Queene and Belle was founded in 2000 by Angela Bell, a former Pringle of Scotland designers who tired of the traditionalism and conservatism associated with cashmere was determined to create a label that took a more contemporary and light hearted approach to the luxury fabric.
Today Queene and Belle is renowned for its quirky intarsia cashmere knitwear which often feature cheeky tongue in cheek slogans and motifs (think leaping hares, tropical Hawaiian flowers, Red Indian chiefs and skulls).
Queene and Belle are proud to support local Scottish heritage and traditional craftsmanship. The company is based in the world famous Scottish town of Hawick-the historical home of cashmere in the borders and all of their products continue to be produced there by artisan craftsmen . The specialist knitting techniques in the area such as intarsia are fully embraced by the brand, with some of the graphic images used on designs taking up to 12 hours to knit a single piece.
Angela’s family have been in the knitwear industry for over 3 generations (Her grandfather used to work at the Pringle mill and would often travel the world exhibiting Pringle’s knitwear at department stores (Angela has photos of him at work) . Angela was taught to knit at an early age by her grandparents, and so she has an extensive knowledge of knitwear.
Queene and Belle only uses the very best cashmere from Todd & Duncan (based in Kinross just North of Edinburgh), one of the oldest cashmere spinners in the world established in 1867 who source their yarn from inner Mongolia. They are world renowned for supplying the best quality yarn, their cashmere fibre comes from the underbelly of the goat and is a long staple with the average length being 35mm. The fact that their cashmere is long staple means that there is less chance of pilling. Cheaper cashmere us made from the shorter staple fibres and if the fibre is rubbed it will come out, gather together and form pilling balls.
