Rainbow Knitwear Archive

Rainbow Knitwear
Est. 2001
Hello.
Rainbow Knitwear is Happy Knitwear.
Welcome to the archive of Rainbow Knitwear, the upscale streetwear brand which brought graphic-led colour & playful design to the early 2000s indie era.

History

Founded in 2001, Rainbow Knitwear was an independent label known for its slim-fit intarsia and fair-isle designs, bold colour, and premium yarns.

Handcrafted in Wales, Rainbow Knitwear used responsibly-grown cotton from Egypt, dyed & spun in France, for the non-seasonal mercerised cotton jumpers, bags, and scarves; and Italian merino wool for the cosy winter jumpers and scarves.

"Crafty folk will love Rainbow" - i-D Magazine

Signature Designs

From cult intarsia designs to detailed fair-isle patterns, Rainbow Knitwear turned graphic streetwear into wearable knitted art. Available in a signature spectrum of colours alongside monochrome staples, the collection featured bold, playful pop-culture motifs - from retro arcade games and TV test cards, to hot dogs, footballs, nuns, and cockerels.

"Gyles Brandreth chic… Think weathermen caught in a fashion storm" - Time Out

Previous Stockists

At the time, the brand developed a cult following in Japan and was stocked in Beams, Lotus Roots, & Isetan, to name a few, as well as in UK boutiques including Fletcher, Jones, DWB, Bread & Honey, No-One, & Bond. Also receiving orders from Browns & Fred Segal, Rainbow Knitwear sent colourful knitted joy globally.

〈RAINBOW KNITWEAR〉ぜひお見知り置きを。 - Relax

Press

click to enlarge

Rainbow Knitwear was featured in i-D, The Face, Mixmag, Loaded, Elle Girl, Sugar, 19, Time Out, Front, J17, The Observer, The Telegraph, Now, Senken Shimbun, Beams in-house title, and Japanese magazine Relax, to name a few publications, alongside sample requests from Vogue and Sleazenation amongst others.

"Kid's clothes for grown-ups… designed to make you (or your girlfriend) smile" - Front

Archives

25 years on, Rainbow Knitwear is preparing to re-open the archives. Original samples and deadstock of these collectible items with limited availability will be dropping soon.

Follow @rainbowknitwear on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for news.

Sign up for knitted news of archive drops:

By subscribing, you consent to receiving news of Rainbow Knitwear archive drops & updates. See Privacy Details for more info.

Privacy Details

Who we are: Rainbow Knitwear is the data controller. You can contact us via the social networks linked below, or by replying to any email we've sent you. What we collect: Your email address. Why: To send news of Rainbow Knitwear archive drops and updates. Lawful basis: Consent, given when you submit the form and confirm your subscription via the link in our confirmation email. Your rights: You can access, correct, or delete your data, and withdraw consent, at any time. You also have the right to complain to the Commissioner but please contact Rainbow Knitwear in the first instance to investigate. Who we share it with: Your email address will only be seen by Rainbow Knitwear and a third-party email service provider based in the USA, which complies with the EU–US Data Privacy Framework and UK Extension, to protect your data. Retention: Until you unsubscribe, after which your address is deleted.