Frames designs find you in your element. At ease, in comfort and cultivating the most expressive look for your personal identity. Free of gendered labels and language, these unisex accessories and garments are here to amplify your singular style and support your unique expression.
IDIOM
by Ainur Berkimbayeva
KNIT IN ARBOR
ROCERO
by Clotilde Heury
KNIT IN QUARRY
EAGAN
by Fiona Alice
KNIT IN PEERIE
IELLE
by Evgeniya Dupliy
KNIT IN PEERIE
DEGENDERING FASHION
We reached out to makers around the globe and asked them to share their thoughts on gender, fashion and the fiber arts.
Caleb Talbot
Knitting and the Power of Possibility
@drowninginyarn
“We have so much to gain from a world where that rigid gender binary is relaxed; where more gender neutral patterns exist so that all people can find garment patterns that allow them to create something through which they can express themselves in a truly authentic way.”
Vincent Williams Jr
Highlighting the Beauty of Being You
@visuvios_crafts
“The subliminal, and not so subliminal, presentation of ‘masculine equals good and feminine equals bad’ that is woven through literature, music, art, television, etc. enables the vitriol and violence people experience when dressed differently than the confines of their society’s established gender norms. So seeing the conscientious integration of gender-neutral pattern writing into our norm is very powerful and affirming.”
Lev Boberg
A Devotion of Threads
@outsidevoice.knits
“And even in the safety of your own bedroom, you heard the whispers that said that you were wrong-bodied for me. Not boy enough, and yet not girl enough either. “Too small in the shoulder,” they said. “Too full in the chest.” They said so much, through unkind words and laughs and disapproving shrugs
I am here to tell you otherwise.”
Ethan Barclay-Ennew
Framing Ourselves
@ebeforever
"A sweater is never just a garment, it is a story we tell ourselves, a poem made physical for the world to see. Each stitch I make feels like an anchor in a moment, a tie to the time I have and a way to show the world who I am: neither a man nor a woman but wonderfully both, genderfull."
“Identity is all about being who you are and fashion is just a way of expressing it to the world. Clothes shouldn’t be treated as a squared box with a lot of rules, but as a personal microphone that gives people the possibility to speak for themselves.”
-Júlia Vilaça, Fashinnovation
Meet the Designers
A. Karen Alfke
Fiona Alice
Ainur Berkimbayeva
Evgeniya Dupliy
Clotilde Heury
Stefanie Sichler
Designer Bios
A. Karen Alfke
Puget Sound, Washington State
Karen learned to knit as a teenager in Germany in the 1980s — and ever since, she feels a bit bereft without a sweater on the needles. After many years of teaching and designing for Churchmouse Yarns & Teas, she now coaches knitting, sewing, and creating a handmade wardrobe at www.knitsewwear.com.
IG: @akabini6
Originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, Fiona Alice is a knitwear designer who now calls Finland home. This past year, Fiona has been getting acquainted with Helsinki by navigating new languages, browsing local yarn shops, and finding cozy knitting nooks in her new city. Her website is www.fionaalice.com.
IG: @fiona_alice_ | #FionaAlice
Fiona Alice
Helsinki, Finland
Ainur Berkimbayeva
Albany, New York
Ainur Berkimbayeva is a knitwear designer based in Albany, New York. After moving from Kazakhstan to the USA in 2013 and becoming a stay-at-home mom, knitwear design became a creative outlet for Ainur as well as a way to stay connected to the outside world. She knits everyday whenever she gets a chance and designs knitting patterns at night after her sons go to sleep. Ainur draws inspiration from the beautiful scenery of the Adirondacks region, and her love for geometry and puns find a way to seep into her designs.
IG: @mamasteddybear | #MamasTeddyBearDesigns
Born in Uzbekistan, Evi moved to Germany in 2003 and lives and works in Hanover. Fascinated by the ability to create something from beautiful fiber by hand, Evi started knitting in 2013. With time, knitting became more than just a hobby for her — it is her space to be creative, to relax, and sometimes to escape from the busy world. In January 2019 she became an independent knitwear designer, writing her patterns in both English and German. Some of her patterns are also available in Russian as it is her mother's native tongue.
IG: @eviknitwear | #eviknitwear
Evgeniya Dupliy
Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany
Clotilde Heury
Barberaz, France
Clotilde designs knitwear and works in graphic design from a small town in the French Alps. Taught by her mother, she has been knitting since she was 10. Clotilde has always been fascinated by the possibility of making clothing with just yarn and a pair of needles. She loves to create unisex, minimalist patterns that include amusing details, graphic relief, and textures.
IG: @clotildeheury.knitwear
Born and raised in Munich, Germany, Stefanie currently calls Phoenix, Arizona home. With a background in fine arts and therapy, she focuses her designs on graphic textures and a meditative knitting experience. Creatively, Stefanie finds inspiration in nature’s patterns and her designs often begin with two intertwined processes, painting and swatching.
IG: @fiberjourneys
Stefanie Sichler
Phoenix, Arizona
MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Rebekah Lee
We partnered with guest photographer and social justice advocate Rebekah Lee to bring Frames’ unisex collection to life.
"I think the nature of photography is always fresh and relevant. You have the constant opportunity to learn something new- about the medium itself, or about the world around you. Photography allows me to be uncomfortable, but in a good way where you know it's going to make you better."
Collection Contributors
Creative Direction: Jared Flood
Project Coordination: Jen Hurley
Pattern Writing & Senior Technical Editing: Sue McCain & Boann Petersen
Technical Editing (Counter Editors): Andrea Lum & Kephren Pritchett
Pattern Proofing: Jen Hurley, Lis Smith & Mary Weaver
Pattern Translation: Evgeniya Dupliy for Ielle in German
Select Sample Knitting: Betsy Farmer, Elke Probst & Deb Terrio
Copywriting: Allison Ause
Knitwear Coordination & Styling: Lis Smith
Hair & Makeup: Beth Level
Models: Abibat Durosimi & Xavier Robles
Pattern Layout & Graphic Design: Alysia Mojica
Videography: Kenny Hamlett
COMING SOON
HOLIDAY 21
Launching November 10
Subscribe to our curated newsletter for fiber stories, pattern launches, and exclusive BT offers!
follow us: