When Ella Emhoff, the New York-based stepdaughter of Vice President Kamala Harris, released her debut limited-edition five-piece knitwear collection earlier this year, it sold out within 30 minutes.

Emhoff knitted the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it line by hand in her Brooklyn apartment, using disparate patches of wool and stitching them together. Before that, in the autumn of last year, Harry Styles kickstarted a knitting revolution on TikTok thanks to a kaleidoscopic patchwork JW Anderson cardigan he wore on stage, which his stylist, Harry Lambert, picked up in the MatchesFashion sale. 

It would appear that both Styles and Emhoff are on to something with their homespun, artisanal approach to fashion. In the last few weeks, searches for patchwork fashion have increased by 25% and are continuing to rise 100% month-on-month, according to fashion platform Lyst.

The brands responsible for the ‘I-began-life-as-a-bedspread’ trend are Styles-approved Bode and lesser-known London labels Chopova Lowena and Asai, among others, with both MatchesFashion and Browns having noted spikes in sales of respective patchwork pieces.

“Patchwork has a real artisanal feel to it and I love the sense of nostalgia it brings,” says Suzanne Pendlebury, head of womenswear at MatchesFashion. “Working with upcycled patchwork is a great way to champion environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes and it has been exciting to see designers bring new life to vintage materials.” 

Among the e-tailor’s bestselling patchwork brands are influencer-approved Sea New York and Marques’Almeida which uses upcycled denim to craft one-of-a-kind dresses. Browns, meanwhile, has thrown its weight behind burgeoning designer Connor Ives as part of its newly-launched Browns Focus series, which is a platform dedicated to celebrating the design stars of tomorrow. As part of his exclusive collection for the brand, Ives has crafted a series of repurposed silk scarves and reconstructed jerseys which Browns has high hopes for in terms of sales.  

The reason for the surge in sales of patchwork pieces is, according to Pendlebury, to do with “customer looking to discover pieces that are unique and really understanding the craftsmanship behind the items they are purchasing.”

If you don’t fancy taking up the knitting needles or digging into a pile of patchwork yourself then fear not, for we’ve rounded up the best patchwork pieces that money can buy.

Images: courtesy of brands.