|
 We recently enjoyed a visit with Maggie Jackson of the famous Irish brand, Maggiknits. It was a fantastic experience to see and feel her latest garments, and to talk to her about her career, her design perspective and how she rose to become one of the most respected knitting pattern designers today. She has a unique approach to her creations…and to her rise to fame. We’re delighted to present our interview with Maggie, a talented and determined woman who literally left the farm to achieve celebrity in the fashion world.
Knitch: You’re credited with being the first fashion designer to set up in Northern Ireland. Can you tell us how that environment, and your experience in it, affected you?
Maggie: When you are young you think you are infallible. Only when I had my children did I realize how much my parents worried about me. Their constant torture of knowing where I was and who with came home to me. For over 35 years of it you had to just try to live a normal life not knowing if you could be caught in a bomb shopping, caught in cross fire and generally in the wrong place at the wrong time. Every shop you went into your bags were searched, causing lines but you just accepted as part of everyday living.
Only on the first Maggie’s Ireland Knitting Retreat during peace time when we had a guide go through the history of the troubles did I realize more what we had come through and I had to walk away because the tears were tripping me, realizing what we had lived through. You had to block so much out and try to continue living through some horrendous and sad times.
Yes…Iiving through it, you had to have a special determination to succeed in a difficult career. One competition I won I was flown to London for the prize giving and to meet the other English prize winners. Their attitude to me was horrible because Northern Ireland was not a place where anyone could be a Fashion Designer and compete Internationally. We didn’t even have a model agency at that time!! They were bitter because of the troubles and English soldiers being killed there, which I could understand.
But their mockery and horrible words made me say to myself that we weren’t all tarred with the same brush and I was going to prove to them that there could be Fashion designed in Northern Ireland and we could compete.
Knitch: It was that sort of determination that has made you so successful today. Is that also what compelled you to achieve the highest marks ever awarded at The College of Art and Design you attended?
Maggie: Well, after leaving a farm and hitting the high life in Belfast city, I enjoyed three years of partying at College. This was even though in the 70’s we were in the height of our troubles in Belfast.
 During those first three years, I concentrated on working with fabrics, not knitwear. When I specialized in Fashion Knitwear during my Post-Grad work, I won several National and International competitions, the biggest one judged by Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Knitmaster and Bill Gibb. From that contest in 1977, I got my first TV debut and press coverage.
Knitch: What were you working on at that time?
Maggie: I was experimenting with dyeing yarn, printing on knitting, industrial and domestic machine knitting. As a student you could spend four weeks doing one garment…something I quickly learned on leaving was not going to make me much money!!! I had found my niche and instead of leaving early to go partying, I was being thrown out of College late at night so they could lock it up!
Knitch: Today you're renowned for your simple -- but amazingly stylish -- patterns that are created in easy modules. This is really what distinguishes you from other designers. How did you develop this style?
Maggie: I always explain that I am a Fashion designer who knits as opposed to a knitwear designer. I developed Ready-to-Wear for 25 years. In that world, a sweater had to have ‘hanger appeal’ and be comfortable on the buyer. The drape, wearability, coloring for me had to appeal to all ages and all sizes.
I am shocked in the United States to see so many knitters who never wear their pieces they have knit. I have never designed anything that couldn’t be worn; my fashion business wouldn’t have lasted very long!
I’ve had to tone down some of my designs to fit into the “knitting world” as opposed to the “fashion world.” On travelling across the USA, doing Fashion Shows and teaching classes in stores and at the Stitches Show, I made additional adaptations. I altered them so knitters could have fun with knitting, do larger pieces in squares, and actually wear the piece they made.
  It’s so important to have fun with knitting. I don’t care what cast-on method you use so long as it’s neat. If someone commented on a cast-on on one of my designs, I would give up. It’s about what’s in between the cast-on and cast-off that should attract the eye. For the knitter, it has to be interesting so they’ll complete the project.
Photo left: Tweed shawl with triangles.
Many stores have a Maggi club were they knit their Maggiknits all together. When finished they have a Maggi night out somewhere so they can show off what they’ve made. It’s a time target, so they have to complete what they’re making to go out with the group. Some have gone to the races, a chocolate factory, the theatre, or to a nice dinner.
Knitch: What a great way to celebrate their accomplishment! Speaking of accomplishments, you have an astonishing list of credits. Can you tell us about them?
Maggie: Since leaving College in 1977, I have designed somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 knitting patterns. When I did ready to wear, I used to do about 90 twice a year. I also did freelance design work on machines in fine cashmere and lambswool.
For five years, I designed and made a knitted evening dress for Miss Ireland in the Miss World competition. The second year, they introduced fashion judges and I got 2nd out of 100 even though at the beginning the organisers didn’t want her to wear it. They thought a knitted evening gown wasn’t appropriate!!
I’ve had 17 books published in the USA, Maggie’s Ireland being the big one. It was photographed by the superb Alexis Xenadis.
 Today, Books 4, 5, 11 and 15 are out of print and selling for between $125 and $350 on the Internet. Crazy and unbelievable to this wee farmer’s daughter!
Currently, I’m producing free patterns for knitters who buy the Maggiknits yarn. Our latest -- and very popular -- kits include the specially designed coordinating buttons. They’re featured on our web site.
Knitch: Of all the patterns you've ever created, which one is the most popular? And which one is your favorite?
Maggie: Over all these years there have been many top sellers. One of the top best sellers is the La Alhambra in Book 11, which is now out of print. But we’re doing the pattern as a kit with buttons. This pattern can be worn three different ways and has a great drape.
Another top seller is the Camas bolero in Book 15, which is also out of print. But the pattern is available free with the purchase of yarn.
These designs are probably so popular because they suit all ages and sizes.
 Right now, the Trellis Scarf kit with the coordinating buttons is flying out the door. This is another one that can be seen on my web site.
As a designer, nothing gives me more pleasure on putting a sample on someone, no matter what age or size and they feel like a million dollars in it. This is one that sits on their shoulders neatly, doesn’t move, great if they are at work under ventilation or they’re in a restaurant or church.
Photo left: MaggiKnits Trellis Tweed Shawl.
My favorite? My mind changes on that all the time! Most recent is the Tweed Shawl with Triangles because the buttons are fab and the new Irish Tweed colors look great in it. Again, it’s perfect for all sizes and ages and is a simple knit.
My excitement is when I return to a store or at Stitches and see knitters who are overjoyed to show me their finished Maggiknit and tell me all the wonderful comments they’ve received. Even strangers will compliment them! That makes them feel like a million dollars. Lately two customers have told me they made complete ensembles with the skirt and felt guilty at a wedding because they were getting more attention than the bride!!
Knitch: One reviewer of Maggie's Ireland: Designer Knits on Location wrote on Amazon, "Beyond mere function (warmth and protection from the elements) the spun fleece of goats, rabbits, llamas, and fat little sheep and lambs have the potential to become wearable works of art, with all the aesthetic leaps of faith that implies." She then goes on to write, “This is a book full of inspiration for those who require inspiration before committing their time, energy, and the fleece of some generous animal to hours of focus and imagination." This is quite a tribute from one of your admirers. Are you often surprised at how positive many of your reviews are, and at how much knitters appreciate the artistry of your designs?
Maggie: Still after 34 years in business, I get emotional seeing people wearing my designs, and hearing their excitement as they tell me about their experiences. They can be in an Airport, walking the streets in Sweden, at a wedding, or wherever, and they’re approached by people who know it’s a Maggiknit. Or they’re approached by people just admiring the garment. They feel pride in saying they made it themselves. One commented, “It was the first time my husband noticed anything in 17 years of marriage!”
It’s about making people feel good about themselves. Once, after a class, a woman approached me and said she was an alcoholic and I had saved her life. I was shocked. She said she knit but was so bored with the same old thing. Then someone introduced her to Maggiknits. She said it was so exciting and different she just knit one after the other and it kept her sane. I cried.
 Knitch: That’s something that must make you feel tremendously proud. You should also feel pride in your contribution to craftspeople in your homeland. Your use of genuine Donegal Tweeds is a wonderful way for you to support them. Can you tell us about this yarn and what makes it so special?
Maggie: Our Maggi’s Irish Tweed is true Irish Tweed, started and finished in Ireland. That makes it special and softer, just like Irish Linen was, which is no longer produced there. Like many textile companies as in the USA they have closed due to labor costs being higher than in Asian countries, for example.
I am so proud that this small factory in a tiny village is carrying on the tradition started over one hundred years ago, surviving outbreaks of famine in the mid 1890s, to today -- a team of twenty-one people still using those skills passed down through many generations. The original Donegal Tweed was influenced by the scenic beauty of the landscape surrounding it.
A genuine “Donegal” should contain 100% wool, spun using the traditional method, resulting in a homespun quality whose flecks are permanently attached and shall not fall out even after several years of wear. When I first used Donegal Tweed in my Ready-To-Wear collection over twenty-five years ago they were so rural their telephone number was Donegal 2.
Our customers who have worked with it are raving about it and we have just got in new colors.
Knitch: If you hadn’t gone into fashion, what do you think you’d be doing right now?
Maggie: Definitely still in a creative career, maybe interiors. I am a Leo and they tend to be stronger in the creative fields and are known to be good leaders. We’re bossy, which is probably why I have always been self- employed!!
Knitch: You are admired by knitters worldwide. Tell us, outside of the knitting community, who do you admire most?
Maggie: It has to be my mum. She coped with farm life, long hours and four children, then grandchildren and great grandchildren . In all of this, no matter what I needed -- kids looked after, knitting, sewing, cooking for my first Fashion Shows -- she did it without any complaints. She is fair minded, always looking at both sides, loving, caring. If I am half the person she has been in all her now 76 years then I will be a great person. Of course, I also admire my late father who wanted me to be a teacher -- a good safe secure job, -- NOT a Fashion Designer. How was I going to get a job in the troubles? Also, he was convinced that Art College was nothing but drug addicts and hippies in the 1970s. I think I have his Irish sense of humor, though!
 Knitch: What do you think your mother would say about her daughter becoming an international celebrity whose award-winning designs are treasured by knitters throughout the world?
Maggie: My mum, my kids, my family, and my friends in Ireland have seen all the books and have met people on the Maggie’s Ireland Retreats. But they have no idea of my status in the industry in the USA. They’ve been told by others, but to them I am a mother, sister, daughter… I like it that way. It keeps me grounded. In Ireland, I had been in a lot of press, Radio and TV for my designs and career before coming to the USA so they were used to some of that.
Knitch: Yes, you’ve left Northern Ireland and are now living in the United States. How is that working out for you? Has it affected your creative energies?
Maggie: I will always I think have the same creative energies no matter where I am, though I do have influences around me in stitches and color. This can be seen, for example, in the books when I lived in Spain for four years…the brighter colors and stitches inspired by the Spanish Flamingo dancers, the rows of olive trees, and bullfighters. Also being a Fashion Designer I am inspired by the Fashion Trends from the catwalks in New York, Paris, Milan, and London. Today, that is so easy to find on the Internet.
I still go home about every three months. I can’t stay away from family any longer: mum, kids, grandkids, et cetera. So I am still getting my Irish influences.
Isn’t the Internet wonderful? Skype and web cam! I just got that set up so I could talk and see the grandkids. However, the first response from six year old Curtis was, “Granny Maggie, your hair is a mess!!”
I told him I just got up, to which he responded that I was very lazy. He didn’t get the five hour time difference!
Knitch: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself?
Maggie: I’m Irish! How many books do you want to write about me?
I’d like to thank American knitters for giving me this opportunity to further my career in their country and for all the support and hugs they give me…as I miss my family hugs! I’d like to thank them for making Maggiknits and Maggie Jackson what it is today.
I'd also like to thank my business partner and friend, Mary Bell, for her support...and for dragging me to Kalamazoo, MI. Of course, Mary wouldn't live in a more exciting place...not that Kalamazoo is bad. But people ask me all the time, "Why, oh why Kalamazoo?"
Knitch: I have to confess, I wondered that, too. Now we can think of you when we sing Glen Miller's, "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo." As an Irish cailin in the mid-western United States, do you miss mushy peas?
Maggie: Silly question!!! Yes, I do.
Many thanks to Maggie Jackson for speaking with Knitch Magazine. She’s a very busy woman and we appreciate that she spent so much time with us.
|
