Knitted accessories label Granny's Finest to relaunch

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Sep 21, 2018

Knitted accessories label Granny’s Finest is set to relaunch after its bankruptcy in June.

Dutch entrepreneur Carolien Kernkamp has taken over the company from former owners Jip Pulles and Niek van Hengel. The label's new online store will launch on 1 October 2018, Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad reports. 

Kernkamp told the newspaper that she aims to make Granny’s Finest more sustainable in the future: “I would like to use European wool, from local breeds, that are animal-friendly and fair trade. I believe very much in the product. It is really of this time. People are tired of trends. They want timeless fashion. [The new concept of] Granny's Finest fits the direction of local and artisanal products.”

In June, when Granny’s Finest filed for bankruptcy, the label cited high material and logistics costs as the reason for shutting down. Kernkamp now tells Algemeen Dagblad that she wants to focus on cost-saving measures such as the location of the concept store and its storage space. Prior to the bankruptcy, Granny’s Finest was located at Mariniersweg, in the city centre of Rotterdam, and storage space was located at Europoort. From now on the stock will be stored at a space in Amsterdam belonging to a fellow entrepreneur known to Kernkamp, the newspaper said.

The Granny's Finest initiative started in the city of Rotterdam. In addition to offering accessories, the company also operated as a social enterprise, partnering the elderly with young people, who worked together on the design and production of hand-knitted fashion accessories for men, women and newborns. 

In 2017, Granny’s Finest operated 46 knitting groups, with a total of about 800 elderly volunteers, who helped expand the brand. As a result, the company was also active in Utrecht, The Hague and Amsterdam. In December 2017, Granny’s Finest opened its first brand store, a 290-square-meter retail space in the city centre of Rotterdam. The label was also available at department store chain de Bijenkorf and via its own online store.