Di Gilpin is a renowned knitwear designer who believes in pushing the boundaries of hand knitting. Two aspects that influence Di’s work are nature and tradition, being inspired by her surroundings and community wherever she lives. She is also passionate about sharing the knowledge and craft of knitting, seeing collaborations as the link to creating a more sustainable future for the industry.Di works with a number of fashion designers who give her the space to innovate and design remarkable pieces.

Le Chameau caught up with Di Gilpin in her studio in Scotland to hear more about nature influencing her work, reviving classic designs like the Gansey – which you’ll be able to spot in our SS26 Campaign–and her favourite spots to explore in her Le Chameau.

Inspired by the natural world   

Di grew up in East Yorkshire, living what she describes as, “a very feral childhood”. With her dog following, Di would ride her pony for “miles and miles and miles” along the drove roads and bridle paths that snaked across the county. She says, “I'd be out all day, and I'd come back really late at night when it was dark, but nobody seemed to worry, which was great. I've always had this kind of adventuring spirit in me, wanting to really find out the place that I lived in.”  

Di’s journey into knitting started when she moved in her very early 20s to the Isle of Skye, where she fell in love with the island’s landscape and wildlife.   

“I remember walking all the time, up and down the small hills, the coastline, hopping to and from the little islands. I would do lots of different adventures, take a boat out to swim, locate really remote spots and go up the Cuillin Mountains, collecting a lot of my own food. When my son, Robbie, was a small child, we would head to the beach and collect winkles to have with garlic butter. It was a special time and place indeed.” 

Di Gilpin’s choice of Le Chameau is Vierzonord in Iconic Green.

Di has always been into natural dying using plants gathered on her walks, spinning her own yarn from fleeces that people have given her, and taking old jumpers apart and finding out how they'd been made and then remaking them in a slightly more modern contemporary way, so that the essence of them was still there but they were new and different.   

“I've always had a thing, I suppose, about reinventing the wheel in my work. For me, I find it completely satisfying to take a traditional pattern, like the Gansey jumper style and design it for our modern day. I love knitting so much, and I want it not to be a heritage craft that slowly dies away but see it as a modern dynamic art form that young people will take up and enjoy. I mean, what’s more joyous than actually making something for someone. It’s a great gift, isn't it?”  

Iconic Style: The Gansey  

“Storytelling is inherent in knit, especially in the Gansey knitting, and that’s why I love it so much. Gansey knitting is a very ancient form of knitting and very much undervalued, so it’s vital we support and share it.”   

Di was first introduced to Gansey knitting as a small child on the east coast of Yorkshire. Her father was great friends with many of the fishermen who worked off the coast near to where they lived and Di would often play with their children. These fisherman, fathers and grandfathers, wore the traditional Gansey fisherman’s sweater. By the time Di was just 12, she was knitting her first little Gansey jumper.   

“I trained as a historian, so the history of those communities in Gansey knitting is really important to me. The Gansey is on the endangered list of heritage crafts. So, it's always been a bit of a mission to get more people to understand and love it, and to do that, I make it more modern.   

“We've written a book about the history of Gansey, and I've made lots of things that have got Gansey designs in them. The Gansey is knitted seamlessly; it’s a garment that is made to work; it's a utilitarian thing. I love the idea of tying the utilitarian with something very beautiful, whilst it being very practical at the same time.   

“Every bit of the Gansey jumper is designed to be worn in a harsh environment out at sea. All of it is tight to the body and the cuffs are always quite short and tight to the arm so that the fishermen didn't get caught up in the nets or hooks and get swept overboard. In fact, the fishermen had to be pulled out of their Gansey jumpers when they'd been out at sea for a few days because the jumpers would get quite damp and mould to the body. Of course, they were made of wool, so they kept your temperature regulated.”   

A visit to the local Scottish Fisheries Museum will show you that the Gansey jumper had many different designs, with families and villages having their own patterns, their own fingerprint.  

“With every piece of design work we do in fashion, we try to achieve something really special and unique with the knit. I love collaborating with designers, seeking inspiration from their work and then bringing in more traditional styles like the Gansey. Designers love the Gansey because of the fit, its very haute couture, which is perfect. It's also very hard to machine it and I really love the fact it's made by hand.

”In terms of the design, the Gansey boasts a huge variety of intricate individual knitting styles, from the gussets under the arm that are little diamond shapes to allow the wearer to move their arms up and down in a much easier way than if it was just a sewn garment. Often Di would find little hearts in the gusset, she says, “This is probably a mother knitting a heart in a hidden place on her son’s Gansey jumper, so that when he is out on the fishing boat, perhaps in a storm, she would know that she was with him. That is pretty mind blowing, really.”Le Chameau’s spring and summer campaigns are proud to have included many items of Di’s work, including several of her Gansey jumpers and other knitwear including her Seol mittens that are decorated with local features like church windows, the tree of life, boat rigging and Inverness diamond netting.

Exploring Nature in Le Chameau

When asked, Di tells us what she thinks about her Le Chameau wellies, Vierzonord in Iconic Green to be precise. “I absolutely love walking the countryside and coastline in my boots with my dog, Loui. The beaches and fishing villages here in Scotland are always lovely to explore– Crail, Pittenweem and St Monans are just three examples. The boots are so incredibly comfy and go everywhere with me. Idon’thave to worry if it’s raining, on the contrary, I can enjoy the weather all the better!”

Last word: Get Involved

To get involved in knitting, Di recommends finding your local knitting community which are popping up all over the place.“Even if you see somebody knitting on a bus, in the tube or wherever you are, just say hello. Knitters like to talk to each other. Nothing beats sitting round a table, talking to like minded folk and learning a craft. Knitting is also really good for your mental wellbeing.”

Di Gilpin's pattern awaits — download it here.

Learn more about Di Gilpin and follow her journey on Instagram.