DemandDesign Labs
✨ Fashion sales, Reimagined

Call for Designs: Cretan Wool Collection

The collection celebrates wool sourced directly from Crete.

Proposed items may be anything that provides a better alternative to plastic products.

As Cretan wool is a bit coarse, and thus can be scratchy, any proposals for next-to-skin items must take into account the texture of the material. On the other hand, this type of wool can be durable, and proposals for items other than clothes are welcome!

🌱 Color and Dyeing: Natural Preference
While undyed, natural sheep shades are highly valued, colorwork and dyed concepts are welcome. Strong preference will be given to designs that utilize natural dyes over synthetic alternatives.


🌿 Hardware and Fasteners: Plastic-Free Priority
To align with the sustainability goals of this initiative, the use of plastic must be minimized or entirely avoided. Designs that eliminate or replace plastic components will have a significantly higher chance of selection.


Buttons & Toggles: Prioritise natural materials such as olive wood, horn, bone, ceramic, or metal.

Alternative Closures: Consider integrated knit ties, closures made of the wool itself, or wrap-style designs that require no fasteners.

Zippers & Elastic: Avoid plastic zippers and synthetic elastic wherever possible.

⚙️ Production & Sampling Model

Selected designs will feature on a product catalogue website for the Autumn 2026 season. Operating on a zero-waste, sustainable model, items will only be produced after a customer places an order online.

The Showcase Piece: One single piece of the accepted design will be requested for website photography and for physical showcasing at winter events.

Yarn Support: Wool required to produce this single showcase piece will be provided.

Knitter Recommendations: Designers may suggest specific production knitters to execute the making process, or do the knitting themselves.

Compensation: Both designers and any involved knitters will be fully compensated for the creation of the showcase piece. Rates and pricing expectations are to be communicated directly by the applicant within the submission form.

⏱ Key Dates

Submission Deadline: 15 July 2026
Designer Selection & Notification: 31 July 2026
Showcase Sample Due: 30 September 2026

Learn more about how it all started
01 / The Challenge

Independent designers face uphill battles.

Connecting with buyers and managing inventory requires time, resources and space.

📦

Unsold Inventory

Designers create items without guaranteed demand, leading to wasted effort and materials.

📈

Limited Market Reach

Struggling to find relevant buyers and expand their unique offerings beyond local circles.

💰

No inventory

Eliminate the need for inventory and reduce waste with a made-to-order model.

🌱

Go farther together

Focus on what you love doing, while we showcase your designs to different audiences.

02 / The Solution

Your designs, knit-to-order.

Showcase and sell your knits with us in this pilot project. We address demand uncertainty through a 'made-to-order' model, ensuring production only occurs after a sale.

03 / Key Features

Let's unplastic the world an item at a time

👤

Pilot idea

This idea started from realizing how much plastic we are wearing.

🎨

Mission

Provide natural fiber alternatives to customers and test new more sustainable operations around fashion shopping.

🛍️

Knit-to-order

FIrst year pilot: A curated small catalog of knit designs made-to-order.

🛒

Customer Order Management

Outsource ordering to us, and have more time for what you love doing, knitting :)

💳

Secure Payment Gateway

Ensure safe and reliable transactions for every upcycled item sold.

📊

Buyer insights

Gain insights into market demand and popular styles to inform your next designs.

04 / How It Works

Start selling your knit designs

01

Propose your design

02

Customers order

03

Produce & ship