From body to space: Iben Høj and the versatility of knitting

For more than two decades, knitwear designer and textile artist Iben Høj has worked primarily with machine knitting. During Kolding Design Days, there will be an opportunity to meet her and hear her talk about her career.

In the early years of her career, Iben Høj worked as a fashion designer with her own label, dressing high-profile clients including Helena Christensen, Kate Moss and Queen Mary. She has also worked as a freelance knitwear designer for brands such as Marni, Kenzo and Calvin Klein.

In more recent years, she has made her mark with spatial, sculptural installations, which have been exhibited everywhere from Salone del Mobile in Milan to Trapholt Museum in Kolding and The Future Perfect Gallery in New York.

“My career has taken me in many different directions. Of course, there is a great sense of professional pride in seeing your designs on international catwalks or dressing supermodels and royalty. But there is just as much satisfaction in knowing that my designs are still being worn and appreciated by customers 20 years later.

Today, my focus has shifted, but there is still a clear thread running from designing knitwear for the human body to creating spatial installations that interact with many bodies. My starting point is the use of thread as a form of expression, in a practice where the process itself – and the dialogue with both material and tool – helps determine the direction and the final outcome.”

Meet Iben Høj at By-Lab in central Kolding on 1 October as part of Kolding Design Days. Through her own words and images, she will tell the story of her journey from designing for the body to designing for space: how knitting can be used to create structures at human scale and beyond, and how working within constraints can be a method rather than an obstacle.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to see and experience some of her designs.

Iben Høj is also Associate Professor and Head of the Knitting Workshop at Kolding School of Design.

See the full Kolding Design Days programme here. New events are being added on an ongoing basis.