Our Process
From pencil and paper to your mailbox.
Inspiration & Hand Drawn Designs
Lindsay gathers much of her inspiration from vintage textile books. She likes to saturate her mind with gorgeous color palettes, favorite motifs, and bold patterns. Design from the 1920s (everything from staircases to buttons) has inspired some of her best selling hats.
Each design begins as hand-sketched drawing. She pulls bits and pieces from her inspiration board. Vibrant colors, inviting textures, and ornate embellishments are key design elements in every handmade piece. Her drawings are then turned into CADs for the design process.
Sampling
French Knot visits and works with artisans in Nepal. Before arrival, artisans produce first samples so that Lindsay and the team can then review and make revisions and comments to finalize samples. There is a back and forth between digital and physical revisions during this process.
Hand Spinning, Dying Wools, & Hand Knitting
The production process begins with raw fibers. Wool fibers, sourced from India and South Africa, are imported to Nepal where artisans hand-spin into continuous strands. The wool is then hand-dyed to meet the requested color standards.
Once the body colors are dyed, artisans then start two-needle knitting the body shape of the accessory. Hand-knitting allows for a larger gauge and more expressive techniques with texture and pattern.
Hand Embroidery
Named after an embroidery stitch, French Knot celebrates beautiful details. Talented artisans are able to execute many different types of embroidery stitches by hand. These touches give the collection a boho-chic vibe.
Quality Control & Warehouse
The final step of the production process is reviewing each piece to make sure it has been made to spec and design requirements. Lindsay sits with the quality control group and helps inspect pieces for fit, color, and accuracy.
Finished hats are then shipped to us directly from Nepal. We fulfill each order by hand and mail straight to you from our Indiana warehouse.