iota is 10 years old!

Take us back ten years, we never imagined that iota would be the first Israeli brand to receive the butterfly mark alongside Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent and Dior.

I graduated in industrial design 15 years ago, worked for a large and successful fashion company, realized that I loved my job, but it was a cruel industry, and I wasn't sure it represented who I was and who I wanted to be. Despite all the beautiful things that surrounded me, I decided to leave and go on a two-month trek called the Camino de Santiago. Before the trip, I met who is still our entrepreneur and investor today. On our first meeting, we talked about the vision of establishing a brand that is based on handmade work and provides work for communities of women all over the world.

I remember opening Google and typing “Crocheting” and getting mostly baby socks, not something I would have found interesting, and yet the thought of this idea accompanied me on those 300 km of hiking until I realized that I was actually intrigued. The challenge of taking a craft that is considered nostalgic and "old" was exciting. Maybe we can actually succeed in making this craft desirable and relevant. (Some would say that one of the common mistakes of entrepreneurs is to take something that is not cool and think that they, of all people, will make it cool).

Knitting is a language; it has signs similar to notes in music. The understanding that we would have an alternative language, as a means of communication between us and between women's communities, was a breakthrough in thought. Knitting allows us to overcome the difficulties of language, distance and culture and creates a safe and creative space.

I imagined a design studio, a good group. Together we would develop a textile, thus controlling the quality of the products and their uniqueness. The journey was much harder than I anticipated. We were anonymous, it took us time to find the right business partners, to establish a community of women who wanted to work and who we could trust, it took us time to succeed producing yarn, to create connections in Israel and abroad and to learn what it means to start a business.

Today, ten years later, we provide work for underprivileged women through knitting. We started with Bedouin women in the Negev, and today we work with refugees and Turkish women. Two weeks ago, we returned from India with the aim of working with communities of Indian women in villages. These women are the ones who produce our products, receive fair wages, social conditions, self-confidence, skill and hope.

Today we sell in prestigious galleries in 12 countries around the world, collaborating with companies such as Peugeot, Tom Dixon, The Maiyet Collective, Max Mara and more, exhibit in respected exhibitions in Paris, New York and Milan, work with luxury hotels and the leading high-tech companies.

All of them understand that buying our products creates a direct social impact – the more products they buy, the more jobs we can provide for more women, more opportunities, more meaning.

We are here to remind people and ourselves that we can choose differently, that it is in our hands, that we choose what our home will look like, and what the world around us will look like.

Happy New Year, may we hear good news and may everyone return home. now!

Yours,

Shula, Tal, Dorit, Noa, Tami, Lena, Chen and Sofi.