a global audience to local knitwear artisans across Italy
In harnessing the skillsets of local micro-manufacturing companies, Lovisetto says it was his entrepreneurial mindset that recognised a unique opportunity to bring together local knitwear artisans with a modern, sustainable direct-to-consumer business model. ‘My journey has always lived at the intersection of tradition and innovation,’ he explains. ‘After studying at ESCP and working in digital businesses, I felt a strong pull to return to my roots in Biella, the heart of Italy’s textile heritage. I had carried a dream with me for years, to build something of my own that could honour my territory and the craftsmanship I grew up surrounded by.’
Now boasting a wide range of designs from jackets and sweaters to trousers and even swimwear, the B-Corp accredited company has three permanent stores in Milan, Rome and Paris. Opening the doors to its London pop-up last month, Lovisetto says the response so far has been rewarding. ‘London is a city that deeply values craftsmanship, quality and understated elegance,’ he says, ‘and these are the values that define Artknit. It’s been rewarding to see such genuine appreciation for our materials, our approach and our makers.’
Courtesy of Artknit Studios, The Chelsea based pop-up invites visitors to immerse themselves in Italian craft and celebrate a slow-life mentality where materiality and making is championed
Working with small artisanal workshops all over Italy, Artknit openly shares the details of its manufacturing partners offering full traceability for each product. While this transparent approach is sadly still a rarity in the fashion world, it is part of the foundation of Artknit where values of circularity and responsibility are embedded from the outset. Also working with finest natural fibres, Lovisetto says these values are deeply woven into how the brand imagines fashion. ‘We commit to producing fewer pieces, in small batches, made from durable, natural and biodegradable fibres,’ he reveals. ‘We trace our entire supply chain in a short, transparent way so that our customers genuinely know where their pieces come from.’
Added to this, Artknit offers an in-house repair program, helping to extend the life of every garment. Customers have the option to send pieces back to the brand, where its makers can repair or recondition them depending on what is required. ‘That way, we reduce waste, encourage reuse and celebrate the idea that garments are made to last,’ he continues. ‘For us, circularity means more than recycling. It’s about designing for longevity and respect: for people, for materials and for the planet.’
Courtesy of Artknit Studios, In openly sharing the details of each maker, the brand hopes to reconnect consumers with the creativity and craft behind the fashion world
In sharing the human story behind each woven piece, Lovisetto hopes it can create a deeper bond between the maker and the wearer; a connection that has been lost with the influx of fast fashion over the last few decades. ‘Our artisans are not just collaborators,’ he says, ‘they are keepers of generational knowledge. They know the heritage better than anyone. Our role is different. It is to connect that heritage with the world. We don’t take their work for granted, nor do we claim as ours what has been built through decades, sometimes centuries, of skill, patience and pride.’
It is this considered, conscious creativity that Lovisetto hopes visitors to the London store will catch a glimpse of. ‘I hope they feel a sense of calm and connection,’ he states. ‘They can touch the yarn, understand the craftsmanship, and meet the spirit of our Italian makers. We want the space to feel like a home, which is why visitors are welcome to sit down, have a coffee and take their time. More than just discovering a product, they become part of our community, where design, tradition and sustainability quietly come together.’
Courtesy of Artknit Studios, Visitors to its London pop-up are invited to sit down, have a coffee and truly connect with the brand and its ethos
While sustainability has become an overused term in the fashion world, Artknit’s honest and transparent approach exudes hope and stimulus in showcasing how to create with true integrity and intention. Its direct-to-consumer model also allows the company to offer high-quality, natural fibres at a fairer price with a focus placed on certified materials, responsible productions and small-batch manufacturing. ‘We believe transparency is the real foundation of sustainability,’ Lovisetto concludes. ‘We don’t chase fast cycles. We celebrate longevity, human connection, humility and the craft behind each garment, because none of it would exist without the hands that make it.’
Courtesy of Artknit Studios, In witnessing the conscious mindset of the brand, hopefully this pop-up can inspire others to follow suit in opting for transparency and circularity as core brand values
With the London opening an exciting step in bringing Artknit to a global audience, it is also a positive example of how to embrace a slow-life mentality, connected to the materials and makers that handcraft the things we love. In rebuilding this intrinsic emotional connection between such artisanal heritage with a new wave of conscious consumers, hopefully it can inspire other brands, not only in the fashion world, to follow suit, sparking a realisation that buying less but buying better is critical in our fight for a fairer and greener future.
Artknit Studios will be resident in London for the next six months at 165 Draycott Avenue, SW3 3AJ.
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