RAFAELA KNITWEAR Clothing · Barcelona, Spain
The last seam is her mother's
Clara Navarro Diaz turned the knitting she grew up with into a passion, and then into a label where everything is still made by hand at home.
When Clara Navarro Diaz started a label of her own, she gave it her mother's name: Rafaela. The work happens in a studio at home, stitch by stitch on manual machines, the colour dyed into the yarn by hand.
A piece takes its time
Nothing is knitted ahead. An order starts the piece, and delivery takes two to five weeks, depending on the item and how much the studio has in work. But the wait is worth it. Winter runs on a kid mohair blend with merino and nylon; summer is cotton and hand-dyed silk, and the cotton comes from leftover yarns that textile manufacturers no longer use.
Because it is all still knitted and dyed by hand, no two pieces are alike. The finished pieces all carry women's names, Olivia, Carmen, Leandra, Anita, women who have inspired Clara over the years and whom she wanted to give something back to.
Rafaela is my mother's name. The brand was born out of deep admiration for her.
The last stage is not Clara's at all. Once the knitted parts of a garment are ready, they go to her mother Rafaela for the final finish.
No piece leaves the studio without her mother's hand in it.
