Celebrating COLOUR

Renowned fashion designer Zandra Rhodes shares with us the inspiration behind her exciting new collection of yarns and patterns for West Yorkshire Spinners

- Janine Sterland

The British designer Zandra Rhodes has had a huge influence on the world of fashion during a career spanning 50 years. Famous for her exuberant colour combinations and innovative silhouettes (and for her iconic pink hair!), Zandra has long had a love of knitwear, having been taught to knit by her grandmother.

This year, she has teamed up with British yarn company West Yorkshire Spinners to develop brand-new shades for its most popular and versatile yarn ranges, Signature 4ply and ColourLab DK. The collection includes six vibrant and variegated colourways, including Zandra’s Rainbow, Forest Stripes, and Sunset Bouquet. Zandra has also created a collection of wearable, colourful handknit patterns showcasing these new colourways.

Simply Crochet loved the colours of Zandra’s designs so we created our own Zandra Rhodes crochet collection, found on page 14.

We caught up with Zandra and West Yorkshire Spinners to gain an insight into the inspiration behind their striking new collection of yarns and patterns.

Zandra, have you always had a passion for wool garments? “Just in 2019, before we had even heard of Covid-19, I was asked to open a knitting show in San Francisco – it made me so aware of all of the trends! And then came Covid; this increased the time I had available to get back into hobbies and ancient crafts. I think the pandemic has made us all so aware of the handicrafts and things we can do – there is nothing more rewarding than using your own hands and creating. There is a beautiful rebirth of DIY traditions – arts and crafts are back, and bigger than ever!”