Mirth AW 25 Case Study
I had the pleasure of designing knitwear for my client, Mirth, for their AW25 Collection.
A little about my Client:
Founded by sisters Katie and Erin, Mirth is a family-owned womenswear line built on the joy of travel, artisan craft, and everyday adventure. Their pieces are designed to slip into a suitcase, work in a Southern summer, and move with ease.
At the heart of Mirth is a belief that fashion can be both beautiful and responsible—made by hand, with care, and in collaboration with artisans around the world.
When Mirth reached out to me to refine their knitwear, the challenge was multi-layered:
How do we design sweaters that stand on par with their hand-blocked prints and hand-loomed wovens?
How do we strengthen sustainability and ethical practices even further?
How do we refine the sampling process to cut waste and avoid excessive rounds?
How do we improve fit to maintain customer loyalty?
And how do we create knitwear that resonates with a Southern U.S. audience, while still reaching coastal and international customers?
Collaboration, creativity, and conscious design were key.
Over several seasons, I worked alongside their team to turn design into solutions. Together with artisan workshops in Peru, we experimented with stitch techniques, new yarn blends, and created new silhouettes that felt both fresh and functional—yet unmistakably Mirth.
Each knit this season is crafted from responsibly sheared alpaca blends or 100% Peruvian cotton, spun into OEKO-TEX® certified yarns, and produced in Fair Trade–certified family workshops. Every decision whether fiber, stitch, shape, or finishing was guided by both artistry and sustainability.
For me, that’s what makes Mirth so special: they stay rooted in craft and culture while continuing to evolve, creating clothes that feel soulful, versatile, and enduring.
How a Shearling-Inspired Knit Became a Sellout Success
When Mirth Launched their AW25 collection, the knit jacket we designed together sold out in less than a week. Even more notable: it was the highest-priced style on their site, proving that a shearling-inspired knit can perform even in the heat of summer.
Mirth, known for their playful prints and artisan wovens, wanted knitwear that could:
Stand confidently beside their existing collections
Strengthen sustainability commitments
Connect with their Southern customer base
Over a year ago, I partnered with their founders, design team, and artisan workshops in Peru to translate their inspirations into knitwear that balances technical innovation, merchandising strategy, and collaborative artistry.
The Challenge
Previous outerwear attempts hadn’t resonated with Mirth’s audience. They needed a piece that felt both versatile and true to their brand DNA in a transitional weight.
The Approach
After several sampling rounds, we landed on a shrunken-but-feminine bomber crafted with artisans in Peru.
Developed a shearling-inspired knit using looped stitches and compression points for depth and plushness—allowing Mirth’s warmer-weather clientele to experience the look and feel of shearling without the weight.
Designed a transitional silhouette that layers easily and offers multiple styling possibilities.
Partnered with Fair Trade, OKEO-TEX certified alpaca blends, ensuring both quality and sustainability.
Aligned the final design with Mirth’s merchandising goals for outerwear, positioning the piece as a versatile, premium addition to the collection.
The Result
The Fargo Jacket — Mirth’s premium, highest-priced style—sold out within one week of launch.
Expanded merchandising variety — introduced a new outerwear hero that balanced their woven strengths with fresh knit innovation
Strengthened customer trust — proved Mirth’s audience is ready to embrace knitwear as a defining category, not just an add-on
Validated brand positioning — demonstrated that premium pricing paired with intentional design resonates and drives demand
Collaborations like this are why I love what I do:
helping brands create knitwear that is elevated, commercially successful, technically sound, and deeply aligned with their vision.
How Mirth’s Signature Patterns Found New Life in Knitwear
Every collection tells a story, and the strongest ones have throughlines that carry across categories.
For Mirth, that throughline has always been their playful approach to pattern. In wovens, prints do the heavy lifting. But when it came to knitwear, traditional printing methods weren’t an option and early attempts left knits feeling disconnected from the rest of the line.
Over several months, we collaborated to align technical innovation with brand storytelling, translating their signature patterns into stitches rather than prints, while ensuring the item could stand confidently beside existing collections.
The Challenge
Their knits were feeling disconnected from their print-heavy wovens category. Previous attempts were quickly abandoned due to complexity. Mirth needed a way to carry their woven storytelling through into stitches.
The Approach
Developed stitch-based motifs directly inspired by Mirth’s block prints
Introduced multiple color placements in knit jacquards — a first for the brand
Partnered with artisans to create lighter-weight jacquard constructions suitable for year-round wear
Designed silhouettes that could stand alone while also linking visually to their woven categories
The Result
The highlight? The Bacara knit set. Not only are they selling strongly, but they also mark several milestones: Mirth’s first-ever knit pant, executed with no integral spandex yet maintaining excellent shape and fit (achieved in just two samples). Together with the pullover, these pieces visually echoed the brand’s DNA while standing strong on their own.
At Noles Studio, this is the kind of narrativeI focus on: finding the motifs, textures, or techniques that can carry across categories and build cohesion — so every collection feels like a complete story.
How data and design transformed an underperforming category for Mirth.
Knit skirts are notoriously tricky. They can fit inconsistently or simply not resonate with customers, and Mirth had seen this firsthand. Past styles underperformed, leaving a gap in their knitwear offering.
The Challenge
Instead of abandoning the category, we looked at the data. Customer feedback showed a desire for sets and versatile separates, while past sell-through rates revealed that knit tops consistently outperformed bottoms.
The insight was clear: if skirts were going to work, they needed to be tied back to a proven style and elevated through material choice.
The Approach
Our strategy was to reimagine the skirt in a way that felt both elevated and wearable, aligning with proven customer preferences while addressing past challenges.
Intentional Silhouette: Based on previous customer feedback and sell through rates, we designed an a-line shape with more ease of movement and a flattering shape that wasn't overly bod-con.
Material innovation: We introduced a new yarn quality, a bouclé yarn, adding luxe texture and improving garment stability.
Strategic pairing: By anchoring the skirt to Mirth’s well-loved Fes Top, we built confidence in styling and increased the likelihood of purchase as a set.
The Result
The bouclé set didn’t just revive a struggling category. It expanded Mirth’s knitwear story, offering a coordinated option that elevated perception and improved sales velocity.
At Noles Studio, this is the kind of transformation I focus on: using data, strategy, and thoughtful design to turn underperforming categories into customer favorites.