Juji Cowles takes the art of knitwear to the next level. In a studio in Los Angeles, Cowles uses her needles to knit yarn into gold. The intricate designs are represented in the knitwear throughout different textures, patterns and non-knit elements, which adds to the uniqueness of every handcrafted piece.
Cowles has been knitting and crocheting since she was eight years old. Now, at the age of 22, her creative process has flourished into a style that belongs to her but is continuously growing.
“I love knitting,” Cowles said. “Every moment that I’m being creative, I’m the happiest I can be.”
Over the course of the past two years, Cowles has been inspired to take initiative with her own pieces and has processed them through her brand, Heavenly Mirage.
“I’m definitely heavily inspired by the sense of being ethereal,” said Cowles. “I like my pieces to be very angelic. I find so much inspiration from light.”
Cowles’ pieces come to light when being modeled. The delicacy is shown in the work. The yarn is turned into a piece of clothing that is form-fitting to the body – hugging it in some places, yet still allowing for mobility. To Cowles, the comfort and confidence of those who wear her creations has always been key. A friend of Cowles, Kayla Booker, has been friends with Cowles since they were in the 3rd grade together. Booker has seen Cowles creativity grow throughout their friendship.
“I was obsessed within the minute I put it on,” said Booker . “It’s insane, I couldn’t stop being like, ‘How did you make this?’… As I put it on, I couldn’t stop taking pictures in it.”
Booker wore a set that Cowles had created and instantly fell in love. She and Cowles have been friends for 13 years. Booker was able to see Cowles’ creative visions go from start to finish.
“When I think about her pieces, they’re always very intentional in the way that she makes them,” Booker said. “They’re always very whimsical and pretty and feminine.”
Each piece that Cowles makes is a representation of her creative thought process, but with a new element outside of the knitwear realm every time, her friends have mentioned that her visions come to life in this sense when a piece is made. Every piece shares a similarity in the whimsical feel, but not one of her pieces are exactly the same. That’s what makes this knitwear so unique, especially when Cowles puts her visions into practice and executes them. Cowles strives to do that in every piece that she makes.
“Every piece that I make, I’ve been trying to add and incorporate something that I haven’t done before,” Cowles said.
It’s not exclusively knitwear – it’s artwork. The pieces are an expression of Cowles’ design thought process, and once it’s all together and someone puts it on, it comes to life.
Audrey Muldoon has been friends with Cowles since highschool and has modeled for her brand throughout the process of their friendship.
“She surrenders to these creative visions,” Muldoon said. “She comes up with it all herself. Every time she tells me she came up with a pattern, I’m like, ‘How did you think of that?’”
Cowles creates the patterns for her knit pieces herself, and when her friends see them come to life they can’t believe it.
“Every piece she makes I’m like damn it gets better and better. It’s crazy”.
“She’s really embracing this passion of hers and it’s always been there obviously. She’s been doing it for so long. But at this point, the way I see her speak about it is just with such passion, hope and joy,” Muldoon says.
Cowles’ pieces allow her friends to feel confident in their bodies in something they wouldn’t necessarily wear every day.
“When I wore it I was embracing my body, I’m out here feeling confident enough to strut around in this beautiful piece that I know much love went into creating.”
Cowles’ visions for her brand are constantly growing. While knitwear is her main focus right now, she’s expanding into streetwear for a more casual look.
“I feel like right now, I’m making pieces that are going out attire or something that you don’t wear on such a regular basis,” said Cowles. “I want to get more into everyday wear as well, that’s definitely going to be something that’s happening soon.”
The art of crocheting and knitting is making a comeback in this generation with modernized elements that are incorporated to give it that new and unique look that people nowadays long for.
Olivia Papandrea has been crocheting for years. It started out as a hobby with her grandma who taught her how to crochet. Now, Papandrea creates bags, hats, sweaters, etc.
“I think it’s really awesome that it has become a lot more popular with younger people. I think it’s really special” Papandrea says.
Firebird Yarns, a shop on Haight Street, has a plethora of different high-end yarns that can be purchased by experienced crafters and beginners.
Kathryn Bernard, the owner of Firebird Yarns, discussed how knitting a handcrafted piece is so versatile and what makes these pieces so unique.
“People invent new techniques or they figure out how to create their vision without having to learn certain techniques because it’s very open ended,” Bernard said.
Bernard finds joy in the tailored ability that knitting and crocheting offers.
“For knitting, there’s the customizability, the guaranteed uniqueness, and the world is your oyster,” Bernard said.
Cowles’ expression through her knitwear and eventually further design pieces down the road is shown in the details of the pieces.
“I have a few friends who have pieces of hers,” Muldoon said. “Everybody feels confident and everybody feels excited to wear something so unique.”
Cowles continues to grow her brand and does what she loves: knitting. Being able to see the reaction of those who wear her pieces is what she finds so fulfilling throughout the process.
“The thing I love the most is making people feel beautiful in my pieces and the way people react to putting on a piece for the first time,” said Cowles. “That is what makes it all worth it to me.”
