Jaimee McKenna Photographed by Maxime Ballesteros for Sleek
You know that stereotype myth of the eccentric lady at home with all her cats, happily knitting in an old, worn-out armchair? Young London-based fashion designer Jaimee McKenna is a rather cooler and more endearing version of that. Just replace the cats with rabbits, knitting needles with proper knitting machines, and add a dash of tidy. Her place is so tidy that her pet bunny Dougie, who lives underneath her desk, only relieves himself in the designated right-hand corner of his cage. Alongside the real rabbit there are several rabbit ornaments and framed rabbit illustrations adorning her flat.
“I’m the new age version of the cat obsessed person,” Jaimee exclaimed when we call in to visit. Her other big thing is knitting, as her super-structured and cobalt and navy blue all-knit MA graduate collection proves. “I’ve got four knitting machines already, including an industrial-size one, and have just bought a new one that I’m really excited about!” All that’s missing now is that Jaimee starts knitting collections exclusively for rabbits, perhaps? Dougie, whose white nose is all red from snacking on strawberries, turns his back on us as I make this suggestion. He’s clearly not impressed.
Read more about Jaimee McKenna and Sleek’s trip from Berlin to London via Amsterdam and Antwerp in the next issue of Sleek, publishing this month. Find out more information on The Search at mb! von Mercedes-Benz.