In Their Shoes - Holly von Bock, Slow Love Knitwear Founder

SW: What inspired you to start your business & when did you start it?   

 HVB: I started Slow Love Knitwear two and a half years ago during lockdown as a creative outlet. Initially I created a website called Pre-Loved Edit which was a platform to sell vintage knitwear. I’ve always loved the quality and detail of knitwear and really admire the skill involved; My mum is an incredible knitter, and my sister is a knitwear designer, whereas my skill set is in marketing and trend forecasting. I noticed a huge gap in the current market for high-end, quality knitwear, I knew from running Pre-Loved Edit that I wasn’t the only one looking for these pieces – so Slow Love Knitwear began!     

SW: Do you have any rituals or routines that help you get into a creative mindset?   
  
HVB: Visiting London and scouting out the street style really inspires me. And scrolling through Pinterest, it’s my way of relaxing and reminds me of flicking through magazines back in the day. The best thing about Pinterest is that ideas are soaking in naturally without feeling forced to look for inspiration.

  
SW: How has your business evolved since you first started?    

HVB: When I first started Slow Love Knitwear it was just me, with my sister creating designs as a freelancer. The first person I hired was Abbie to assist with socials and then I took a real leap of investment by using my own money to produce our first collection as well as secure an office space. We still use our first office space now and have expanded to three more spaces.  

The business began to grow at a rapid rate, and I was unable to perform some of the integral parts by myself, such as bookkeeping and finance, so I began to hire accordingly and the team has just kept growing.  

SW: What has been your biggest achievement or milestone so far?  

HVB: We are a start-up company that launched in lockdown and we’re still growing, which in this economy is an achievement. 

 There hasn’t been a particular milestone, but we recently went to New York to shoot Autumn/Winter content which was fun.  

SW: How do you stay current with trends in your industry, and how do they influence your work?   
  
HVB: We don’t necessarily aim to adhere to trends; however, we recently produced a retro sport collection inspired by trending lux sportswear I’d see in street style. I took inspiration from Yankees baseball shirts and ice hockey jerseys and developed a knitwear collection which almost immediately sold out.

SW: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in your field?   

 HVB: Be careful, but don’t be a perfectionist – you will never get everything right straight away. Having said that I’m aware I’m very slap-dash (which annoys everyone in the office!) but I also have confidence in the brand which meant we got a product out there from the very start, enabling us to tweak things, test and receive direct feedback before taking too many risks.   

Also, know your customer. From running Pre-Loved Edit I knew exactly who my customer was and that enabled me to feel very sure about what I was doing.   

SW: If you weren’t doing this, what do you think you’d be doing instead?   

HVB: I really don’t know where I’d be if I wasn’t doing this, as this is my dream! I was a stay-at-home Mum for 16 years until I started Slow Love, so this has been quite a unique opportunity for me. I’m only here because I have the support of my sister who creates my designs and my family behind me. I was lucky that my husband and I swapped roles, so he is now the stay-at-home parent. I’d probably be doing something in marketing, but I definitely wouldn’t love it anywhere near as much!   

SW: What are some hobbies or interests you have outside of your business?   
  
HVB: My biggest hobby is probably cooking. I love to cook! Adding meat to any of Meera Sodhas recipes is my mid-week go-to.  

SW: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?   

 HVB: "Don’t take advice from somebody you wouldn’t want to trade lives with." 
I’m the first to admit that I’m learning as I go and have made a lot of mistakes, but I wouldn’t take advice to heart from somebody that I wouldn’t want to trade lives with.  

SW: Do you have any guilty pleasures?   

 HVB: It’s safe to say I have a few vices. My first vice being sugary coffees – I love a mocha, ideally it resembles chocolate milk with a dash of coffee! I do also love a glass of wine at the end of the day – I try to keep it to weekends, but some weeks it’s hard to do that.  

SW: Do you have any podcast recommendations for us?   

HVB: I really like Grace Beverley’s productivity podcast, ‘Working Hard, Hardly Working’. I find the earlier episodes a lot more relatable and less polished as she featured guests with their own start-up businesses discussing their journey which I found interesting.  

  
SW: What’s one item you couldn’t live without?  

HVB: Obviously, my Salt-Water sandals, I’ve worn them for the past 20 years and have only had to replace them once because they’ve lasted so long – they go with everything so I definitely couldn’t live without them for a big chunk of the year. As well as my watch, it’s an old Rolex my husband bought me for Christmas just after my daughter was born; bougee I know, but it’s a classic, elegant shape and I will have it until the day I die!  

Head to our Instagram for a peek behind-the-scenes into Holly's day-to-day and shop the latest Slow Love collection here.