MenswearStyle Interview | Genevieve Sweeney on Growing her Knitwear Brand

Delighted to have been interviewed by MenswearStyle Podcast, discussing with Peter Brooker how I came to set up my British knitwear brand, Genevieve Sweeney after working with high end brands across the world. Sharing my mission to help support and revive traditional artisans and knitwear manufacturers across the UK, as well as my GS journey over the last 5 years. Of course, we had a little chat about lockdown too, with my experience of running the brand and having a baby 4 days into lockdown as well as my new found friends, a herd of alpacas that I see on my daily walk.

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW YOU STARTED YOUR BRAND

“I founded my brand in 2015 and previously I had worked for high-end brands across the world. I felt there was something missing within knitwear, and through working with other brands who manufacture through China, Italy, and Turkey. I came across an artisan knitter in Scotland who had been out of work for about twenty years and I completely fell in love with his story and art, and really found it heartbreaking that there was no longer a market for him to sell in. So, what started as a little project to get his craft to a more commercial and contemporary product, ended up being the start of my brand. From that, I spent two years dragging my husband on working holidays trying to find factories, sitting in pubs in Scotland asking people if they knew of any knitters or factories. Everything was word of mouth, there wasn’t the Make it British website or anything similar. So, it was a real hunt to find manufacturers and people to work with. I couldn’t work with the large mills because I couldn’t meet their minimum order requirements. I wanted handmade craft pieces, at a maximum of fifty pieces.”

Read the full interview or hear the podcast here