What advantages does your microfactory offer compared to traditional production?

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A major advantage is the creative freedom I have with the machine. In traditional industry, access to such machines is often very limited—they're mainly used as pure production tools. In my case, the machine becomes a creative instrument. For example, I’m currently working on a bridalwear collection with a designer from Amsterdam who already has a good understanding of industrial knitting processes. We were able to get started right away, share ideas, develop structures together, and approach the collection from a design-driven perspective.

It’s a very organic process, with ideas evolving through dialogue. We communicate informally, send each other pictures, coordinate almost daily—and that exchange leads to completely different outcomes than what’s possible in a conventional production chain. Especially in knitwear, tiny details—like a slightly different yarn or stitch structure—can completely change the look of a piece. These nuances can only be explored in close, personal collaboration, and that’s exactly what my microfactory enables.

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What does collaboration with clients look like? What can people expect?

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Each collaboration is highly individual - it really depends on what the clients bring to the table: their expertise, their vision, and their business model. Some are more experimental and look for custom-made pieces, others produce larger quantities. I adapt accordingly.

Take the Dutch label I mentioned - we’re working through an elaborate development process because they focus on high-end, one-of-a-kind pieces. The production is local, but parts of the finishing are handled by a partner atelier. We coordinate together on how to best divide the work. It always comes down to whether the collaboration makes sense for both sides—technically, time-wise, and personally. That’s something I clarify in an initial conversation. It usually becomes clear pretty quickly: Does this make sense? Are expectations realistic?

If I feel there’s a mismatch or the potential for frustration, I turn down the job. That’s become really important to me.

 

 

There’s not much personal information about you online. Would you mind telling us a little more about yourself?

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Before founding oHneH, I worked for almost seven years at a local Hamburg fashion label called DFM. I was a designer there and also helped run one of the two stores for three years. The work was very hands-on - custom tailoring, lots of cutting, pattern-making, and sewing. That’s where I realized how much more connected I feel to a product when I’m involved in both the design and the making. Doerte F. Meyer, who founded DFM, gave me a lot of freedom. It was an intense and formative time.

Knitting came into the picture when we had a piece at DFM that we couldn’t realize with cut-and-sew techniques. I thought, “We should really do this in knit.” And then I realized I actually had no idea how to knit it. That frustrated me - I wanted to figure it out. I kept getting rejections from knitting mills - “Not possible,” “Can’t be done.” I thought: “That can’t be true.” I was convinced it had to work. And that’s where it all started.

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So it was more of a personal drive than a set plan?

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Yes, absolutely. I just wanted to understand it. I had done some knitting during my final collection—giant needles, hand-dyed yarn, very physical, very raw. But this new approach came more from the question: “How far along is 3D in textile printing?” That led me to projects involving hacked knitting machines and 3D printers. But I quickly realized: that doesn’t lead to a viable production process.

Then I came across flat knitting machines -Shima Seiki and Stoll. I just called up Stoll—completely inexperienced. Mr. Knecht said, “If you’re serious, call me back.” And then he gave me the contact for a structural engineer in Brandenburg—in Letschin, near the Polish border.

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And that’s where you learned everything about knitting?

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Exactly. I just reached out - totally naive. She had two machines, more or less as a private setup, and I kept going there - regularly for two or three years. She taught me the basics. The rest I taught myself step by step - with the Stoll hotline on the phone. They were always a bit puzzled that I’d never taken a course.

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Why didn’t you do a training course?

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Because I didn’t have a plan. There was no master plan to become a knit technician. I just followed my curiosity. It was only in Brandenburg that I realized how deeply fascinated I was. The software, the machine - it felt like a challenge. I wanted to crack it.

At the same time, I was doing freelance styling jobs to earn money. I had quit DFM without a clear plan but with the thought: “I can always take on projects.” So I rented a tiny prefab apartment in Brandenburg, slept on a camping bed, and spent whole days at the machine. And that’s how I learned.