How it all started

The Fashion Institute of Technology knitting lab

Hello. I am Christine, the founder of Command Knitwear. I should tell you how excited and flattered I am that you are curious about my project and thought I should start by explaining how I got here - on the brink of launching a new small-batch knitwear company out of Seattle, WA.

My whole life I have been drawn to design, specifically the thoughtfulness and detail required to create something beautiful yet functional.

While working as an architect for over a decade, my passion for clothing design and fashion inspired me to take night classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. These classes are where I discovered that commercial knitwear is made by using a variety of machines, both manual and digital. The ease and (relative) speed of creating textiles with knitting machines got me hooked. I bought my first vintage knitting machine in 2016 and haven’t looked back since.

Like many of you, over the past several years I have become increasingly aware of the terrible toll clothing manufacturing and the fashion industry have on the planet and the workers involved in it. In addition to making personal changes to the way I consume and discard clothing, I also wanted to build a company that did whatever it could to create a truly ethical, long-lasting, less-wasteful product. And so this is how my journey building Command Knitwear began in 2020.