Story

'My practise aims to challenge people's pre conceptions of knitwear, its aesthetic and what it can become.'

Olivia Holland is an award winning Textile Designer specialising in knitwear. Olivia grew up in South London and dreamed of becoming a fashion designer, inspired by the likes of Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith. She spent her lunchtimes at school in the art room and her weekends at home drawing and exploring the fabric shops of Goldhawk Road, falling in love with the myriad of possibilities of colour and texture combinations.

Olivia was spurred on by her Art Foundation tutor at Camberwell College Of Arts to pursue Textiles. She went on to complete a degree in Textile Design at Chelsea College Of Art and design, and in response to her research on sustainability and emotional attachment, Olivia decided that she wanted to create her own vision: to make beautiful textiles which are refreshingly new, stand out, transcend seasons and due to their handmade unique nature, are timeless and treasured forever.

Olivia started her business in 2015 and was a recipient of the Cockpit Arts/Haberdashers Award in 2017.

Olivia’s inspiration comes from the world around her, finding intrigue and beauty in the everyday, on trips abroad and in her hometown. The vibrancy of London is very apparent in her work, which uses strong colour, bold and intricate patterns and luxurious texture. Her design process is personal and organic, starting with her own photography, and then drawing and collaging, constructing key shapes and developing a colour palette unique to her original photographs. After she selects the correct yarns, Olivia then makes the sample collection on her 12gg Santagostino industrial knitting machine.

Olivia J Holland textiles are bold, bright and designed with herself in mind 'As a child I used to hate being copied and always tried to look unique and style myself individually. I have always loved wearing things which no one else has. I am appealing to the women and men out there who desire one of a kind, luxury and life long pieces. A piece of wearable art, to stand out from the crowd.'

Olivia creates annual Textile Collections as well as working on private commissions and bespoke orders, where she works with the customer to create a tailored product. Due to the labour intensive process and to minimise waste, Olivia makes every piece to order.