Sara Brand-New, Swanville
Yoga teacher, knitting activist, ballet mom. Spotted in Belfast. (Yes, that’s her real name.)
Textiles: I knit, mostly with wool, every day, often translating sweater patterns into gowns I wear with Converse or boots. It took me two years to make a cream Aran turtleneck dress I designed: by the time I was done, Karl Lagerfeld had showed one on the Chanel runway. My latest creation was inspired by a patchwork Missoni.
Influences: Growing up, the whole hippie aesthetic was big in my Midwestern church. In third grade, a girl came back from Boston with a pair of Swedish clogs, which I still love.
Colors: I studied textiles in Guatemala, did yoga training in Mexico and India. In all those cultures, people put vibrant shades together: orange with red and pink.
Rules: You can be practical and also glamorous. I walk, bike, and snowshoe dressed like a ’70s groupie.
Seasons: I worship the sun. I’ve probably crocheted 15 bikinis, which I top with diaphanous, packable silk dresses or Levi’s cut-offs. In the summertime, your jewelry should weigh more than your clothes.
Plans: My family and I are hosting a music festival on our farm in August, an ultimate expression of bohemian living.
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