Mary Macgregor of BAKKA reinvents traditional Fair Isle for her contemporary knitwear pieces, as Janine Sterland discovers
DRAWING ON her skills as a mathematical economist, it’s unsurprising that Mary Macgregor exudes talent in designing the intricacies of Fair Isle knitwear. “Since I’ve always loved geometry, Fair Isle designs attracted me like a bear to honey,” says Mary.
Having fond memories of visiting the Shetland Islands for a family holiday over 20 years ago, combined with her interest in researching Fair Isle designs in museum archives, Mary decided to embark on a career change when her children left home. “Rather than return to the world I had left 20 years previously, I decided to rise to the challenge of starting a business, to see if I could make it flourish,” she says. Chatting to Mary from her remote croft at Bakka, Shetland, we discover the story behind her brand and her unique approach in creating luxury Fair Isle knitwear underpinned by the island’s heritage.
How did you come to set up BAKKA? “Following a move to Shetland with the aim of starting a small Fair Isle textiles business, I realised that the oldest patterns were in danger of dying out because no one was using them - partly because Shetland wool has got thicker over time. At first, I thought I would be knitting garments on handframe machines in my workshop, using Shetland wool. Then, while learning how to use the handframe machines, I discovered the existence of fine gauge industrial machines. Also, there had been a survey of the sector published not long before that, which highlighted a gap in the market for fine gauge Fair Isle textiles. This all led to me deciding to ‘blinker’ myself, to focus my attention and to only work with the oldest patterns and the natural colours of the day but in a fine gauge - to bring Fair Isle textiles firmly into the 21st century, to embrace the present.”
How does your location inspire your work? “My croft is set in a spectacular location, and took me five years to find! As soon as I visited for the first time, although there was neither mains water nor electricity, I knew I could live and work here; I had space and was at peace, both vital for inspiration. Also the croft is extremely rich in wildlife; in the summer, I work to the song of the curlew, redshank, snipe, oystercatcher and lapwing. The wild flowers are a delight, and the noise of the sea is always present. The location is somewhere where, if you live
