Podcast Episode #224: Julie Robinson

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On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about knitwear design with my guest, Julie Robinson.

A more inclusive fiber industry isn’t just possible, it’s a necessity. 

Designer and educator Julie Robinson is leading through example. Julie is known for publishing fashion-forward knitting patterns in an inclusive size range. And her courses on the creative and technical aspects of knitwear design are training a new generation of technical editors and knitwear designers how to do the same.

Julie spent over a decade in New York City as a fashion designer and product developer for top brands. A life-long crafter, Julie was inspired to pursue a career in fashion to learn everything she could about making clothes. Her curiosity has led her to work on a wide variety of products including sweaters (of course), dresses, socks, and even augmented reality costumes. 

Now she’s sharing what she has learned from her career in fashion with fellow fiber enthusiasts.

This episode is sponsored by The Academy for Virtual Teaching.

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One of Julie’s rope necklaces.

In this interview, we start with Julie talking about her childhood and her love of fashion design. Julie went to Parson’s for college to fully immerse herself in the world of fashion and when she graduated she began working for a variety of companies in a design role. She says that in college, the focus was on developing your own unique voice and style, while in the workforce fashion is actually a group effort with less room for the individual’s unique voice.

Julie’s Penelope Tee

Julie began experimenting with making jewelry out of rope wrapped in fabric. She did some markets in the New York City area and that was the beginning of her own independent business under the Julie at Work brands. Recently, she’s gotten away from jewelry-making and instead has focused on knitwear design, grading, and teaching. Her first online course was in collaboration with The Tech Editor Hub. More recently, she’s launched Pattern Grading Bootcamp on her own website and she has a new course on creativity coming soon.

Julie’s Pattern Grading Bootcamp course

Julie is an avid trend watcher and she wrote a trend report for us earlier this year. She talks about where she looks to understand fashion trends.

And, of course, I ask Julie to recommend great stuff she’s loving right now. Julie recommends:

Keep up with Julie on her website and on Instagram to see what she’s up to.

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