Meet Kirsty Campbell – owner of Ryvoan

Join our interview with Kirsty from RYVOAN, a knitwear designer from Banchory, Deeside, who creates 100% wool garments inspired by the Cairngorms. She started RYVOAN in her final year at The Glasgow School of Art and now knits everything on a hand-powered machine in her Edinburgh studio. Here she talks about wool, slow design and her favourite corner of the north-east coast.

Hello Kirsty, thanks for joining us. Introduce your brand and tell us a little bit about what you do.

I am a knitwear designer from Banchory, Deeside, with a background in textile design. I started my brand, RYVOAN, just over a year ago making and selling handmade, 100% wool garments and accessories. RYVOAN captures the essence of the Scottish landscape in knitwear, inspired by the natural colours and intricate textures found in the Cairngorms, my designs are made to keep you warm and comfortable in wild and wonderful places. I knit everything from my Edinburgh based studio where each step of the process is mindful of traditional knitting techniques with hand powered methods, embracing small scale production and slow design. With a passion for trail and hill running, I find endless inspiration within the landscape. I want RYVOAN to reflect the strong connection between place and product, with the idea that your knitwear is inspired by the same rugged & deeply meaningful places it’s designed to protect and perform in.

Can you share the story behind the creation of RYVOAN and how it has evolved?

I started RYVOAN whilst in my final year of university, studying textile design at The Glasgow School of Art, where I specialised in knitted textiles. Degree show prep and dissertation writing meant it wasn’t until after graduation that I began to focus fully on creating new designs and trying to grow as a small business. Building on the technical skills from university, I knit everything on a domestic, hand-powered knitting machine from my home studio in Edinburgh. Inspired by my love of the Cairngorms and mountain landscapes growing up in Deeside, the knitwear I design is rooted in a practical, outdoorsy style with a clean and minimalist aesthetic. The name comes from the RYVOAN bothy at the foot of Meall a Bhuachaille hill near the Green Loch, a favourite spot of mine.

Tell us a bit about your personal journey and how RYVOAN evolved into the thriving business it is today?

During my time at Glasgow School of Art, the course mainly focuses on developing structure and form, not so much on a producing a final product, but motivated by a love of knitwear and with an “I can make that” attitude I started RYVOAN. Throughout university, I was drawn to organic forms and earthy colour palettes taken from memories and photographs of running in forests and mountain landscapes, so this has always felt like a very natural starting point for me. I feel very strongly about owning clothes that will last a lifetime if looked after, especially when made with 100% natural fibres ensuring durability and quality in your wardrobe. This motivated me to start making my own clothes and then for others, devoted to the idea of slow fashion and locally made, sustainable clothing.

How do the Cairngorms influence your designs, and how is it reflected in your products?

Through colour! From the peaty rusts and purples of heather to the bright greens of a summer’s day hillside, each RYVOAN colourway represents something within these landscapes throughout the ever-changing seasons. I collect photographs, keep sketchbooks, little colour studies and yarn wraps all to help me build up a range of colourways to translate into my wool choices for a collection.

Can you share more about the materials and the production process involved in creating RYVOAN knitwear?

I predominantly use a 100% lambswool milled on the northeast coast of Scotland, it combines different blends of fleece ideal for wearing against your skin ensuring there’s no scratchy or irritating fibres often found with harsher wools like a Shetland. I think wool is just fabulous and there’s no better material, the antibacterial properties mean you rarely have to wash your knitwear and the natural lanolin oils wick away any moisture keeping you dry and warm even in the cold and wet. The knitting process of a garment happens in panels, so I knit each separately and all stitches are transferred by hand to fully fashion the garment while on the machine to eliminate material and yarn waste through any pattern cutting post-knitting. I then use a machine called a linker to join all the seams together stitch by stitch to create the finished garment. I sew in the loose ends and then everything is soaked and washed to create a soft and lightweight finish. Although a slow process, I love the stages and care taken to the final product. My favourite part is always adding the labels and packaging the parcel; it feels so satisfying and rewarding to get to that stage.

Your studio is based in Edinburgh, could you tell us what your favourite things to do in and around the capital are?

Edinburgh is excellent for green spaces, with some great views high up over the city. I would definitely recommend Arthur’s seat in Holyrood Park, or a bit further out, Blackford and Braids Hill. I love how quickly you can feel like you’re out of the city, looking down onto the castle and all the way along the coast all at the same time. Also, Edinburgh has a great selection of art galleries, small independent ones as well as the larger National Galleries. A good spot is Dundas Street in Stockbridge, you could spend a whole day gallery and cafe hopping on that street alone.

When you’re not in Edinburgh, where’s your favourite Scottish destination to visit and are there any local businesses we should check out there?

I am very biased towards Deeside and the Cairngorms, but the northeast coast also holds a special place in my heart. My first home was in the little fishing village of Pennan, just a single row of houses right on the beachfront. Known mostly for the film ‘Local Hero’ and the iconic red phone box, the village feels like a little bit of magic and serenity hidden away under the cliffs. If you ever visit, make sure you walk along to the harbour for a cup of tea and cake from Coastal Cuppie, a little café run out of a wooden shed by a local lady named Shona. The Cuppie sells the yummiest baking, and you can sit right on the harbour wall above the water. Shona also makes and sells lovely sea glass crafts and fresh flowers in the summer.

Finally, could you share any upcoming projects or developments that the RYVOAN community can look forward to in the near future?

I’ll definitely be adding a new range of colourways coming into April/May time, looking towards my recent colour studies and research from the past few months. As for designs, I am planning to introduce some summer styles like V-neck tops and some more lightweight jumpers suitable for warmer weather. I am looking forward to hopefully selling more in person, I am signed up for a few makers markets and design shows so if you’d like to come and try on some knitwear keep an eye on my Instagram where I’ll be posting details about events and dates!

Where can we find your work?

Website: https://www.ryvoanknit.co.uk/

Instagram: @ryvoan.knit