In South Korea, we had some pleasant encounters with artists. The first one was Cho Jinhyun. She came to our trunk show and was stylish with a dignified presence. After speaking to her, we discovered that she creates knit and crochet designs under the name of “owllama studio.” Her work is cohesive despite using many colors, and looking at her designs puts our minds at ease.
We are planning to release a design of hers soon, so please look forward to it.
Relationship with Japan and knitting beginnings
Jinhyun's life actually has a deep connection with Japan. It goes back to before she was born.
Her family lived in Osaka, Japan, for three to four years starting in 1963 due to her father’s work. Her mother used this as an opportunity to learn Japanese and build friendships with her Japanese neighbors while also learning knitting, ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement), and sewing. She diligently balanced raising Jinhyun’s older siblings with her studies and eventually earned a knitting instructor certification. Toward the end of their stay in Japan, she even opened a small knitting school.
After returning to Korea and giving birth to Jinhyun, her mother continued knitting. Growing up, Jinhyun naturally absorbed her mother’s passion for crafts, surrounded by a creative environment. However, her mother never directly taught her knitting, fearing it might distract her from her studies. Nevertheless, at the age of twelve, Jinhyun picked up needles and yarn for the first time through an acquaintance and fell in love with knitting. “From that moment on, knitting became my lifelong hobby. Looking back, I feel that my current work had already begun to take root in my mother’s hands before I was even born.”
At that time, Korean knitting books were not as widely available as they are today, so she started collecting Japanese knitting books from large bookstores. She was so eager to understand these books that she chose Japanese as her second language in university. She majored in business administration at university, but her interest in fashion led her to enroll in a fashion academy in Korea. Afterward, she built her career as a fashion designer and merchandiser for casual fashion brands.
However, she eventually decided to leave her job to fully immerse herself in knitting, which she had continued as a hobby. In the mid-2000s, she launched an atelier with fellow artists, where they created and sold knitted accessories, held knitting classes, and styled interior pages of magazines with knitted décor.
At the same time, she felt the need to improve her fundamental skills beyond her self-taught skills, so she enrolled in the Vogue Knitting course by the Japan Handicraft Instructors’ Association. She completed both the knitting and crochet courses and acquired the master instructor level in both. She continuously experimented with various projects in her own personal style by combining her in-depth knowledge of patterns and techniques together with hands-on experience.
In 2020, she collaborated with Nakyang Yarn, a leading Korean yarn brand with a 60-year history, where she designed 13 knit pieces throughout the year. This opportunity allowed her to bring her long-imagined ideas to life, and it served as the catalyst that got her design work on track.
Korea’s knitting culture
Today, Korea’s knitting industry and education system have flourished, making it much easier for anyone to learn knitting. The environment is vastly different from when Jinhyun first started.
“Korea's knitting culture has been significantly influenced by Japan, resulting in similarities and differences. Japan, with its long history, places great importance on tradition despite having gone through several periods of turbulence. Meanwhile, in Korea, knitting is becoming deeply integrated into younger generations, evolving with practicality and trendiness,” said Jinhyun.
“I hope for more active exchanges between Korean and Japanese knitting artists to harmonize these distinct characteristics. Whether through workshops, collaborative exhibitions, or joint publications, I think these will be diverse partnerships that blend classic and modern aesthetics, forming a unique new world of knitting.”
Densely and Loosely
This was the title of Jinhyun's first solo exhibition in 2024 and is said to be the essence of her work: weaving various things into her work while balancing density and looseness in harmony. Her work is a reflection of her past and future, a mirror of her life and a medium for expression. She incorporates various materials such as fabric, metal, beads, and felt with knitting. She also enjoys bold color combinations. While she follows trends, she also values timeless classics. By weaving various things into her work in this way, she creates a story that escapes from the ordinary.
She also actively collaborates with artists from other fields. For example, she worked with Sonnette, a metal artist, to create objects with themes like “Eternal Bloom” and “Moonlight Chaconne,” blending the warmth of cold metal with the softness of fiber.
Her Instagram is filled with not only knitting, but also sketches, embroidery, natural landscapes, and snaps of her life with plants and coffee. We are surprised by the diversity of her works and techniques, while also feeling time flow calmly in the background.
“Like knitting itself, I am drawn to labor-intensive crafting techniques. I prefer writing with pencil on paper, sketching by hand, and creating unique, organic textures that cannot be replicated by computers. When I wish to keep a special phrase, instead of writing it down, I embroider it onto canvas or fabric, embedding emotions into each stitch.”
There are many things that are sources of calm and inspiration for her. It may be flowers, birds, the scenery she sees on her walks, books, music, or coffee. Sometimes she is inspired by other artists and designers. One example is sculptor and installation artist Louise Bourgeois, who continuously experimented and pushed artistic boundaries. “Her recurring themes of family and motherhood resonate with me deeply, and her versatile use of media is simply astounding,” Jinhyun said.
The charm of her work and herself lies in the way she gently and flexibly accepts, combines, and expands upon a variety of things.
Design beginnings and endings
Jinhyun’s design process doesn’t have fixed rules. Sometimes, she derives inspiration from the colors and textures of food, translating them into knitted swatches. Other times, she recalls nostalgic memories and sketches silhouettes first. Observing materials and experimenting with color combinations also shape her designs.
However, among these, sketching is an essential aspect of her design process. “Like road signs and traffic signals, sketches serve as my personal markers. Regardless of technical skill, I think that the act of drawing directly translates my emotions onto paper. My works take a long time to complete, as I believe the more time they spend in my hands, the more satisfying the final result becomes.”
Also, the work continues even after the piece is finished. Once she completes a piece, she documents her design process like a diary, collaging thoughts and emotions. These records become another form of output and sometimes serve as a bridge to future works. While the starting and ending points of her creative journey may not always be clear, she values continuity and the lingering impressions left behind.
Toward the future
In the future, she plans to continue working on craft-based exhibitions alongside knit and crochet garment design to expand the scope of her knitwear by incorporating a variety of materials. She also says she is increasingly interested in partnering with brands.
Above all “my ultimate goal is to continue expressing myself through my work while staying true to my artistic identity,” she said. Her design journey continues.
owllama studio online shop
https://smartstore.naver.com/owllama
Cho Jinhyun Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cho__jinhyun/