You have a couple of Instagram accounts of which you truly look forward to see what they will post next. For me, the “I Love Mr. Mittens” account of Stéphanie Caulier is definitely one of them. The brand “I Love Mr. Mittens” however is so much more than an Instagram account with an excellent sense of style. It’s currently one of the most beautiful Belgian born knitting brands on the market.
Even though the idea for this Belgian brand originated in a knitting café in New York, I Love Mr. Mittens is based in Australia -jealous!- where Stéphanie ended up after following love. The year-round collections are based out of sweaters, scarfs and hats and are made with only the best materials. That is carefully selected Peruvian cotton and wool in custom-made colors. In stead of outsourcing production, the pieces are locally made in collaboration with retirees. Beautiful, responsible and unique, what more do you want?
I’m a fan of the minimalistic esthetic that is carried throughout the brand. “Less is more” she tells me, “A simple design and beautiful colors create a piece that can be worn every day and for every occasion”. I couldn’t agree more! That Stéphanie is a very visual person is quite clear so it’s no surprise that she gets inspired by photos, blogs, stylings and more. I love that she has a stash of forties-fifties and sixties patterns to go through for inspiration. But most of all she loves to experiment “New stitches and making mistakes can sometimes lead to the best new designs”.
But then I wondered, isn’t Australia pretty damn warm? Stéphanie confirms that even though the winters aren’t quite as cold as they are here, people start to sweater up much sooner than we do here. The brand however is picking up really well even now, when it’s full on summer in Perth. As an expert at crummy Belgian weather, she became a go-to brand for Aussies traveling to Europe. One of my favorite bloggers in particular, Zanita, chose I Love Mr. Mittens to take on her latest trip to Stockholm. “Apparently Zanita found it difficult to find sweaters that fit her so we adapted to the Wool Boxy jumper for her” Stéphanie says.
Of course it’s not only Aussies that are going crazy about the brand. Bloggers worldwide are popping up with a ILMM sweater. More recently another favorite blogger of mine, Mija, posted a look. But also Lizzy Van de Ligt, Jessie Bush of We The People and Jasmin of Friend in Fashion all love it. “Everybody is super excited about the brand. I actually prefer seeing my design beautifully styled on bloggers and in shoots than having to post pictures of myself”.
So Stéphanie, welcome back to Belgium and thank you for the interview. Thankfully you own a knitting brand to stop you from freezing while adjusting back to the weather.
You can shop I Love Mr. Mittens online here and in the pop-up shop that is open until the 22nd of December (from wednesday till sunday) or until they are sold out. I went home with the yellow Ribble and am absolutely in love with it!
All the photos are of the pop-up shop, taken by me. The flyer is by I Love Mr. Mittens.
