May 06th, 2017 Ekotree studio is Ireland's only knitwear visitor centre & working knitwear studio The Doolin studio is small and busy - but we still try to pack a lot in. The idea for the Doolin studio is to give our visitors a thorough insight into the daily workings of a designer-maker knitwear studio. We also have an exhibition tracing the history of the Irish knitwear, the Irish Aran sweater and Irish stitch structures.

There are 5 interconnected parts to Ekotree's Doolin studio:

1 - The manufacturing area is where our knitwear technician programs the designs before knitting and testing fabric swatches using our computerised knitting machines. Then once a product is completed all the manufacturing is carried out here. So this area really is the 'beating heart' of the whole operation.

2 - Knit pieces then go to the finishing area to give our natural merinos and cashmeres yarns a more luxurious softness and drape - a signature of all our knitwear. We program the finishing machine to use minimum amounts of water and only eco softners, when required.

3 - The upstairs studio is where everything is linked, assembled, monogrammed (if required), labeled and packaged. Research and design work are also carried out here.

4 - The interpretation centre (presently being developed) is an exhibition documenting the heritage and evolution of Irish knitwear from its beginnings as a cottage industry on Ireland's west coast to where we are today. Due to our proximity to the Atlantic (1 km), we also take the opportunity here to show visitors how we are inspired by both land and sea - where landscape textures meets the reflected light of the sea. This is a visually beautifully piece of video and is well worth watching. We also outline the process of how Ekotree takes the complex intricate stitch structures of the traditional aran sweater and reinterprets them in a modern context using our computerised looms, luxurious cashmere and merino yarns,and refined finishing processes.

5 - The 900 sq foot retail area. gives visitors a chance to browse and purchase our unique knitwear including Ekotree's exclusive cashmere and merino ranges. The retail space stocks 5 categories of Ekotree knitwear: Womenwear, Menswear, Homewear, Gift, & Babywear. We mainly use cashmere and superfine merino yarns but also have linen blends, cotton blends, and silk, and more exotic yarns like yak and camel. We can gift wrap any purchase and ship them worldwide for the convenience of our customers. There is also a small relaxation area for those who'd prefer to rest their legs, read a book or warm themselves by the large Stanley stove.