The Elder Statesman's Luxury Scarf Comes With Knitting Instructions
HIGHArt is Highsnobiety's ode to all things artistic. From our “museum store” pop up in Miami, a print magazine, and exclusive content and product with collaborators like Chito, Honey Dijon, Parra, Matt McCormick and more, we’re going deep on the art world. Explore HIGHArt here.
With a price tag of $685, some might be surprised to learn that The Elder Statesman's latest scarf release comes with the equipment to make it. The DIY design allows you to take some time away from tapping away on a laptop or swiping through TikTok's "for you page" and use your hands for something more complicated.
Greg Chait founded the label in 2017 after he started making blankets as a hobby, since then it has centered its fashion and homeware endeavors around ultra-luxe materials, tie-dye motifs, and exemplary craftsmanship — especially when it comes to knitwear. But, for this piece, that craftsmanship comes from the consumer.
In our latest issue of HIGHArt, Chait says that: “Knitting, like many other things that are rhythmic, is a big-time healing process.” While buying a new scarf straight from the shelf might give you a temporary rush of endorphins, we doubt it will act as part of a "healing process".
Knitting is a skill that can be taught at any age, but the journey to mastery will last a lifetime. Here, The Elder Statesman offers the baby steps to set you on your way. It is Chait’s way of introducing you to the hobby that started it all for The Elder Statesman. Not by selling you a design that the team has knitted, but by giving you the tools to create your own piece by the label. In a fashion industry plagued by an overload of collaborations, the collaborator on this scarf is you.
The Super Soft Scarf Kit includes a how-to guide and booklet that can guide any novice knitter on the road to producing the perfect piece of neckwear. Everything that is needed is inside the kit, including a wood knitting needle and cashmere yarns. Coming in four different hues, the colorful selection of yarns come together to produce a scarf that reflects the label’s laid-back LA design language (and your knitting skills).
Releasing alongside the DIY scarf is a further range of playful cashmere designs that have been created especially for HIGHArt. A selection of stuffed goods, something that has been part of the label’s output since 2013, translates the color blocking and patchworking that can often be found on the brand’s garments into a selection of collectible home furnishings.
The multi-colored creations include a stuffed dolphin, sun, and a mushroom that can stand upright. Each piece is created to encapsulate Miami, bringing a slice of the East Coast city’s tropical climate and white sandy beaches into your interior decor.
