BAKKA

My name is Mary Macgregor. I produce luxury contemporary Fair Isle knitted textiles: where traditional Shetland knitwear heritage meets modern functionality. My aim in creating this business is to promote and help preserve the cultural heritage of a uniquely Shetland product, Fair Isle knitwear. I believe that the only way to preserve a tradition is to contemporarise it, to use it.

Drawing my inspiration from the oldest traditional patterns held in the collections of the Museums of Shetland and Edinburgh, and faithfully replicating the colours of the past, I produce my textiles from the world leader in 100% superfine merino yarn.

I have succeeded in applying a two-colour knitting technique to more than two colours while maintaining perfect selvedges in the pieces, my reversibie Fair Isle fabric. I believe that it is an important development because it eliminates the loops on the reverse of the fabric, so annoying in traditional Fair Isle textiles. Instead the reverse side has the same design as the front but with the colours inverted. 

The resulting textiles are silky-soft and durable, yet affordable, and are a true contemporary celebration of Shetland's rich textile heritage. 

I sell from a mobile shop, the BAKKA van, on certain days in Lerwick, or at home, Bakka on the west mainland. 

If you are a tour group visiting Shetland, I would be delighted to bring the BAKKA van to your hotel and give you a small talk of an evening and you can visit the collections inside the mobile shop.