When two Chanel representatives visited Mati
Ventrillon’s small knitwear studio on Fair Isle in
the summer of 2015, she was delighted to sell
samples of her work, on the understanding they
would be used for research purposes only.
Six months later Chanel featured Ventrillon’s
designs during its 2016 preview show, without
attributing her sweaters as the main source of
inspiration.Questioned on social media by a
bemused Ventrillon, Chanel apologized and
said it had unwittingly used the designs, promising
to attribute her work “in all future communications.”
When Bloomberg visited her studio on Fair Isle
in early December, Mati Ventrillon’s sweaters were
not the subject of international debate. Instead of
anger at Chanel, we found a professional working
to keep Fair Isle’s traditional designs alive – exactly
the same combination that made such an impression
on two earlier visitors from one of the world’s
great fashion houses.
Fair Isle is located off the north-eastern coast of
Scotland, halfway between Shetland and Orkney.
With just 55 inhabitants and about 1.5 miles
across, it’s the most remote inhabited island in the
United Kingdom.
Ventrillon – a French-Venezuelan designer who has
been working on Fair Isle for eight years – lives on the
island’s far southwestern corner. She knits and sells
bespoke Fair Isle sweaters, continuing a tradition
passed on by generations before her.
Her attention to detail begins with the source of her wool
– her own flock of sheep, which she breeds and tends to
throughout the year.
“We use the same breed of sheep that would have been used
here centuries ago, imported over from Shetland. In
addition to my own, there’s a communal flock everyone
on the island looks after.”
When her flock is shorn in the summer, the wool is
sent to Mainland, Shetland on board the Good
Shepherd, a small cargo vessel that delivers essentials
to and from Fair Isle. On Mainland the wool is dyed
and spun into reels by local spinners who have practiced
their craft since the 1800s, before being shipped back.
Once fully stocked, Ventrillon can take orders.
The sweaters are not cheap: an average design
will cost about $700 and takes roughly one month
to complete. The price can change depending on
how much detailing is required. And there was a
waiting list even before her recent brush with fame.
Many of the iconic patterns attributed to Fair Isle
knitwear have evocative names, among them Muckle
Flooers and Grunds. Ultimately, no-one fully
understands what they mean or where they originated.
“The mystery is definitely part of the allure. This is
also how I can detect a good Fair Isle copy from a
bad one. The good ones understand these shapes
are not random,” says Ventrillon.
The same can be said of the colors. Meaning is elusive, but
it is understood that traditionally color should be bold
and be used sparingly. Each design generally allows
just two colors per row of knitting, with around five
colors in total.
“Depending on what the client wants, I’m happy to
break away from some of the historical rules around
the patterns and colors,” Ventrillon says. “I don’t think
this ruins the tradition. Tradition is not the rehashing
of history. Tradition is taking what was made in the
past and keeping it alive in the present. I think this
leaves a lot of room for a natural evolution within
the field, which we should embrace.”
When she’s not knitting, Ventrillon looks after her two
young children, tends to her livestock – pigs as well as
sheep – plants and harvests crops and contributes to
the small but close community of the island.
“All of these extra things - the things that I have to
do, that I can’t ignore - they’re all part of the reason
why these are luxury items,” she explains. “You’re not
only paying for the quality of the knitting, but for the
hardship and the challenging lifestyle that is required
to live and work off this island. And it has to be from
this island because where else can Fair Isle knitwear
come from, but Fair Isle?”
On the recent encounter with Chanel, she remains positive.
“I’ve found the last few days very draining and emotionally
exhausting, but I’ve had lots of support from social
media and the local Shetland knitting community,
which has been wonderful.”
She insists that money is not her aim: “There has been
a lot of good will from Chanel since this happened. I do
not think any of this was intentional. They have been very
apologetic and will credit me as an inspiration. This is
the direction I want things to be moving.
“If you want to treat craftsmanship as nothing but
business, you will never win. That’s not what it’s about
at all. It’s so important to be careful about where you
place value. The value is in the skills, history and
heritage I wish to promote and maintain. I don’t want
to chase after Chanel’s money for a mistake they
have made and for which they have profusely apologized.”
Photography by Nicholas Tufnell
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