The Hounds of Love
Photography by Lillian Humphreys
Not every item of clothing is so magnetic that people are pulled to you, physically unable to keep their distance because of the creation before them. No other article in my wardrobe has such a spellbinding effect as my Hounds of Love Jumper. It's spun from beautiful, rich, camel wool emblazoned with two dogs across the chest. The mirror image of each other, vibrating like the enlightened beings any canine lover knows they not so secretly are. It's the kind of piece that is instantly recognizable to those in the know. Women have b-lined for me on many occasions, reacting to my jumper as if it were foretold of in an ancient prophecy. The common thread amongst all these interactions is they are also disciples of Alexa Chung's eponymous brand that was gone too soon but has certainly not been forgotten. These kindred spirits regale me with tales of their own ALEXACHUNG collections and the pieces that remain elusive to this day, of which my sweater often tops their list.
In an attempt to get to the bottom of the spellbinding allure, I spoke to fellow devotee Danielle Jago, whose TikTok I came across when she chronicled finding her own Hounds of Love jumper. She described it as her white whale and had been in hot pursuit of it for almost a year. Now that the jumper is safely in her grasp, and on display like any prized hunt, I wanted to ask her some questions about what made the hounds so elusive for her.
I: What drew you to the ALEXACHUNG Hounds of Love jumper in the first place?
D: I’m a huge Alexa Chung fan. Photos of her are probably half of my Pinterest pins, and I saw her in the sweater in one of the photos and knew I had to find it.
I: What is it about Alexa Chung that you particularly resonate with?
D: Her style is alternative but classic, chic but with ease. She’s a walking dichotomy, I swear, and it just works.
I: How did you acquire the jumper?
D: It took ages to find that sweater. It’s from Alexa Chung’s discontinued clothing line, so I could only acquire it secondhand, and it’s a pretty sought-after item which made it tougher. I tirelessly search for things I fixate on, so the search for this sweater was consuming. I set Google Alerts, eBay alerts, The Real Real alerts, Vestiaire alerts, and I personally checked all of those platforms for it once a day until I found it (eight months later).
I: How does the jumper make you feel?
D: Oh, it’s a treasure. It makes me feel so happy to wear it.
I: Do you own any other ALEXACHUNG pieces? Were you a big fan of the brand?
D: I do! I have several of her sweaters and am still on the hunt for a few things I hope will surface eventually.
I: Which other ALEXACHUNG sweaters do you have?
D: I have the blue sweater with the chess pieces on the chest, and I have a couple striped cardigan sweaters of hers as well!
I: Do you see yourself keeping the Hounds of Love sweater forever, or do you think you’ll eventually pass it on or sell it?
D: I’ll keep it until it’s a threadbare shell of itself.
I: Is there anything about the knitwear from ALEXACHUNG that makes it particularly coveted in your eyes?
D: For me, Alexa Chung is a style icon. I love her sensibility. Everything she produces just has this innate coolness to it.
My own Hounds of Love jumper also came across my path in a kismet way, as the most magical things do. I had been a long time fan of the ALEXACHUNG brand. The first piece I ever purchased from them was an irreverent Hawaiian printed tuxedo shirt. I spotted it at Liberty on a trip to London whilst I was living in Paris. Years later, after monitoring every ground shaking tremor unleashed from their office aka the epicenter of the world, one unassuming instagram scroll would stop me in my tracks. Alexa announced they would be shuttering the brand. I was thoroughly gutted to say the least. There was one strange silver lining though. There was to be a closing sample sale, and get this, it was right around the corner from my flat in Paris. Now for the life of me, I can not tell you why, the London based brand was doing a sample sale of their stock in the middle of Le Marais. It probably had something to do with some Brexist conundrum. But I find, when you are bestowed with a gift such as unencumbered access to the swan song of one of your favourite brands, don't question it, just be grateful.
One of my top sample sale tips as someone who would consider myself very lucky is to have a look at all of the brand's previous offerings and come up with a few items that you would die to find. This allows you to b-line to what you are after and in general I have been extremely pleased with my results using this method. Since this was the brand's closing sale, I had a look through their archives but deep down I already knew what I had my heart set on. I had just completed my bachelors in fashion design specializing in knitwear. I always had a real reverence for knitwear before, but after seeing what goes into turning a spool of yarn into a fully thought out 3D garment, it will forever be hallowed in my eyes. I had first spotted the object of my affection when the Joan collection was first released in 2019 but didn't get my hands on it at the time. But I knew it was now or never and the Hounds of Love sweater was at the top of my list.
So on the somber morning of the sample sale, I sauntered over before the doors opened. By the time they were unlocked, a crowd had coalesced and we all funneled through. I took in my surroundings and saw a sign pointing to knitwear in another room. Slipping through, I saw a table piled high with gorgeous sweaters that captivated the minds of so many. But I was on a mission and determined to not be distracted. Under one of the tables, in an unassuming plastic crate, I spotted some friendly faces. I unearthed the jumper which I had been so keen on finding and even more miraculously it was in my size. That sweater did not leave my side throughout the rest of my jaunt through the temporary museum of items I had only seen in lookbooks and on Youtube. To be honest, it didn't leave my side until long after that either. Now since then, my life has not unfolded in ways that I would have predicted. Something I have found particularly interesting is how certain things pop up like little signs and lead you to unexpected places. In the years since, I have met many people who have been tied to this interest of mine. Whether it be fellow aficionados or people who worked tirelessly to bring this world to life that continues to live on long after its glory days, rippling throughout time and space, changing those who have felt its seismic shifts. The greatest gift of my ALEXACHUNG collection is the moments when I look across a room and see a fellow person who gets it. When you lock eyes and know you share a similar interest to someone, there is an energetic lightning strike and from that moment who knows what could happen next or where it could take you.
For example, in an extremely serendipitous moment, I recently happened to cross paths with Alexa Chung on my commute and had the opportunity to tell her about my article. In my quick debrief with Ms.Chung, she informed me that the sweater has a latin name. Unfortunately, when she told me this old world incantation it went in one ear and out the other. But the press release for the collection said that “Non Ducor, Duco” was emblazoned across T Shirts so I am using scholarly inference to assume that this is what she was referring to. Translation for those of us who have not kept up with our ancient tongues: I am not led, I lead. A very apropos message from the woman who's sartorial smoke signals digitally wallpapered the coming of age of a generation of girls for which she has become the blueprint. The aim of the collection was to explore powerful women, from Joan of Arc to Kate Bush whose song and album Hounds of Love inspired the design and name of my jumper. Fun fact, Hounds of Love was the first album where Kate Bush stepped into her power and took full creative control. Her previous record Dreaming was received with mixed critical acclaim, resulting in Kate deciding that she didn't care about fame or accolades. As a result, she decided she was going to create exactly what she wanted to, from her home studio, without compromise. A different kind of bravery from a young Joan leading troops through battle but harrowing nonetheless. On the cover of the album Bush is photographed with two Weimaraners named Bonnie and Clyde. Rumor has it, she borrowed them from a friend, much like how I borrowed my four legged editorial costar, Toby, from a neighbor.
Now to really get to the bottom of things, I could think of no one better to talk to than Emma Jethwa. She was not only the head of knitwear at ALEXACHUNG, but boasts many more accolades on her resume. Working for brands such as Chloé, J.W. Anderson, Martine Rose, and Wales Bonner just to name a few, she is now the founder of burgeoning brand ASME (pronounced as-me).
I: What was the inspiration behind The Hounds of Love jumper?
E: I remember it was a bit of a montage. It was a cross between this gorgeous vintage jumper we found and some vintage wallpaper Alexa loved. So it was an amalgamation of the two. Alexa drew out the dogs, we used a lot of her illustrations throughout the collection.
I: What was your favourite piece of knitwear that you designed overall for the ALEXACHUNG brand?
E: In the second or the third collection, we did this oversized jumper that was a face but it was an abstract face with eyes and a nose which had a little bit of color blocking. That was a really successful jumper. It was quite grungy in a way because it had very wide sleeves and a raw edge kinda tubular look. That seemed like quite an early iconic Alexa jumper. Cause I think Alexa, was also photographed wearing it at Glastonbury which really boosted its sales. In the early days, I think that's one of the pieces that really stands out the most. That was probably one of our first really successful jumpers. And then kinda towards the end of the collection, we did this irregular stripe that looked a bit like a zebra, it looked a bit like an animal print knitted as an intarsia. It felt a bit punk cause it had an 80s kinda schoolboy shrunken feeling to it. That was successful.
I: What do you think makes people so passionate about collecting ALEXACHUNG? Why do you think no other item in my wardrobe has made people come up to me with such passion and conviction and share their own stories about the brand?
E: Oh god this is a tricky one. (laughs) I think the reason Alexa’s knitwear was so successful was cause there wasn't anything too complicated about it. They were easy to wear. They had an identity to them which was enough to make an outfit. Brightening it up without taking it over. It was enough of a statement without it being overpowering. They were quite easy jumpers but they still had a fun element or something interesting about them. It seemed like the right balance between a bit of fun novelty and wearability.
I: What made you first get into knitwear?
E: I have always loved music and fashion - for me they go hand in hand. From a very early age, I was curious about music artists and the image they portray. I think it comes from a feeling that you get from listening to music you love. It can be very powerful. The exploration of all things knitted started when I was living with my grandparents. My nan taught me how to knit, darn, sew & embroider from the age of five or six. I didn’t have any siblings and so I would lose myself in creating things, usually wearable with these new found skills. They stayed with me through art college when I was more interested in becoming a textile artist. I travelled with two friends, who I met at art college and we decided to document our experiences through different mediums - sketching, photography, weaving. From this, I produced a body of work that later I used to get into St Martins for a textile degree. It was at this time that I focused more on knitting again. Through the love of music and fashion, I naturally became more focused on knitting.
I: Have you ever encountered one of your designs in the wild? Or were you ever surprised by someone wearing something you created, whether it be for ALEXACHUNG or another brand?
E: I have seen something I created in the wild and it's always quite funny. There's part of me that thinks awww that worked. Somebody likes it and you feel quite happy that you've done your job. And then there's another part that is just kinda embarrassing.
I: I feel like we're always our worst critics, you know. I feel like whenever you've seen something you've made, you're like ahh I would have done that differently now.
E: Absolutely, Absolutely! So yeah I think it's a kinda two pronged moment.
I: You've had a truly remarkable career. Designing for everyone including Chloé, Burberry, JW Anderson, Mugler, Wales Bonner and Martine Rose. Having worked for so many brands what makes for the best design teams? When you look back on your best creative collaborations, what went into the teams to make them the ones that stand out?
E: I think the teams that work the best are the teams who don't take themselves too seriously and can have fun with what they're doing. And also, people who can communicate clearly and just be open and honest. I think you need to be able to have fun with what you are doing. I think that's what really works with Martine, her collections are fun, the team is really lovely and she, Martine, is amazing also. She has a great sense of humor and I think it really shows through her collection. I think you've just got to really enjoy what you're doing. Open dialogue is important because when you are creating things, you need to be able to be critical in a kind way. And also you need to be able to accept criticism as well and not take things personally because at the end of the day, it's a job. I think the teams that I've worked with the best are the people who I’ve got on really well with and we've had a laugh doing it. Those people have become really good friends outside of work as well. I'm still really good friends with people who I worked with at Chloé about 20 years ago. We still meet up and we all still class each other as great friends.
I: What excites you about knitwear today?
E: What excites me about knitwear in general is the endless possibilities. I think the peak of knitwear is when you are designing the actual swatches. It's kinda a little bit like chemistry almost: depending on what color, what size yarn, how you knit it, what components you add, or whether you steam it or felt it. There are so many different processes, so many different types of yarn and obviously so many different colors but you've only got two stitches, knit and pearl. But there are infinite possibilities with all of these combinations. There's just so much that can be done through all of these different processes and that's what excites me. I really like the challenges of pushing the possibilities of how a yarn is usually used. For example, when I was at Burberry, when I was working for Christopher Bailey, he really wanted everything to feel really really luxurious. So we had to use very very high priced yarn like 100% silk and cashmere. He wanted everything to be super elevated. It was at the same time when Phoebe Philo had just gone to Celine. There was this real push for using real technical fabrics but he really needed everything to be in cashmere. But how do you make this beautiful super soft cashmere or this lovely soft silk yarn feel technical and modern? And so we would spend weeks at the factory for development and we would kinda play around using lycra with it and different techniques to find ways for how our knitwear could stand alongside everything that was kinda on trend then. So, we would end up bonding it with foam, heat pressing, embossing the knitwear so that it would hold its shape. I think there are so many possibilities with knitwear and I think that's why it is so exciting.
I: How has your design practice changed over the years? Do you still find yourself inspired by the same things or prioritizing the same aspects of design?
E: I think it's definitely changed over the years, and it's changed depending on the brand I'm working for. Each brand works in a very different way and all have very different starting points. Some brands like to take inspiration from vintage pieces or from paper research. For me, my natural go to is texture and color. Those are the things that I gravitate towards. I always think about designing the fabric and then the silhouette comes afterwards. Depending where you work, sometimes a group might be quite silhouette driven. Then you are having to design a fabric that would suit a specific silhouette.
I: Kinda like the pieces for Alaïa, which are made out of one continuous yarn?
E: Yes, exactly! Or they may need to be able to have body to support a huge structure. For me, I always get excited about the swatch development. Creating a new fabric, a new way of doing things is what really excites me. And creating texture to make sure that everything doesn't feel too flat. Unless of course, it is this hyper modern thing and then the challenge is to make it sort of as flat as possible. I think my practice is really shaped by which brand I'm working with at that time.
I: Who are some of your favourite knitwear designers or designers in general?
E: My favourite ones hmm… Definitely I would say Martine Rose. I love Martine. I love her for who she is, as much as what she designs. I think she's just a great human being. Same with Alexa. Well, I think other than that the great designers, the ones that I really love are behind the scenes actually.
I: Do you want to give anyone a shout out?
E: Oh my god there are probably about five! I must say, the people who I worked with, my two first bosses Jamie O’Hare and Sara Jowett at Chloé. They were amazing. They really taught me and gave me the groundwork of what I do, so I owe those guys a lot and they are both incredibly incredibly talented. So, big shout out to those guys. I mean there are so many talented ones out there that don't get the recognition I think.
I: What is the first piece of knitwear you remember loving in your life?
E: It's quite funny actually, because I think I was maybe about eleven years old and I had just really started getting interested in fashion and music. I used to go up to London most weekends with my dad because he used to work up there. I remember there was this one trip where I suddenly became very aware that London was this very interesting, creative place and people were wearing exciting clothes and really expressing themselves in a different way. There was something about that and from that moment on I absolutely loved London. I remember we went to Madame Tussauds. I went through the museum with some awareness of these changes in fashion throughout the ages and how fashion trends also correlated to music. It was a trip that really stands out in my mind. I became really interested and it set off this feeling inside of me that I just wanted to understand and know more and be part of it. This was in the 90s and I suddenly became very aware of what I was wearing and how I wanted to express myself. I got this skinny ribbed t-shirt with cap sleeves and stripes in really really bright colors punctuated with black stripes and I just loved it. The piece itself is really boring but I think it just coincided with the moment of a turning point in my life. It was just that moment in time when I had this awareness and I consciously started to choose what I wanted to wear and how I wanted to express myself.
I: What has surprised you the most about your career over the years?
E: The variety of places and the variety of types of brands that I've worked with. When I was younger and starting out, I thought you were either luxury or highstreet. That you were a certain type of designer but that's a naivety I think. Actually, being open to working at different types of brands, moving and seeing what they do is a huge asset. Cause every brand you go to, you are learning about what makes that brand successful, how that brand does something.
I: Time for a really hard hitting question. What's your favorite way to mend a sweater that has become a meal for the moths? Or in your book, once the sweater has a hole in it, does the sweater have a new owner?
E: Oh no, I think the majority of my knitwear pieces have holes in them and I wear them with the holes. It's part of the history, I guess. My mums always despaired with me because my mum is very prim. She always likes to be very well presented whereas I am completely the opposite. I much prefer something that is cozy, that I feel comfortable in. So if it's got a massive hole, like the cardigan I'm wearing right now, it has got two huge holes at the elbows but I live in it cause it's cozy. I do have all good intentions of repairing it and I don't. (laughs). So I still love the jumpers and I wear them with the holes and my daughter is exactly the same so that's just the way it goes in our family. Love the jumper, love the holes. But there is a great artist Celia Pym, who repairs knitwear and she works with a waste yarn project and she repairs things in a really beautiful way. I think it's really positive how there is so much on social media about how to repair jumpers because it's what people should be doing. When we can repair things, it gives them their own identity. I think we should keep going, and I keep wearing it till it's literally on its last legs.
I: Do you still wear any of your ALEXACHUNG pieces to this day or any other pieces that you've designed?
E: Actually, the jumper with the holes in the elbow is an ALEXACHUNG cardigan! It's really simple, I mean one of the things that Alexa was really clear on was she didn't want anything to be too fussy. And so we would develop these basics, a basic cardigan or a basic jumper that were her perfect shape and go to pieces. And the cardigan I wear all the time to be honest because it's so easy. And it's funny, cardigans are kinda out of trend. Not many people like wearing cardigans but I like wearing them, I find them so easy. Maybe that's because I'm 40 now.
I: No, I think what goes around comes around. You are going to be ahead of the trend. You're trend setting right now, somebody’s gotta do it.
E: Maybe! So I do wear that. Also, we did this blue melange jumper, with the twisting of three colors, which is really easy to wear. I have that in my wardrobe as a piece that I throw on. Over the years, I've developed so many wild, out there pieces but they're not pieces that I want to wear. I just want to wear the cozy pieces.
I: What item in your wardrobe is the biggest conversation starter? What's your favorite piece in your wardrobe?
E: It's not knitwear actually! I have this pair of tracksuit bottoms that are old Yohji Yamamoto from the 90s that are embroidered. Anytime I wear those, I always get comments on them, usually good.
I: What would you like people to know about being a knitwear designer?
E: That knitting is a really small part of it. Being a knitwear designer is really about communication as much as it's about designing. How you communicate with the team, how you communicate with the factories to get your ideas realized. It’s like a maths logic problem. It's half about colour and yarns but is as much about working out technically how it all goes together and solving problems. Also it's fun!
I: What made you decide to launch your own brand, ASME? And what are you looking forward to creating next?
E: So, I’d been thinking about doing something by myself for a little while. It’s always been rolling around in the back of my head. I think there are times when you are so busy working for other brands that you romanticize doing something for yourself on your own terms at your own pace. When I moved to Ireland, I felt like I had a bit more time to do something for myself. Something small, something that was truly what I wanted and to really get back to making things with my hands as opposed to working with factories. To do something at a slower pace, that is beautiful, that is truly handcrafted and is a wearable piece of art that isn't mass produced. I felt like it was the right time when I moved here cause I felt being in London there was a lot of pressure to keep running and running working with all these different brands. I approached some factories to see if they could produce the pieces, but everyone was so busy making their own stuff that they didn't really have space for me. So it meant that I had to come back and rethink what it was that I wanted to do. So I got back on the machine and started playing. And that's it, it kinda caught on from there. But I think it's really important to stay artisanal and for it to be a real reflection of who I am and my journey of how I got here. Taking into account that I'm half Indian, half English, love London and certainly coming here to Ireland, I've got this new culture. I've married an Irish guy who is obviously the reason why we moved up here and the children are half Irish. Ireland is obviously really well known for its knitwear and its really strong heritage of knitwear. The idea was there and it's just kinda organically manifested itself into ASME really. But coming up with the name took absolutely ages and it was one of probably the hardest things.
I: What made you settle on the name?
E: Well I went through so many different names and finding something that sat well with me was very very hard. And Asmi is actually a Sanskrit word which means to be, creativity and I am. When I came across it, it really encompassed where I am. It felt quite nice. I was talking about it with friends. Another friend suggested what if you turned the I to an E so then that naturally evolved and that's how the name came about.
I: Amazing! And what are you looking forward to creating next?
E: It all happened so quickly. I only really started working on it properly in September last year and then launched mid October. Everything was such a whirlwind that after Christmas, I almost had to decamp and just stop, take a bit of breath and have this moment of reflection. It was a soft launch to kinda test the markets and see is this something that I'm enjoying doing. How is it going to be received? I had such an overwhelming response to the product and I mean I had such great feedback and it was so wonderful. It felt so positive and so lovely to hear. I feel like it is something to keep going with. So right now, what I'm doing is really kinda going back and analyzing who is the customer, who did I think was going to buy the product and who actually did buy it. What I've done so far, I think is a good basis to develop upon. I want to take it into a more elevated position now. I really want to focus on still making accessories and garbs but really use very beautiful high end yarns. Cashmere, silk and really refine the product and keep the emphasis on wearable pieces of art. Things that can't be recreated in a factory as beautifully or even at all really. I really want each piece to have its own individual element to it.
Thank you so much to Emma, Alexa, Danielle, and Lillian. Without you, none of this would have been possible. The Hounds of Love are once again showcasing what they do best, bringing people together in the most unexpected and wonderful ways. I can't wait to see what happens next as the magic lives on.
