We know naff Christmas jumpers have pretty much had their day, but trust us come January stylish winter knit will continue to reign as wardrobe staple. And there's two girls leading the movement for cool knitwear - meet Sam Leutton and Jenny Postle, best mates and designing buddies behind knitwear brand Leutton Postle.
The pair have taken on the fashion world with their craft-led collections and amazing attention to detail. Since graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2005, their designshave been seen in the pages Vogue, i-D, and Nylon and worn by Lady Gaga, Bjork and blogging guru Susie Bubble. And this season they’ve even teamed up with Kopparberg (yep, the cider brand) to create a luxurious knitted jumper. We caught up with the pair to chat all things knit...
**The Debrief: So how did you two meet? **
Jenny Postle: On Foundation at Central saint Martins when we were 18.
**DB: What were your first impressions? **
JP: Well, weirdly we didn't really hang out at all that first year. So Sam was just someone else in the class! It wasn't until we moved onto our BA that we hit it off.
Sam Leutton: Jenny talked about Wolverhampton… A lot. That’s where she’s from, if she hasn’t already told you.
DB: So when did you start Leutton Postle?
JP: After our BA I did my MA and Sam went to work in China for 6 months. When she came back I was just finishing and she actually helped knit quite a lot of the final garments. When I decided to give the label it a go it just felt like a really natural progression.
SL: We had similar aesthetics in our work and were friends so it was kind of natural.
DB: What's it like working as a designing pair?
SL: It’s so great always having someone to bounce your ideas off
**DB: Tell us what's the brand all about? **
JP: We’re very much about pattern and colour and texture and playing with the relationship between those things
SL: I’d say it’s to not take yourself to seriously and have a laugh!
**DB: Can you describe your designs in 5 words? **
SL: Loud, Playful, Fun, Colourful, Feminine
**DB: How do you work as a pair? **
JP: Our studio is in Manor House. When designing and planning we usually just throw ideas around until something sticks. If we disagree we tend argue it out and usually whoever is more passionate wins!
DB: What was it like seeing Lady Gaga or Bjork wearing your work?
SL: Bjork was a real high point for us too and so flattering that she wanted to buy our work.
JP: Really weird. Especially if you just come across it on the Mail Online as we did!
DB: And what was the process to creating the Kopparberg jumper?
JP: We’ve never done a corporate collaboration before and it’s something I’ve really really enjoyed. It’s great to sometimes take yourself out of your work slightly and helps you to see things in a different light. We travelled to Kopparberg and really just took everything in. It was an amazing experience.
**DB: Finally any advice for novices wanting to start to knit? **
JP: Have patience!!!!!!
SL: And be prepared for your back probably always aching!
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.