Knitch Magazine

Debbie Bliss is one of the best-known designers in the knitwear design industry. Her British-inspired classic style is recognizable by knitters everywhere. In this interview with KnitchMagazine, Debbie reveals how she got started on the path of designing fashions and textiles, what she did to become successful in the field, how this chosen career path has affected her family, and more!

Knitch: We know you studied fashion and textiles at art college. What prompted you to choose this line of study?

Debbie: To be perfectly honest, I was a failed graphic designer! I realized at the end of my Foundation Year at art college that I just wasn’t up to scratch, and then when I looked around at what else there was on offer in the design world, I realized that Fashion and Textiles would be even more rewarding.

Knitch: How did you get started in this business? Was there anyone who helped you along the way?

Debbie: After I left college I found that I was virtually unemployable, as I had concentrated too much on the creative rather than the practical side of the business. I worked as a cleaner at a hospital and in a steel factory as I created knitted flowers and plants, which I sold to Liberty [renowned British arts & crafts store] and boutique stores. I then started to sell hand knit designs to magazines, where I particularly remember Lesley Stanfield, the Knitting Editor of Woman magazine, guiding me through the techniques which make the garment not only aesthetically pleasing but also professionally perfect.

I hope through my example and by the many conversations I have had with younger designers that I have been as encouraging as she was.

Knitch: How has your British heritage affected your designs – and ultimately – your career?

Debbie: I think that my British heritage has influenced my designs over the years, as I love the classic stitch patterns that have been handed down through the generations, the fisherman’s ganseys particularly, and the aran and fair isle stitches.

I think being British launched my career because my first teaching and promotional work was in the US where at the time there was a real interest in British designers. The incredibly warm welcome I was given gave me more confidence both as a designer and as a person and I am still very grateful!

Knitch: What would you be doing if you weren’t working in the knitwear industry?

Debbie: I have a passion for history, particularly the 16^th Century and the New World. One of my most memorable days was being taken by a retailer to the costume department at the Plimouth Plantation in New England.

I think that I would have tried to combine my two loves -- fashion and history -- by being involved in the costume department of a museum or a Shakespearean company such as The Globe, my favourite theatre.

Knitch: We know you live in London with your husband and two children. How do you manage that delicate balancing act between family and professional life?

Debbie: I think in the past I managed it spectacularly badly. One of my greatest regrets is that I didn’t have the confidence to turn work down so that I could spend more time with my children when they were younger. I still remember packing a suitcase for a holiday, and Nell, who was eight, standing behind me going, “I saw you pack work in that case!” I took it out and realized how many times I had done that. It was an important lesson to learn.

Now Nell is 19 and enjoys traveling to the US with me -- so I think she has forgiven me! My son Will is 24 now and lives with us or not, depending on how well his acting career is going!

Knitch: We noticed you had your daughter Nell with you at the TNNA conference. She looks quite grown up now. Does she knit, as well? Do you think she’ll follow in your footsteps?

Debbie: Nell loves the industry, meeting new people, seeing old friends from KFI [US distributor of Debbie Bliss yarns] and Vogue Knitting. She did an internship at Vogue Knitting last year and it was a wonderful experience for her. How many other 19 year olds get a chance to have a month in New York? They did teach her to knit there, but she didn’t keep it up when she came back. She is more interested in the fashion side of it than the actual craft of knitting. She is going to university to study Comparative Literature and Film Studies this year, but I hope she will still travel with me. She is coming on the Vogue Knitting cruise to Mexico and Belize in November.

Knitch: What inspires you? If we looked in your design journal, what would we see?

Debbie: If you looked in my design journal, you would see tiny little line drawings. Perhaps they would be entitled “Girl in Street in Bologna” or “Child’s Jacket in Shopping Mall,” where I have seen someone wearing something where the flare of a sleeve or the cut of a collar has set some idea in motion. There would be strands of yarn pasted in the journal from yarns I have seen at Pitti Filati, lists of things to do, models’ names and locations for the next shoot.

I live in a very multicultural part of London, and I am more likely to be influenced by the wonderful colours displayed in the sari shops than by the natural world. I love the countryside, but always need to come back to the city for its energy and urban colour.

Knitch: You have authored over 30 books. Do you have ideas for the books and then design a collection to fill the book? Or do you wait for the yarn to tell you “what it wants to be” when starting a new project or collection?

Debbie: This will depend on the nature of the collection. If it is for a collection of baby knits for my publisher, for example, we will have discussed the brief before I start work. For Simply Baby I wanted basic -- but stylish -- designs that would encourage new knitters or busy new parents to knit.

On a collection for a new yarn, I will have explored the possibilities and strengths of the yarn and swatch with it until it “tells me” which designs will work best. To design for a range of projects showcasing existing yarns, I will have come up with a theme to hold the collection together, as in Summer Essentials, which was about a range of knits for the U.S. summer vacation season.

Knitch: You have mentioned in some of your books that over the years, you’ve enjoyed collecting vintage patterns from the 1930s & ’40s. What fascinates you so about those styles and how do you think this interest in vintage looks has influenced your personal design style?

Debbie: What I love about the vintage patterns is the attention to shaping and detailing. I prefer knits that have a “smarter” look to them, and my personal style is for tailored knits rather than unstructured ones.

In the patterns from the 1930s and 1940s, there were different ways to shape a sleeve head to get the right amount of “Joan Crawford” style or shaping to define the waist or bust. I particularly like to introduce the latter elements into my knits where possible as I think that they are more flattering to women’s shapes.

Knitch: You have mentioned that you attend Pitti Filati twice a year, but don’t want “to be a slavish follower of fashion,” and instead want to stay true to your own style. Could you define your style for us? What would you say are your signature styles and kinds of things knitters love most about your work?

Debbie: I would like to think that my style is fashion influenced, but hopefully also fashion classic. I hope it appeals to all ages. I like to think that a great cardigan is always a great cardigan and that how it is accessorized and worn is what gives it the personal style of the wearer. I could wear the cardigan with wide legged linen trousers, for example, but Nell could wear it with skinny jeans and a wide belt. This may be what some knitters like about my work, but all personal taste is so subjective.

Knitch: We have heard that you got some of your experience and fame in designing baby and children’s clothes for Baby Gap. How did that come about? Did your experience with Baby Gap influence your knitwear designs?

Debbie: I only did a few collections for Baby Gap and the way it came about is the way most things seemed to have happened to me, sheer luck! A neighbor in the fashion business was at a party in New York and happened to mention that she knew me to a designer for Baby Gap. The next thing I knew, they were on the phone to me. They were incredibly supportive and basically let me design whatever I wanted based on past designs of mine they had liked from some of my books.

Knitch: What led you to develop your own line of yarns? Was it dissatisfaction with the quality of available yarns, control over dyes, or did you want to develop yarns to suit your designs?

Debbie: I have to be really honest and say that it was the need to support my family! My background was in published designs, and like a lot of areas that are traditionally associated mainly with women or craft, it was not very well paid so it was a constant struggle. I approached a manufacturer with the idea of working on a brand of yarns, but it didn’t work out. Luckily for me a new company in the UK, Designer Yarns, wanted to distribute Noro yarns as well as mine, so I am now licensed to them. It was incredibly exciting and rather frightening, but for any designer the ability to create the yarns and colour palette is such a privilege and opens up the design process in so many ways.

Knitch: Which of your yarns are your all-time favorites to design with? You probably like your latest ones as your immediate faves, but overall which are best for the types of designs you love to create?

Debbie: Ah! It would be like choosing between my children! I like them all in different ways. Of the classic, existing ranges, I love the Rialto range for its bounce and Tigger-like quality, the cashmerinos for their softness and cherishing quality for babies and children and now the Eco range for the Fair Trade concept. However, I have a real affection for my alpaca silk. It is beautifully soft. But I also have garments that have been in and out of suitcases and traveled with me for some years for presentations and they still look as good as new.

Knitch: Your yarns are luxurious and of high quality. What should knitters know about yarns in order to judge their quality and suitability for a given design?

Debbie: I think that knitters need to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of a yarn. When I am designing, I know if the yarn has great drape but is not as good at showing up stitch detail, so I will match it to a design that uses the draping quality to its best effect. Cotton may give great stitch detail, but for a pattern that needs a yarn that has elasticity for a body skimming fit, wool is going to be best.

I think you should always go for great quality yarn because in the long run, the wear and delight you get out of your garment will more than recompense for the extra price you have paid originally.

Knitch: Your design book includes photos of a sunny design space. Where do you design your fashions? In a home studio, or do you work in a more traditional setting with a staff and other resources?

Debbie: I work from home in a large room at the front of the house that has sun all day long.

I have a part-time assistant Teresa, who is a friend of the family and who is working for me until she goes to university to study Knitwear Design in October. Not only does she knit, but she also understands how computers work. She is going to be greatly missed! I have worked from home for the past six years and consider it a real blessing. I love being able to work in our family home -- except for when Monty the beagle puppy shoots through my legs and gets into the studio and wreaks havoc!

Knitch: Do you do a swatch and then turn the knitting over to knitters, or do you knit entire garments yourself?

Debbie: I knit the swatches, work out the proportions and then send these to Penny Hill, my pattern compiler, who gets the pattern ready for the knitter.

Knitch: Do you sketch first or swatch first?

Debbie: I “doodle” the shape first and then start to swatch.

Knitch: What one piece of advice would you give today’s knitters?

Debbie: I am so in awe of today’s knitters that I can’t think of any advice apart from don’t stop!!

Knitch: What does the future hold for you?

Debbie: The most exciting project in the last year has been the launch of my magazine. It has been a joy to put together, and I feel immensely privileged to be given this opportunity.

I never know from one moment to the next what the future holds in store, but I hope that at some point I will be able to expand the design side of what I do and involve other designers more so that I can give more pattern support to the brand.

KnitchMagazine would like to extend a special thanks to Debbie Bliss for taking part in this interview. It has been a true pleasure to learn more about the creative genius behind the designs that have forever changed the fashion and textile world. We wish Debbie continued success and look forward to her future masterpieces!

Where to buy Design it, Knit it: Yarnmarket.com