Ally Bee makes scarves, gloves and armwarmers for men and women. They are made from wool from British alpacas and blue-faced Leicester sheep - grown, spun and knitted in the UK. I spoke to Alison Baker, whose passion for her products and for ethical, sustainable production comes across very clearly on her website at Ally Bee. Read the interview below.
GF: Tell us something about your business and how long you've been going?
AB: Ally Bee Knitwear produces collections for men and women using natural fibre yarns grown, spun and knitted in Great Britain. The first Ally Bee collection was launched in October 2014. This was the culmination of nearly two years researching and testing British alpaca and wool yarns and making connections with suppliers who helped turn the concept into a reality. Alpaca yarns in the collection are spun in a small spinning mill in Dorset from the annual clip from flocks reared in the region. A small supply of Bluefaced Leicester yarn is sourced from Yorkshire. Ally Bee collections are designed in London and crafted in a small knitwear factory in Hawick in the Scottish Borders, mostly on manually operated knitwear machines machines - the ‘old school’ way, continuing a long heritage of skilled knitwear manufacturing.
GF: What is your background and why did you end up in the luxury knitwear market?
AB: My background is in the law, so setting up a fashion label was a leap of faith, into the unknown. Several years back law [training] contracts were a bit hard to come by and I took an opportunity to sell alpaca knitwear for a Peruvian company. I was no good at this at all - but it gave me the simple idea to develop a small, high-end knitwear collection from the fleece of the alpacas reared in the UK. When I discovered both the quality and sustainability of this local fibre, my idea quickly turned into a passion and that is when my real journey into fashion began.
I saw British alpaca’s potential as an alternative to the imported cashmere and merino fibre so ubiquitous across the spectrum of knitwear. All British - from fleece to fine finish - is a natural alternative, there are zero-airmiles in production, it supports skilled local production and the UK’s fine heritage of knitwear manufacturing.
GF: What influences the designs of your knitwear?
AB: When I design the Ally Bee collection with my knitwear designer we seek to develop pieces that are beautiful, understated and useful. I am influenced by a need for comfort, practicality and longevity in what I make. The alpaca arm warmers, for example, are very soft but remarkably durable - they make a great glove for cycling in all weathers, and seem to get softer with each wash. I design with timeless style in mind because I want Ally Bee to be worn often, and well beyond one season. The natural, undyed colour shades possible with alpaca fits perfectly with this notion and I do not want to be constantly chasing seasonal colour trends. I am firmly of the opinion that we should buy well, and buy less.
GF: How do you see that the menswear and womenswear collections will develop in future?
AB: I see both the men's and women's collection evolving rather than radically altering each season. Menswear launched this season with as a small accessories line and I am currently sampling a mens alpaca sweater in several colourways for next Autumn/Winter to build on this, along with several scarves to add to the collection. The styles most popular with my customers will continue, adding a colourway or tweaking a design element each season.
I love working with alpaca yarn in knitwear - despite it being technical and requiring time, patience and love in yarn production and knitwear sampling. For the timebeing there will be only Autumn/Winter collections in mens and womenswear but I have launched a homewares line recently and this will be perennial. Knitwear and the idea of ‘slow’ fashion marry well!
In the future I am also open to design and marketing collaborations on alpaca knitwear collections with other designers and brands who share a similar design and sustainability ethos.
NOTE: Ally Bee's photoshoot above also used products from surf and outdoor brand, Finisterre, who also use British-produced yarns for some of their products. See, for example, their Bowmont jumper here.
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