About Anais

Anais Miller is a mixed media knitted textile designer who, in July 2023, achieved a First Class Honours (BA) in Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors. Being a tactile person who is inspired by structure, knit allows Anais to express her three dimensional concepts through engineering and formations of knitted fabrics. Experimenting with unusual yarns and unexpected materials, she aims to adapt the composition of knitted fabrics to change the way they behave. Drawn to bold colour and interesting textures, she aims to bring fun and playful constructed textiles to the industry with the use of innovative technical yarns and materials.

Utilising a combination of machines and techniques within her designs, Anais is experienced on 5gg, 10gg and 12gg industrial Dubied machines. As well as domestic knitting machines, linkers and designa knit software, she also has experience in hand techniques such as crochet. Anais is drawn to using 12gg to develop intricate and technical designs. Utilising techniques such as stuffed pockets, inlaying and circular knitting to implement structure and form.

Elastic is essential within her designs, in order to create organic lines with tension, combined with experimental use of innovative technical yarns such as viscose, silks, memory silk (with steel core), wire, Rubco (plastic with steel core), PVA, paper etc. Pushing boundaries of what materials can be used within knitted fabrics, Anais’ explorative approach of using traditional techniques in machine knitting and mixing them with new technologies allows her to create exciting contemporary designs.

Using experiences and memories as her main muse, Anais uses personal stories as starting points for her creations. For example, using exotic fruit as inspiration for her other worldly and playful knitted vessels, because her dad would perform the ‘fruit behind the ear trick’ when she was younger. Or, collecting shells from beach walks to spark ideas for creating soft shells by mixing soft natural yarns with hard industrial materials developing her unique mixed media vessels.

Having worked with clients such as Hallmark, Anais delivers innovative industry briefs producing work with the aim to change the knit industry. Projects such as this have led to Anais being recognised by The Worshipful Framework of Knitters for her contemporary take on knitted textiles.