To be honest – I am no different from any clothing designer – in the begging, we all make our ideas physically come to life. We all draw sketches and handwriting patterns, lichen fabrics, sew, knit and embroider. And there is nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, I consider it a virtue. To have the opportunity to go through all of this, because this can truly teach the creation of art. To feel the variety of fabrics:  diversity of compositions, thicknesses,  to different treatments or the uses in manufacturing. I think that every true designer must have an understanding of fabrics and materials. Knowledge without practice is like a flower without water.

In the begging,  when we had just created the brand “Rūkė”, I was the one doing all the work. I was handwriting patterns, counted loops and rows, knitted, disassembled and knitted again. I had to work quickly, because orders had to be filled and I had to create new models that were popping up in my mind like popcorn. Sweaters were sewn by hand, therefore the manufacturing process would take ever longer. Later, when I felt like I could not take it anymore, because all of my time was given to fulfilling orders and I had absolutely no time to  create, I decided that I should forward the manufacturing process to somebody else.

At the time, we started to look for someone that could help us with these orders. Here, the “fun” part started… everywhere we asked, the quantities were just too large. We did not feel like we could make hundreds of units of a single model, the same size and the same color.  And what about all the other ware? We found a couple of places that could manufacture single pieces, but the deadlines were disappointing, we had to wait at least a month. At that point, it seemed to us like we had hit rock bottom. I wanted to burst into tears.

Until one day, everything changed. A woman knocked at my door, we started talking. Out of the blue, just before saying goodbye, she asks me something about knitting machine needles. Finally, we found out that she owns a knitting machine and that she would be willing to learn to knit at her free time. At that moment, it seemed like I had just won the lottery! My life became bright ant colorful again. A new stage of RŪKĖ had just begun. Of course, there were still lessons to be learned and reels of thread to be ruined, but just knowing that we had found our path in this world was worth the price.

Thus… products of the brand RŪKĖ is manufactured by women, living in Lithuania, who absolutely love knitting. The ware is made by a knitting machine or simply handmade. The labels are made in a company, in which 50% of the employees have a physical disability. And what I love the most about this – all the labels are handmade.  We love what we do and we care about how and who does all of this.

Source: Ruke.lt EN