I’m designer Niela Nell Kalra and alongside my peerie team I run Nielanell, my knitwear label, from Hoswick in Shetland’s South Mainland.

My contemporary Shetland knitwear is inspired by traditions and techniques of our islands’ textile heritage, but I follow my own design path—developing collections through connection with place, history and world culture, and using my passion for colour to create contemporary knitwear and my own handspun yarn.

Nielanell knitwear is made in Shetland by craftspeople skilled in the art of machine knitting. We use premium, luxury yarns in a beautiful array of colour. Every piece is hand-finished, in-house. In my handspun yarn, I use the finest Shetland wool and other carefully selected fibres.

My work has been shown at the Saatchi Gallery, and Decorex London; in 2018 I was a design leader for V&A Dundee’s Scottish Design Relay, an inspiring programme for young people. I have also been commissioned for handspun by a particularly famous design house!