Loopilicious! Meet the Perth boys making scarves more fabulous
Juan and Luke
Partners in business and in life, Luke Dornan and Juan Vazquez set out in 2014 to make the world of neckwear more fabulous.
The duo behind Loopilicous have combined their creative flair and business savvy to create unique arm-knit scarves with recycled, limited edition fashion off-cuts and other materials – which means every piece is one of a kind.
Beginning as a relaxation exercise for Luke, he started practising arm-knitting to unwind – but after an unexpected offer to display his scarf in a store window – Loopilicious took off.
Now taking orders from around the world, we caught up with Luke and Juan to find out how the Perth team made their mark.
“It was a mixture of being very busy and physically exhausted at the end of the day – being overworked in hospitality – so I needed to sit down and relax,” Luke began.
“I started to learn how to do it from a YouTube clip and was just wearing them myself. I got lots of comments from people, so I made a few for friends.”
One day, wearing one of his creations to work in Mount Lawley, the shop owner across the road asked to buy a scarf to put in her window.
“The fact that it could be real enough for a shop was phenomenal, so I quickly made a few for her, then started to see other shops in Fremantle! It’s all about making things that are vibrant and interesting and the fact that people are loving them and they’re getting to have something unique that’s made by a guy in Perth has just been so rewarding.”
The knitwear has even gained international exposure, after a shop in Madrid saw one of the scarves and asked to stock them.
Since all of the pieces are made by hand (or, arm), Luke says he can only keep up with a few orders at a time. Juan says the increasing demand just motivates the team to make sure each piece is even more special.
Making a contact in Chile who dyes his own yarn through the Instagram hashtag #menwhoknit, Juan found another way to make sure Loopilicious was unique in its own style.
“He gets inspired by the graffiti style that he sees in the city that he lives in and takes a picture. For example, if the graffiti is in yellow, blue and green, he comes back home and he dyes one ball of yarn in those colours,” Juan said.
“I’m hoping to get on board with him next year to work together on something special.”
Looking back on the last three years, Luke and Juan say they never expected Luke’s ritual relaxation would become international fashion.
“I honestly thought that it would just be a hobby for me, and some presents… Now we’re involved in a few markets! The trend in Australia now, that we’re riding the crest of, is a push back to homemade, self-made, eco-friendly movement,” Luke said.
“To have people really excited about something that is sari silk off-cuts, that are sold as yarn in Freo, where we can purchase the yarn and give the shop back a finished scarf… I just love it.”
Check out the fashions of Loopilicious at loopilicious.com.au.
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