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

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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.

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