Rowan Magazine 80 — Design That Doesn't Date

In March, Whitney and I were at H+H Cologne to see the new yarns and garments for fall, which was still quite a ways off. Rowan always has one of the biggest booths, and they're one of my biggest accounts, so I always like to stop there first and say hi to everyone and see what's new. We usually hit the rack of samples to try things on so we can show you how they look and feel and move in real life on real people. I put a bunch of the pictures we took into this week's video, so you can finally have a look — we can't share what we see in March until September.

Anyway, there was this cute little pullover in Felted Tweed that Whitney and I just loved. It was a little small for me, but super cute. Trisha laughed and said, "You know that's not a new design — it's from years ago, but we reknit it in Felted Tweed and brought it back for the 40th anniversary issue."  

I didn't think it looked old or dated, but I'm old and dated, so I asked Whitney, who's the definition of young and hip. She thought it was cute too.

 And I started thinking about what this said about Rowan and why it mattered.

Most yarn companies fill a pattern book with just enough patterns to sell the yarn. Rowan has never worked that way. From early on they went after real, established knitwear designers -- Kaffe Fassett, Sasha Kagan, Marie Wallin, and others who already had a point of view before Rowan ever called them. They hired real photographers and models, shot in historic homes and specific, gorgeous places, brought in stylists who understood mood, not just draping fabric on a body. You can feel it on every page of the magazine, from their very first one to the one that came out this month.

Magazine 80 is Rowan's 40th anniversary issue. Forty years is long enough to go through several generations of designers. Sasha Kagan and Louisa Harding gave way, over time, to Martin Storey and Lisa Richardson, the steady hands whose work you recognize before you check the name. Kaffe Fassett is a different story -- he's been part of Rowan from the very beginning, and forty years on he's still there, an icon with a retrospective of his knitwear and quilts at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Now there's a newer group coming in -- Galina Carroll, Georgia Farrell, and others -- with their own eye on the page. The names keep changing, but the timelessness of the styles does not.

A garment that still looks right after ten years is rare, because most collections are built to move fast and get replaced. Rowan's pieces weren't built that way. They were built as design first, the way a good dress or a good piece of furniture is made to outlast the year it was bought.

I've always said that flipping through a Rowan magazine feels like paging through a European fashion magazine. The lighting, the locations, a model standing in the doorway of some old stone house like she's always lived there. It's selling you a life, and it's very good at it. I've told knitters before not to fall for the photograph over their own actual Tuesday, and I still believe that. But if the garment does work for you, and there are plenty that will, don't hesitate to put the time and expense into knitting it, because it will be so much more than a one-and-done. With quality yarn and the timeless design that is Rowan's forte, you will likely enjoy that garment for more years than you imagine. I have sweaters from more than a decade ago that I still love. And that's what knitting is about for me -- investing in a curated wardrobe that fits your body as well as your personal style, and that you'll love for decades.

Warmly,
Ellen

We have kits ready, including the Lilas Cardigan in Fine Tweed Haze. You'll love it this season and the next ten.