winter in holland collection weaves intricate gradients of wool + cotton
photo © kiki reijners
all images courtesy of anouk van der laan

 

 

 

the first knits of ‘winter in holland’ were created in the living room of anouk van der laan. after completing her studies at the amsterdam fashion institute in 2012, she continued with her newly found company and developed these initial weavings into her first full collection. from its earliest beginnings, the pieces have focused on combining high quality yarns and handmade craftsmanship. anouk now spends her days knitting and designing, constantly influenced by her hometown and the world around her.

 


video courtesy of anouk van der laan

 

 

 

this series, launched in october 2014, is simply named ‘collection 2’. it includes scarves, cushions and throws and has been expanded to feature a room divider, a tapestry, and tea towels. ‘the expansion of products is intended to make winter in holland more accessible and simultaneously more design-oriented,’ notes van der laan.

anouk van der laan winter in holland gradients wool cotton designboom
plaid ‘moonrise’
photo © kiki reijners

 

 

 

taking what she learned from her previous experiments, anouk developed her ideas, and expanded the complexity of the process. the most important addition is that she now also dyes her virgin wool and cashwool in-house. this material is used in the ‘warm knit’ section of the series to provide softness and preserve the structure.

anouk van der laan winter in holland gradients wool cotton designboom
the virgin and cashwool wool are dyed in-house
photo © kiki reijners

 

 

 

the design process starts by developing a pattern for the items, creating the yarns as a grid that will repeat itself throughout. the use of basic shapes is meant to reveal the natural beauty of each thread.

anouk van der laan winter in holland gradients wool cotton designboom
basic shapes are meant to reveal the natural beauty of each thread
photo © kiki reijners

 

 

 

the driving force behind the work is a single idea: ‘a gradient is a silent clash between colors’. this follows the designer’s feeling towards the world around her, as she believes that it is becoming more relaxed and that people want to live at a slower pace. thus, the collection responds with combinations of bold colors and a white to black gradient that radiates calmness. over time, the fabric has the ability to adapt to its owner, growing longer and shaping itself depending on its use.

anouk van der laan winter in holland gradients wool cotton designboom
the fabric has the ability to adapt to its owner, growing longer and shaping itself depending on its use
photo © kiki reijners

 

 

 

approaching the designs of the towels, van der laan says, ‘the towel is still, despite the ubiquity of the dishwasher, a regularly used item in the kitchen. the increasingly common open plan kitchen offers us the opportunity to incorporate products that are both beautiful and useful. most importantly, a tea towel should dry well! often this is not the case.’ in response, she researched types of fabric and patterns to develop five hand-knit tea towels. they use pure, untreated cotton that enables the fiber to better absorb water.

anouk van der laan winter in holland gradients wool cotton designboom
pure, untreated cotton that enables the fiber to better absorb water
photo © kiki reijners

anouk van der laan winter in holland gradients wool cotton designboom
the designer believes that ‘a gradient is a silent clash between colors’
photo © kiki reijners

 

 

project info:

 

title: winter in holland, collection 2
designer: anouk van der laan
photography: kiki reijners
styling: anouk océanne
make-up: fleur rubingh
model: daniëlle siobhán mol

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.