The story of Kupong knit.wear

"Knitting has always been a part of my history. I grew up learning how to sew, knit and stitch from my grandmother."

My grandmother Sylvia studied in both the UK and Paris and always had a flare for fashion and a great sense of style.

She also took pride in taking good care of her clothes. If anything was broken or worn out she would sew and fix them up making them wearable and decent again. During WW2 my grandfather was captured and imprisoned by the Germans and she had to take care of their three boys until his return in 1045.

She used to mend all their clothes and textiles- and nothing was ever thrown away. There was also a need for these skills during war years and everyone had to ration on everything. They lived on food stamps and coupons that were handed out.

I learned those skills from her, and found that a broken garment could be transformed into something new with a bit of creativity. Her trademark would be to embroider new cuffs on a knitted sweater that was worn and torn. She used leftover yarns in random colours which gave the garment a new look with a cool detail.

She would also sew buttons onto a torn shoulder seam or if the neckline was ripped she would knit over the ripped parts and add buttons for a collar stand. She also made patches on the elbows, or she would make textile patches with motifs to cover up holes and flaws.

She added new life to the clothes just by adding a different colour of the thread or some accessories. I would use my newfound skills to make dolls clothing- which later developed into making womenswear. This was probably why I chose a creative path and went on studying fashion design.

The Name

Kupong had always been a nickname for the concept; inspiration was from post-war fashion and the adaptation of knitted garments as a result of demand and rationalisation. The name suits the brand's philosophy.

Something mended can become something new and bring added value to the garment.

The name adapts to Kupongs collections when it comes to choice of materials, production and expression.

There are also lots of possibilities in the future to introduce deposit solutions where you get discounted coupons and handing in clothes, repairs and new life to the garments.

Best

Kristina

My Grandmother Sylvia Hjelde
.              Grand cafe, Oslo 1937