STRIKKS - knitwear made in Maastricht

Please introduce yourself: 
STRIKKS is a design studio and label for the development and making of designer knits, located in Maastricht, The Netherlands. It is a lab for researching the possibilities of knitting and production processes. We offer a collection of clothing and interior products that are knitted, or that have a clear link to the knitting technique. Knitted pullovers, cardigans, scarves, pillows, throws or bags. Each product you buy, is not just one of many. We produce limited editions and special requests made to measure. 

What inspires you in general? 
Textures. That could be anything, from a microscopic image of paper and soap to the hesitating lines from a pencil or a marker. Just as long the image gives us enough information to create interesting constructions we can experiment with. 



What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country? 
In the Netherlands we believe it doesn’t really matter what city you’re based in. Because the distances are not that big, the city you’re working in needs to fit you like a glove. The economic climate we’re in right now and the “un”possibilities the politicians force us to, means an extra challenge to us to be creative in organizing and shaping our business. 

What place/city do you find inspiring? 
Stockholm for Suzanne and Paris for Maartje. We can’t really explain this, because it’s a feeling we get when we’re visiting those cities. Feeling so good that you would instantly wanna create something...

What is the concept behind your latest collection? 
What we’re showing at FASHIONCLASH 2013 is a addition to our standing collection and holds all characteristics of a pencil sketchbook.


Describe your collection in three words:
Pencilstrokes, Grades of Black and Grey, Sketchbook. 


What kind of feeling do you want to transfer with your collection? 
It’s about creating a world that evolves around comfortable yarns & favorite sweaters you’d want to ‘live’ in. 

As textile designers, how did you develop the idea of creating an entire fashion collection? 
As textile designers you can work for other companies and projects, but having our own collection means that it’s not only about designing fabrics, but also about designing products. Our collection exists of relatively basic models, but we search for interesting combinations in yarns and stitches, and that’s what makes it a real STRIKKS. It’s also a way to show everyone what we can do and to broaden the horizon for textile design in general, to a public that isn’t familiar with our profession. 

Did you always wanted to work in the field of fashion? 
No, we work in all fields related to textiles, being product design, accessories, jewelery, interior design and architecture. People often don’t realize how many things make use or can make use of knitting techniques. And all these fields are just as interesting. We are a lab for researching all possibilities. 

Who is your favorite fashion designer?
Because we work with two, that depends on who you’re asking. Among others: Phoebe Philo for Celine, Johnny Johannsson (Acne) or Rick Owens, Ann DeMeulemeester & Haider Ackermann.

What is on your music list while you're making your collection? 
Maybe slightly average, but it’s 3FM. Music does not have a big influence on our collection. 

What made you smile today? 
The response we got from our presentation at the International Furniture Fair in Milan. 

What is the latest thing you bought for yourself? 
Suzanne bought a new winter coat! 

What can we expect from you in the future? 
We’re still expanding our collection and intend to sell it in our own webshop.