Scottish Designers Part 2: Eribé Knitwear Uses Color and Technology to Make Something Old New Again

How many times have you watched a Merchant Ivory film and marveled at the glorious Victorian tweeds and wools worn by the English aristocracy, as well as other characters in those films.  These films have helped us Yanks fall in love with comfy wool sweaters and scarves with Nordic designs and fisherman patterns.

Well, that British tradition of great wools and knitwear has carried over into the 21^st Century.  For over two decades, Scottish knitwear brand Eribé has advanced the art of Scottish knitwear by infusing new technologies and a wide palette of colors and hues not normally seen in traditional Scottish patterns and shapes. “We have been inspired by the British heritage of patterns that have been used in knitwear and sweaters in the British Isles for centuries. We’ve looked at all these traditional patterns and symbolic images that are indigenous to our culture and found a way to modernize these looks and stay on trend,” says founder and creative director Rosemary Eribé. “We do carry over traditional herringbone and fisherman patterns, but we have added explosions of color that you wouldn’t normally see with these patterns. By incorporating these new colors, we been able to add a youthful appeal to these traditional looks that hadn’t existed before.”

Rosemary Eribé’s love for Scotland and her campaign for the preservation of authentic Scottish products have caused her to make significant inroads in fashion communities in Japan and Germany that love traditional Scottish knitwear. “Germany and Japan are some of our biggest buyers. They love the feel of the wool and they love all the color that we have added. The Japanese in particular love our traditional designs and patterns and the luxuriousness of our cashmere,” details Rosemary.

While Eribé is a beloved brand in Great Britain, Japan and Germany, the brand has had to come up with some new strategies for the American market. “We have had to work closely with our markets because each market has a specific taste and point of view. Japan is more traditional, while the American market is much more commercial, so we’ve had to use more color and not as many patterns weaved together,” explains Rosemary.

Another one of those strategies is incorporating new technologies into their textile design. “We have carefully examined the use of technology and how necessary it is to fuse fashion with how people work and coexist.  That said; we have come up with gloves that you can wear while you are working on your I-Pad or laptop. I-Pads and laptops are sensitive to human touch and the resistance between gloves and these devices prevents the user from working properly. Through our research we have weaved tiny fragments of metal in the tips of the gloves, so that you can work on your IPad or laptop while you have your gloves on.”

Eribé has also been involved in sustaining local communities in and around Scotland by employing local herdsmen to supply the raw material for its products. “We have eliminated a lot of the middle men and started to buy directly from the Scottish farmers and sheepherders, so that the locals get more of the profit. We are trying to get more involved in supporting economies and spreading the wealth, so to speak,” explains Rosemary.

Marketing strategies and advancements in technologies aside, the real proof of the brand is in the quality and market viability of the product. In its fall/winter 2012 capsule collection, Eribe has married style, authenticity and functionality as seen through the prism of elegant silhouettes and lavish textures.

Proof confirmed!!

—William Gooch