New knitted blankets by Australian design duo Kate & Kate.  Styling - Marsha Golemac, Photo - Brooke Holm.

'The Tarts' tartan blankets by Australian design duo Kate & Kate.  Styling - Marsha Golemac, Photo - Brooke Holm.

Sisters-in-law and business partners Kate Pascoe and Kate Pascoe Squires of Kate & Kate!  Styling - Marsha Golemac, Photo - Brooke Holm.

We've had our eye on these two clever ladies since they first launched their eponymous label,  Kate & Kate, in October last year.  In case you're wondering, the two aforementioned 'Kates' are Kate Pascoe and Kate Pascoe Squires -  sisters-in-law, best friends and business partners!

Kate & Kate design a range of beautiful blankets and throws, knitted in 100% natural cotton.  With a broad collection of contemporary designs ranging from bold geometric patterns, to a more traditional tartan range, these ladies really know a thing or two about colour and pattern!  Their newest design for Winter 2014 is 'The Jaggers' range (a chevron design) which will be available from mid April, and following this, their next range, 'The Tarts' (tartan) will land in June.  Both ranges are available for pre-order on their website now!

We asked the two Kates a few quick questions about their respective backgrounds and their exciting new business! -

Tell us a little bit about each of your backgrounds – what were you each doing before the launch of Kate & Kate?

KPS – My background in actually in public relations.  I worked with chefs, restaurants and wine for most of my PR life… all the fun stuff when you are in your twenties.  I just found that career became progressively more difficult once kids came into the mix.

KP– My background is in fashion retail, design, and wardrobe. Kate and I were actually embarking on separate creative projects when we happened to meet our manufacturers.  Totally by chance. We got talking and decided, within about a five minute period, that we would go into business together and that blankets would be our thing. We jumped into the designing and sampling process right away, and spent about 16 months making sure everything was in place before launching Kate & Kate late last year.

KPS – It was such an empowering experience.  When you find that thing and you just know it’s right. It’s exciting – that anticipation not only before you launch, but before you release each and every new design. It’s addictive.

What influences your design aesthetic?

It’s so cliched, but we really do draw experiences from the everyday. Wherever we are, we are always looking for graphic inspiration. We are constantly emailing photos of things we fall in love with, it’s become a bit of an obsession!

Tell us a little more about your products  – what materials are used, and where they are made?

All of our blankets are 100% cotton. We manufacture just outside of Delhi in India. The people we work with are incredible. We just spent some time there in January and were so amazed to see all of the hands required to make our blankets. Everyone has a job and they excel at it, from the edging right through to the hand sewing of the Kate & Kate labels.

What's next for Kate & Kate? What are you looking forward to?

So many things on the drawing board!  We can’t say too much in case we jinx it.  But watch this space. Our recent sourcing trip to India was extremely fruitful. We have some exciting things in the pipeline for summer 2015... but right now we are just madly designing and sampling!

Do check out Kate & Kate's full range here! 

New knitted blankets by Sydney based duo Kate & Kate.  Styling - Marsha Golemac, Photo - Brooke Holm.