fawn&forest

October's International Forest Finds has been a real treat. I have been blessed with the chance to work and communicate with such an interesting bunch of designers + creatives. I think if I were to not have fawn&forest and actually know how to knit (well, at least!) I would want to be Angelique and run Benk. I am crazy crazy about all of her knits. Modern, yet nostalgic.  Love.

When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a kid i always was busy with making clothes for my Barbies. I thought of nice dresses and crocheted and knitted. When i was older i for example took a picture from vogue/elle and counted the pattern and made another sweater with that pattern on it. My grandmother (named RIEK) tought me how to knit and I was addicted! Unfortunately i did not follow any designer-school.  It is ok so far. Also i wanted to work for KLM (Dutch airlines) as my father did and i wanted to become airline hostess.

What inspired you to start BENK?
When my second child was born, one evening i started to make her a little hat. And thought 'wow' this maybe is something to do. When i gave one as a present to a friend, she was at a babyshop with her little baby and the owner kept on saying she loved the babyhat. That was my first shop and from there it started growing !!

What does 2009 hold for you? 
For now i have all the hats and items handknitted by Dutch woman but as it grows and grows (Japan asked for a few hundred) I want to make something good from this and have them knitted by a Group of women in other poor countries and let them make some extra income for themselves being at home with their babies. Or being together with other women in their village and knit for BENK. This is difficult to start as how to get the merino yarn there, and check the knits etc etc. Hopefully 2009 i can work on that plan !!

Thank you Angelique! That cute image above is not the present day Angelique, but of when she was a cute little girl!