Thirty to forty percent of all our garments are hand knit. The BAIBA RIPA team consists of 9 knitters, including Baiba herself. The hand knitting techniques take knowledge and experience to develop, and that’s why Baiba compares hand knitting with playing a musical instrument. To create a hand knit sweater it can take 15 to 35 hours depending on the fiber and design. And all hand knit pieces are unrepeatable even if the design is the same...
The fibers come from carefully selected manufacturers. For example, one of our yarn suppliers, Sesia Manufacture of Italy, aims for full transparency, and all of their raw materials are certified. Global Organic Textile Certification, GOTS, ensures that the biological textile products are made with natural fibers from organic farming, without the use of chemical pesticides.
SCULPTING WITH YARN
I sculpt with yarn. I have to touch the fiber first, then I can create the piece. It’s a holistic process. All of my experience and vision goes into one garment at a time, and all my senses are involved. I believe this results in something novel and permanent./ Baiba Ripa