The Fibre Co.
Daphne of The Fibre Co. delights in creating gorgeous, natural yarns and colours inspired by the Cumbrian hills around her home
Gorgeous yarns and colours are at the heart of this Cumbrian-based brand
TUCKED IN the rolling hills of Cumbria are The Fibre Co. Headquarters - or more accurately, Daphne Marinopoulos’ current home. Originally, The Fibre Co. was based on the working waterfront of Portland, Maine in the USA, where the company produced luxury yarns in its mill. Since its establishment in 2003, The Fibre Co. has grown to an internationally stocked yarn brand - and yet most of the new product ideas are dreamed up in Daphne’s kitchen, overlooking the Cumbrian hills.
For any designer or maker who has met Daphne or worked with The Fibre Co., the news that most of the business is created in Daphne’s home won’t come as a surprise. The products from The Fibre Co. are luxurious and inspiring, but it’s a hands-on approach that infuses the brand with warmth and personality. On The Fibre Co. blog, models stand gazing out over moody skies, wrapped in beautifully designed shawls while the words speak directly to any lover of fibre. One post states, “This month is for YOU” and calls to knitters to meditate in their stitches with a few favourite designers as inspiration. At the heart of The Fibre Co. is the same desire that there has always been: the wish to connect with the enthusiast maker and see where a love of fibre can take them both.
Down at the mill
Textiles are in Daphne’s blood, with a textile engineer father and grandparents who immigrated to the US to work in the New England mills. With a love for the fibre arts and a background in business, Daphne couldn’t help but jump at the opportunity to purchase a small mill when she lived in Maine. Originally, Daphne herself produced and hand-dyed all the yarns, developing her knowledge as she carded them by hand, and dip-dyed individual fibres to test how they took colour. As the company expanded to wholesale distribution, Daphne began to partner with other mills to pick up the backlog.
Eventually, all production was outsourced, and Daphne even went to Peru to train dyers in her specific techniques to have the yarn dyed. Having developed such an in-depth knowledge of milling and dye techniques, Daphne has been well placed to work closely with mills to create The Fibre Co.’s yarns. Speaking the same language when designing a new yarn can be a big part of the development with mills. “Often what comes out of that process is a product that surprises both ourselves and our suppliers,” says Daphne, “which results in creating hand-knitting yarns that delight and inspire”. Development is
still a hands-on process, even if it is a much greater distance to the mill these days.
Creative vision
Today, The Fibre Co. enjoys being at the centre of a creative hub of designers and retailers who share its passion for the fibre arts community. Independent voices such as designers Melanie Berg and Helen Stewart are amongst those who regularly collaborate to feature TFC yarns in their work. As well as producing its own pattern ranges for knitters, The Fibre Co. team is constantly reaching out to designers that inspire their own making, with the hope of growing something new for their audience.
Daphne continues to design new yarns that are, at heart, as nature intended. Daphne draws great inspiration from the landscapes she’s seen over decades of travel and recognises their fragility. This is a company that is extremely conscious of its global footprints from producer to mill to warehouse and everything in between. Daphne says: “We understand that sustainability is a process, and see ourselves as a greening business constantly looking for ways to improve our impact on the environment.”
Inspiring knitters
Looking ahead, The Fibre Co. have new design collections and yarns in mind. However, for The Fibre Co., the process needs to reflect the enthusiasm and passion that they see in the fibre community. Daphne explains: “We want to play a bigger role in bringing new knitters into the marketplace by increasing our educational offering with more content including how-to videos, articles and inspirational ideas. All of these efforts will also support our retailers’ goals to stock their shelves with products that sell through over and over again.” Daphne has established a team of creators who can deliver these goals. Photographers, established bloggers and creative business owners work in parallel to connect with retailers and their customers. That’s why you’ll find them to be active and encouraging on social media as they listen and celebrate what people are making with their products.
It’s an exciting time for the company, which is are busy getting ready to launch a wave of new design support from some of the community’s newest and most promising talent. The launch of Luma, a DK-weight yarn that blends wool, linen, cotton and silk, was greeted with delight all over the world, and there’s a promised lighter-weight version of the successful tweed yarn, Arranmore, in 2017.