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Born from frustration about past experiences within the textile industry and its unwillingness to stray from the status quo, Suzanne Oude Hengel founded Knit in Motion (KiM). Her goal: to push boundaries, experiment, and challenge the way things are done. KiM breaks down traditional notions of knitting by questioning, examining, and rethinking the craft and its applications, going off the beaten track to explore new territory within textile design.
Suzanne’s graduation project (ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem), “Loop Coloured Feet” (2015), explores the potential of using knitting as an alternative material in footwear. It represents a starting point for many ideas that she continues to investigate including rethinking production methods, reviving older techniques, and focusing on craftsmanship.
A tube and the shape of a sock were the starting point for “Santoni” (created at Santoni in Shanghai in 2016). Working with circular knitting machines allowed Suzanne to develop a different approach to thinking about shape.
»Working with circular knitting machines allowed Suzanne to develop a different approach to thinking about shape.«
For their 50th anniversary, Suzanne was among Timberland’s chosen collaborators for “Timberland Future 73”. Launched at Milan Design Week 2023, the collection opens with the brand’s classic styles and blends them with her world of unexpected colour and material choices, resulting in a reimagined vision for the brand as well as the application of knitted textiles.
»I believe that true innovation comes from a curious and iterative design process.«
Suzanne Oude Hengel
Suzanne’s ongoing research “Spacers” (since 2018) looks at the potential of using weft knitting technology to create spacers. Research includes experimenting with different materials, densities, and final applications. Projects like Timberland Future 73 draw from this body of research, illustrating completely different end-uses for this innovative knitted material.
With “Welded Loop”, Knit in Motion and Studio Joris de Groot collaboratively explore the innovative use of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) in shoe design by integrating knitting, welding, and 3D printing techniques. Inspired by the discovery of TPU at the Techtextil fair in Frankfurt, the project harnesses the material’s versatility and recyclability. By integrating knitting, welding, and 3D printing, “Welded Loop” not only seeks to innovate shoe design but also aims to inspire new applications and combinations of techniques in textile and material processing, paving the way for future advancements.
»Inspired by the discovery of TPU at the Techtextil fair in Frankfurt, the project harnesses the material’s versatility and recyclability.«
Modularity is not a new concept. For decades, it has shaped architecture, furniture and industrial design. Applying it to soft textiles, however, opens up an entirely new discussion.
Creativity and curiosity have always been our driving force. Our work evolves through prototypes—never finished, always raising new questions about materials, processes, and possibilities.
Both the fashion and textile industry often celebrates creativity. Yet many of the industry’s creative decisions are made long before a designer ever begins designing. Colour being one of them. The thing is, by the time a designer selects yarn, someone else has already determined the available colours, sequences and combinations. Choice exists, but only within boundaries.
“Through hands-on experimentation, I explore the potential of new surfaces and alternative forms of leather, aiming to reconnect human life with the natural world as an interconnected fabric.”
