Meet Small Boy, a Naarm label created by two knitwear-loving friends

“We started knitting together and then one day at a bar we thought it would be fun to create something together.”

A mutual love for knitting is what first brought friends Madeline Allen and Gem Goldstein together. The two New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based creatives knew they wanted to create something in the world of knitwear, but they were unsure what exactly. Their friendship and creative practice were deepened through a community knitting club, originally started by Madeline. Eventually, they joined forces to create their label, Small Boy.

Small Boy was created out of a desire to make, in their words, “something different that filled a gap we saw in the creative knitting space”. The resulting piece, the first the label has released, is a hand-knitted mohair hood, balaclava and scarf fusion available in six colourways.

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Madeline and Gem describe their first release as a love letter to their shared interests. Each piece was painstakingly made by them in their bedrooms, on their daily commutes and at local cafes and bars. Below, the duo shares what the journey of building their label has been like so far.

Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background? 

Madeline: I learnt how to crochet during Covid and then was taught by my mother how to knit in 2022 during a precarious time of life. I started my Instagram @jim_crochet_(named after singer/songwriter Jim Croce) to share my creations and connect with other knitters/crocheters. 

When I moved over from Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland, New Zealand), I connected with Mon from Other Goods and started selling some pieces there as well as started a community knit club which has been so sweet. I would love to study textile/fashion/design but am a little apprehensive to add to my already quite large student loan.

Gem: I started knitting in middle school after my grandma taught me how, and I was pretty terrible about keeping up! I used to live in Ōtepoti (Dunedin, New Zealand) and wanted to make some warmer layers so I picked it back up. After moving to Naarm I met Maddie and joined the community knit club which has been a great way to learn more about my own knitting practice.

The slow process and labour of love that goes into knitting have always resonated with me. I’ve always mended and upcycled my clothes since I was young. I’m self-taught in all of my textile skills but I would love to invest more time and resources into some textile studies to really hone it all in.

How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges. 

M: We’re both from Aotearoa but met here through a mutual friend and bonded over knitting. We started knitting together and then one day at a bar we thought it would be fun to create something together. Our first release of Small Boy knitwear is a love letter to our shared interests and inner children. Combining the ever-popular late 2000s rave wear hood and the timeless knit balaclava, we created our hooded scarf. 

G: Finding the balance between pursuing our passion and managing our time has been challenging. We both work full-time in other areas but would love to go all in on textiles as a career. We want to bring something new and joyful to people that is made to last, something that can be passed down to loved ones and have that precious heirloom energy to it.

What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now? 

M: To have fun and create pieces that people love to wear and to keep them warm in the cold. 

G: Truly! Naarm is so icy this time of year, and the classic uniform is head to toe in a layered look just to survive. It’s important to us that we’ve created something practical you can actually wrap up in, but it’s so fun and true to us. We wanted to create something different that filled a gap we saw in the creative knitting space. Hoods and balaclavas have become so popular which is amazing, and I think we’ve just embraced an extension of that.

We also wanted to join the slow fashion, made-to-order fashion scene that has found its footing here in Naarm. As people who are incredibly passionate about conscious fashion consumption and maintaining that sustainable mindset, we want to hold that true as we grow our knitting endeavours.

How would you describe your label to someone who’s never seen it before? 

M: Silly and fun! Our pieces are all made from mohair yarn (94 per cent mohair, 6 per cent nylon) from New Zealand and hand-knit by us, in our bedrooms, our lounges, on our daily commutes and at our local coffee shops and bars. We hope people can feel the care and love we put into each piece and also feel cute and silly while wearing them. 

G: An ode to Tumblr, but make it knitwear.

M: Yes!

What are you most proud of in your work on your label? 

G: I would say our first photo shoot was a major moment for us. Seeing everything that we had put together, and bringing some of our amazing friends who are such talented creatives (shout out to Carla, Lewrece, Poppy and Maioha) to help us achieve our vision was a core experience for us!

M: I have also loved creating our website as well as getting back on Tumblr. It has been fun to put it all together and see it come to life digitally. 

What do you wish you knew when you started? 

G: We both have so many thoughts and ideas, so definitely thinking too big or too small isn’t necessarily a thing. You just have to move with what is right for you and not get too caught up in the midst of it all.

Who do you think is most exciting in Australian/New Zealand fashion right now? 

G: There was this amazing event that happened in Ōtepoti this year run by As We Watch the World Go By. I think they’ve highlighted a lot of the upcoming talent in the New Zealand fashion scene. Rogue Aotearoa is another collective that’s helped capture some exciting directions for the creative community as a whole!

M: I really love Karla Laidlaw’s pieces and live in my Circus Pants in the winter.

What about the Australian/New Zealand fashion industry needs to change?

M: It would be great to see brands not greenwashing and being transparent with where their garments come from and how they are made. For example, crochet cannot be machine-made. For someone who is an expert crocheter, it would take around 18 hours to finish an adult sweater. Glassons is currently selling a crocheted skirt for $14.99. It makes you wonder how much they are paying the person who made these skirts and what kind of conditions they are working in.

G: Yeah, changing attitudes and understanding around the process that gets a garment into your hands would be major. Taking time to consider and appreciate an item from conception through to production and the retail front that you purchase from is an important change in mindset that could make a whole lot of difference.

Go-to dinner party playlist? 

M: I am actually about to throw a Jersey Shore dinner party so I really need to get into the Pauly D mindset and build something that is an ode to my favourite reality television show, maybe some Pitbull?

G: Honestly, just putting on any of my playlists is like subjecting my friends to chaos, but I’ve been listening to lots of Autechre and Clairo in the kitchen recently. Also, there’s a Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) band called Feshh that’s been on repeat for me a lot.

Who is in your wardrobe right now? 

M: Dominique Healy Vera Mini Dress which I try to brave the cold in, oversized suit pants by St. Agni and some hand-knit arm warmers that say ‘dumb rat’ I knitted for myself. 

G: My Post Sole Studio Beat Ballerinas have been getting lots of wear, along with my pinstripe Nom*D wool pants. I made a super long striped scarf a few years ago that I wear almost daily that’s starting to look a bit worse for wear!

How can we buy one of your pieces? 

M: You can buy our pieces from our website or at Other Goods and Services on Lygon Street in Brunswick East.

To explore Small Boy’s range, head here.