Okay, this shit is real fucking crazy. The Business of Fashion has a piece on a company called Knyttan. The brand and its model essentially falls in line with the newest wave of customization, except this time for knits and sweaters.
We love customizing shit to our own tastes. I think we all do. But this really goes to the next level. Knyttan transforms the industrial machines that already make our sweaters (and 20% of the world's garments) into looms that can weave any pattern you'd like into your next sweater. Because these industrial machines are old school, bulky and difficult to run, most require a certain amount of pieces to be made on them per order to justify the cost. Hypothetically, Knyttan removes that minimum and brings a totally original design to a one-of-one item for the same cost as it would if a thousand of them were made.
Now, this isn't full, stitch by stitch customization by the customer, which could possibly be a turnoff for you, but the company offers a style guide that can be modified by the user. If you go to the website, you can move around a larger pattern to get the lines right where you want them. Christopher Raeburn showed off the design in his S/S 16 collection already and the brand has plans to get involved with plenty other big names. Knyttan would allow much easier customization for brands to provide exclusive designs to certain stores, which has become more and more popular. I know we can be pretty negative around these parts, but this has the makings of something pretty beautiful.
