The Dutch brand Knit-ted began selling fashionable, timeless sweaters and cardigans over 14 years ago. Over the years, T-shirts, dresses, blouses and trousers were added at customer request. Now the brand is launching a new product line called ‘Replika’. FashionUnited met founder Petra Stapper for a virtual coffee.
“Where should I start,” laughs Stapper, “there’s a lot going on. We have more and more branches, the collections are expanding and the showroom is getting a new look.” Stapper founded Knit-ted in 2009, when her daughter was born. “Her name is basically included in the brand name.” Pure coincidence, says the founder. “I started a knitting brand and soon knew that ‘Knit’ had to be in the brand name. And ‘Knit’ became ‘Knitted’. I thought: Hey, it ends in ‘Ted’, my daughter’s name is Teddie. That was at the top, but it happened naturally, and so the birth of my daughter also became the birth of Knit-ted.”
Knit-ted is growing in Europe
Knit-ted has established itself strongly on the Dutch map over the years and today has around 150 points of sale. The fashion brand is also represented outside the Dutch borders: Knit-ted has three agents in Germany, one agent in Austria and is represented with several stores in Ireland and Norway. “We also do business in Belgium. We are growing very strongly in Europe. For example, we already have lines to establish ourselves in the Scandinavian countries and we find Switzerland very interesting. I think we fit in perfectly there in terms of feeling and style level. Canada is also on the list.”
At Knit-ted, retailers with multiple stores and an independent boutique are treated equally. However, care is taken to ensure that the brand portfolio and the look of the store are correct. “We have a certain level that we aim for. The price, for example, plays a role. You don’t want to be the most expensive, but you don’t want to be the cheapest either. Our sales team is constantly researching who suits us best.” Stapper says they are always looking for new points of sale, including in the Netherlands. “We haven’t reached our upper limit here yet. In addition, Germany and Austria are an enormous growth market for us. We discovered that in the last few years.”
Knit-ted lanceert ‘faux leather’-lijn replica
Although Knit-ted is a knitwear brand, Stapper admits, Knit-ted is no longer a pure knitwear brand. For years, the Dutch fashion brand has sold every piece of clothing that completes a woman’s wardrobe, from pants to jackets to tops and skirts. To mark the path to a complete fashion brand, Knit-ted is now launching its sub-line: Replika – a range of seven trousers made of faux leather. “It complements our current range, with which we want to signal that we are increasingly becoming a complete fashion brand.”
The new line currently includes seven different pant styles, including a straight-leg style, skinny pants, tapered pants, flared pants, jogger-style pants and biker pants. “The trouser models will change every year. For example, we have two new models for FW24: five-pocket trousers and a clean kick-flare model.” Some models will receive an upgrade, others will remain unchanged. As for colors, black, beige and chocolate brown are the basics. “There will always be seasonal colors that fit into the current collection,” says Stapper. At the moment Replika only has a fall/winter collection. “But,” says Stapper hopefully, “we are currently thinking about how we can expand the replica into a summer collection.” The prices for the collection are between 129 and 169 euros.
“The pants are made of 60 percent polyurethane and 40 percent viscose,” explains the founder. For the replica line, Stapper was looking for a material that retained the robust dullness of leather while being comfortable to wear. “The viscose is mainly on the inside and allows the pants to breathe a little. The pants are also very comfortable thanks to their elasticity.”
Knit-ted has a “no-harm” policy. “This means that we ensure that all animal materials come from sources that meet the highest possible animal welfare standards. This is also the reason why we deliberately do not use real leather.” Stapper certainly sees this as a challenge. Because what exactly is sustainability? “We choose qualities that are high quality. We work with certified manufacturers and our garments last a long time, that’s what sustainability means to us.”
This translated article previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl