Simply Knitting - UK (2020-01)

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F

ormanyyearstherehasbeenanongoing

debateaboutthelackofdiversity,

representationandracismintheknitting

andcrochetcommunity.Thisconversation

reacheda crescendoonInstagramin 2018 with

peopleofcolour(POC)sharingtheirindividual,

oftenpainfulexperiencesofracism and exclusion

withinthecraftingworld.

Withtheseissuesfinallybeingopenlydiscussed

somemembersofthecommunitybeganasking yarn

companiestoadoptanti-racistpractices

inordertobringaboutchangesto

makethecommunitymoreinclusive.

Somethinglastingandpositive.One

startingpointinvolvedexploringwhich

knitandcrochetdesignerspeoplewere

following.Anotherwaslookingatwhowas

beingfeaturedinmagazinesandpatterns.

Wastherediversityintherangeofmodels

anddesigners?Manywereopentotheideaofbeingmoreinclusive

intermsofwhotheywerefollowingbutfoundit wasn’talwayseasy

tointentionallysupportcraftersordesignerswhoareBIPOC(black,

indigenousandpeopleofcolour).Peopleoftenuseemojisorpictures

ofyarnintheirsocialmediaprofileswhichmeansthesecouldn’tbe

reliedonforclues,whilstothersprefernottobeclassifiedpurely by

their ethnicity – something that is entirely their right to do.

Bethechangeyouwanttosee

BlackknitweardesignerJeanetteSloandecidedto

tacklethisunder-representationbycreatingthe

POCDesignersandCrafterslistandpostingit

onherblog.Shewaspropelledintoactionafter

speakingtomewhileI wasstudyingforanMAin

KnittedTextilesatLondon’sRoyalCollegeofArt.

I waslookingforblackknitweardesignerswhilst

researchingformyMAdissertation‘Myth:Black

People Don’t Knit’butdidn’tknowofany.InfactwhenI

asked,evenmytutorstoldmetheonly

onetheycouldnamewasJeanette.

Flabbergastedthatshewas‘theonly

one’Jeanettedida calloutonInstagram

tofindotherblackdesignersandthe

responsewasamazing.Aswellasreplies

namingblackknitweardesignersshe

receivedcommentsfromothercrafters

andotherethnicities(amongthem

someofAsianheritage) saying how they also felt invisible and

underrepresented.

Realisinghowmanypeopleofdierentandmixedheritages

weren’tbeingrepresentedinthewidercraftingcommunityJeanette

begantocuratethosenamesshe’dbeengivenbycreatingthe

POCDesigners&CraftersList.Whathadstartedasa searchfor

knitwear designers broadened to multidisciplinary designer-makers,

LornaHamilton-Brownexplainshowa simplelistonblack

knitweardesignerJeanetteSloan'sblogbecamea vitalresource

for BIPOC representation in the knitting community...

matters

Reresentatio

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JeanetteSloan,designer

and founder of BIPOC in Fibre