Shawls and Wraps - Knits

Jen's work is motivated by an appreciation of fiber - its wondrous variety as well as its subtle complexities. She designs for comfort, movement and style using a vast array of natural and luxury yarns from around the world. When wearing her garments, it's difficult to decide which is better: the look or the feel.

While Jen's knitwear provides luster and a luscious texture with elegant simplicity, the design detail reveals her cunning understanding of the body and the nature of the knit. All of the shawls and wraps and knits in her collection start with one strand of yarn and one moment of inspiration.

And that's only the beginning. Jen is dedicated to preserving the environment while acting responsibly in her own community. Jen's company, JAK Designs, has always been a Green business and Jen's knitwear will never be produced in a sweatshop.

Born in Champion, Ohio in 1969, she earned her degree at the Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising at Kent State University, then headed west, and has made San Francisco, California and the Mission District her home since 1995.

Jen designs and produces her knitwear on a California rooftop, and her unique garments can be found in boutiques all over the country. Her work has also been featured in national ballet performances from San Francisco to Oklahoma and all the way to New York's Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School of Dance.

Working with a bed of 200 needles, an array of hand tools and a wall of yarns. The process begins when Jen holds in her hand a sumptuous fiber. Strand in hand, she lets her inspiration move her drawing pencil and the figure takes shape. Jen engineers the construction of her garments, knits swatches to determine the yarn tension and stitch count, then starts to loom. Every trial lands on a dress form until Jen is satisfied with the shaping, drape and final look. Then she colors her palette with natural and luxury fibers, and designs pieces in a variety of sizes to fit the women she will soon be adorning in JAK.