Earthquake Relief
Many thanks to all who sent messages of concern about the Sichuan earthquake. Our friends and colleagues all felt the quake and spent a few nights sleeping outside, but thankfully were far enough from the epicentre to escape any real damage.
For information on how you can donate to earthquake relief, click here.
Our adopted charity for this year is the Jo Charles Foundation, a small Australian charity dedicated to the construction of rural schools in Liangshan (a place close to our hearts) and in the earthquake zone. We will be donating a proportion of this year's retail sales revenue to the foundation.
High Times in the Bra Wars - Chunkichilli in The Sunday Times "I have grown used to the rhythmic hum and tick of the Malu cement factory. In Ningnan, situated high in the Hengduan mountains of Sichuan, the factory, with its towering contortions of concrete and rust, belches sulphurous dust across the steep terraces of the valley...."
To read the rest of this article about us in The Sunday Times online, click here.
Happeneze Streets
We've fallen in love with this wonderful website on Japanese street fashion.
It's a good reminder that fashion takes itself too seriously and clothes are actually just so much fun.
We're featured in WebUser magazine's June 9-22 issue, under "Best New Websites". Here's what they say:
"Sticking a needle in the idea that a woolly pullover isn't cool, this site's hand-knitted sweaters, cardigans and coats reveal craft and creativity. Big bold designs loom large on the homepage - so not for shy retiring types. The company is British, but garments are hand-knitted in China, taking one to two weeks using merino wool. Ethical shoppers are reassured in the Blog section about workers' conditions, and online contact is encouraged. Information on sweater care and sizing is provided, but kids aren't catered for and the range is fairly limited. The 9.99 GBP UK delivery rate is dropped for orders over 200 GBP."
Chunkichilli says, The range is much larger now and UK postage is 3.99 GBP.
Natural Born Chillers
We're always on the lookout for strong, visual ways of putting across the basic Chunkichilli concept.
"So when you see an image of strong colours in nature, juxtaposed with words from knitting instructions, this is the basic image we're putting across.
"We're saying that our sweaters are knitted in the most natural way possible and they're inspired by nature, but they're also designed to be young, fresh and stylish. They're a fusion of the timeless and the modern.
"And when it comes down to it, what could be more natural than someone knitting up a sweater in their own home? The only power they're going to use is for the light bulb."
Chunkichillli CEO, Misty Zhang, on Chunkichilli's 'Knitted from Nature' campaign.
Hot's the New Hot
"It's certainly worked out well for us in that respect.
"Since there's obviously no end in sight for soaring oil prices, doesn't it seem pretty logical for people to be thinking about investing in a really high-quality chunky sweater?
"I mean, you don't just look great, but you're also saving the world, right? And if you're sitting at home, you can still be super cool and turn down the heating. It sounds like a product whose time has come."
Chunkichilli General Manager, Tim Wilson, on knitting through an oil crisis.
Knitting for Giants
What's Ningnan's greatest export? Its people. As with most little mountain towns on the Tibetan borderlands, Ningnan ritually packs off most of its boldest and brightest to fill the clerical posts and the factories and sweatshops of China's eastern seabord.
That makes for a hard life. So, having spent quite a bit of time in Ningnan, on and off, I came up with a radical idea. Why didn't we get Ningnan exporting a world-class product, instead of just people?
The product was obvious. It had to be hand-knitwear. There were plenty of people around town with the skills to knit beautiful clothes. All it would take was some good wool and a bit of design to make them international.
In early 2004, we took delivery of our first consignment of wool, assembled some designs and prepared to knit. Wan Fangyin, our pioneering production manager, surveyed the designs with a critical eye.
"These sweaters are for foreigners, right?" she asked.
"Yes," I said.
"Then they're not long enough."
"Well, maybe add an inch," I suggested.
"Still not long enough."
I should, of course, have realised then that 'foreigner' had a special ring in this remote little town. Apart from myself, the few foreign people who had ventured this far over the pass included a flaxen-haired English girl and a great skyscraper of an American, who'd cast long shadows over the vegetable market. These were going to be no ordinary sweaters. They were knitting for giants.
I have an image, burnt into my mind, from the day we went to inspect the first fruits of our labour. The sweaters were generally at least several inches longer than the original designs, and there was one in particular, where the knitter had started and then just kept on going.
It fitted my father-in-law like a tight, pastel sock coming down to mid-thigh, with a lurid mountain scene adorning the potted bulge of his stomach.
"I like it. I'm going to wear it," he said as he modelled it with grim determination, appearing to all onlookers like a snake that had swallowed a rat.
Fortunately, we've come a huge distance since then, and the sweaters all now come in standard Western sizes. The designs are great now, too. That particular sweater still has a treasured place in my closet, but you may be glad to hear that that's exactly where it's going to stay. TW
Both the Colours of the Rainbow
"I have to say I'm a terrible shopper for clothes. If I can't find what I want in about ten minutes flat, then I probably just won't even bother to keep looking.
"But I think the real problem is that the high street just offers so little choice. If you're buying a sweater, for example - and this is particularly true of men's sweaters - the basic choice is between, say, a plain grey sweater and a navy blue sweater. Well, that's certainly not what I'm looking for, but then where else have I got to look?
"Which is why I think the internet's such a godsend. As more people get the taste for internet shopping, you've got all these new and interesting little retailers finally providing people with something different, you know, with a real range of choices. We're aiming to be right there riding in on this new wave."
Chunkichilli General Manager, Tim Wilson, on the hi-tech choice revolution.
Heaven in a Wild Chilli
Things that inspire:
Morning sun through bamboo. The hum of the cement factory. Brickwork. Mulberry. Red earth. Red character posters. Woody cigarettes. Chilli. Eggplant. The patchwork fields. The sun's evening fingers. Neon light reflected in rain. Tacky red packaging. Fairy-lit, flashing Buddhas. Folk art. The shamen's song. The circle dance. The tree of stars. The Kung Fu master. Thin air. Hunger. Sleep.
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Designer Knitwear at chunkichilli.com
We're featured in WebUser magazine's June 9-22 issue, under "Best New Websites". Here's what they say: 
Knitting for Giants 
I should, of course, have realised then that 'foreigner' had a special ring in this remote little town. Apart from myself, the few foreign people who had ventured this far over the pass included a flaxen-haired English girl and a great skyscraper of an American, who'd cast long shadows over the vegetable market. These were going to be no ordinary sweaters. They were knitting for giants. 
Both the Colours of the Rainbow
