We are Knitters to open pop-up store in Paris

December will see Spanish brand We Are Knitters, an online knitting kits specialist, take its first steps in the physical space with the opening of its first ever pop-up store. The space will open on 3 December until 23 December in the trendy Parisian district of Le Marais.

“This will be our first offline experience. We are an online business. France is one of the three countries where we sell the most. Our first option was the United States, in New York. But being a Spanish company made the legal process more complicated. That is why we have decided to test the waters closer to home,” Alberto Bravo, co-founder of We Are Knitters, told FashioNetwork.com.

The 15 sq mt store located at 5 rue Blancs Manteaux will be a dynamic space where the brand can host various events and workshops whilst gaining valuable experience in the physical retail channel.

Alberto Bravo started We Are Knitters with Pepita Marín in 2011, inspired by the New York women who could be seen knitting on the subway. At the time, they thought that this type of craft had an enormous potential and they were not wrong. In the period between April 2018 and March 2019, the company generated 11 million euros ($11.9m) in revenues, according to Bravo. By 2020, turnover is expected to be between 12 and 13 million euros.

Currently, Spain accounts for just 5% of all sales, while the United States is its largest market followed by France and Germany. But We are Knitters is not giving up in its home country.

“We continue doing actions in Spain. The effort is the same, but the other countries react better,” said Bravo.

“In Germany people are taught to knit when they are in school… There is a greater tradition and culture. In Spain we struggle to come to terms with the fact that we need to pay more to get high quality products. That is changing with the new generations,” he added.

Bravo has also announced that the company has recently launched in the Nordic countries and Japan, where it sees great potential for growth.

At the same time, social media is “very important” for We are Knitters, Bravo continued. The brand has already amassed over half a million followers on Facebook, while Instagram is following closely behind with a similar number. Additionally, followers are encouraged to share photos of their projects on their social media networks.

“A lot of people think that knitting is an activity that has to be done at home alone,” Bravo explained, adding that he thoroughly disagrees. That is why the brand has hosted knitting parties in different countries, where knitting lovers can come together to share experiences, test new products and get discounts.

For the company, the strongest trading period falls between November and December, during “the gifting period”, according to Bravo. To keep the momentum going, the brand has added new kits with summer fabrics such as cotton and cross stitch projects to attract customers all year round.

The brand has a limited catalogue that includes its signature thick wool, which serves as the base for jumpers, scarves and other winter garments.

“We didn’t know how to knit. We learned from Youtube videos. If we have been able to learn, others can too,” said Bravo, who proudly said he can now knit scarves or shawls himself.

We are Knitters to open pop-up store in Paris

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