The Designer the New York Times Called Fashion Week’s Secret Weapon

Some people end up in knitwear by accident. Vladimir Teriokhin arrived there by design, though not the kind you might expect. He trained as a professional ballet dancer at the Bolshoi before making his way to New York, and that background gave him something most knitwear designers simply do not have: an instinctive understanding of the body in motion.

The New York Times described him as designers’ secret knitwear weapon, and it is hard to argue with that. For years, Teriokhin worked quietly behind the scenes at some of the biggest names in fashion. Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, The Row. When those brands needed knitwear that could do something technically extraordinary and still look effortless on the body, they called Vlad.

In 2016, he and Allyson Spencer co-founded Spencer Vladimir, a luxury hand-knit label that brought his work into the spotlight for the first time. The label was stocked at Barneys New York, covered in Vogue, and spotted on Gwyneth Paltrow and Miley Cyrus. The iconic Vlad sweater, a chunky cable knit drawing on Irish fisherman traditions and the structural geometry of H.R. Giger, became a cult piece. Woolmark described how Vladimir completely redefined knitwearas a category.

Today, Vladimir continues to push the boundaries of what hand-knitting can achieve. His studio at vladknit.com takes on bespoke commissions, sample development, and technical consulting for designers who need knitwear that works at the highest level.

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The Technical Complexity Behind the Work

What makes Teriokhin’s knitwear so remarkable is not just the aesthetic. It is the technical precision underneath it. His designs require an artisan who can hold multiple complex instructions in their head simultaneously, working a cable chart while managing tension, stitch count, and garment shaping all at once.

This is not production-line knitting. It is a discipline closer to couture dressmaking than to commercial manufacturing. The garments he creates are structurally complex, with cables that shift direction mid-body, oversized silhouettes that need precise engineering to sit properly, and textures that only work if every stitch is placed exactly right.

At KOCO, this is exactly the kind of work we have been built to handle. Our artisans in Tamil Nadu, India, have been producing technically complex hand-knitted garments for fashion brands since 2013. We work regularly with intricate cable combinations, lace structures, multi-stitch patterns, and unconventional silhouettes. We did not produce the pieces in Teriokhin’s portfolio, and I want to be clear about that. But when designers come to us inspired by work at this level of complexity, we know how to deliver it.

Why KOCO Was Built for This Calibre of Work

KOCO was founded on a simple idea: that the most technically ambitious hand-knitting in the world should be manufacturable at a scale that works for fashion brands, without cutting corners on quality or on the people doing the work.

Our artisans are skilled in the full range of hand-knitting techniques. Cable and crossed stitches, chevron and geometric patterns, lace and openwork, rib structures, two-colour work. We take on orders from a single prototype through to 1,000 pieces and beyond, with a standard five-week delivery timeline. Every garment is quality assured through our manufacturing process before it leaves India.

What we offer designers who are drawn to Teriokhin’s work is the manufacturing infrastructure to realise that level of ambition in their own collections. You bring the design. We work out how to knit it, at scale, in your yarn, to the standard your brand requires.

I have worked with Teriokhin directly, and what I took from that experience is the value he places on the integrity of the stitch. Every technical decision in his designs has a reason behind it. That is the standard our artisans hold themselves to as well.

“The way Vladimir transformed his background in ballet into a unique approach to knitwear design taught me the value of bringing diverse experiences to our craft. It is a lesson that shapes KOCO’s collaborative approach with designers.” ~ Danielle Chiel, Founder and CEO, KOCO Knitting

KOCO’s Capability in Complex Hand-Knitted Manufacturing

If you are a designer working with technically demanding knitwear, here is what KOCO brings to the table:

Intricate cable and structural work. Our artisans are experienced with complex cable charts, including multi-directional cables, bobble integration, and cables combined with lace or rib. See our cable stitch library for examples of what we produce regularly.

Custom yarn sourcing. We source natural and sustainable yarns to your specification, including wool, alpaca, mohair, and linen blends. Our yarn sourcing service handles the entire supply chain so you do not have to.

No minimum orders. Whether you need one prototype or a full production run, we work to the same standard. This matters particularly for designers developing new directions in their knitwear, because it means you can test the technique before committing to volume.

Ethical production. KOCO is a certified B Corporation. Our artisans are paid fairly, work in good conditions, and take genuine pride in the complexity of what they produce. Sustainable production is not a marketing position for us. It is how we have operated since day one.

A Note on Being Featured

I will admit I was genuinely thrilled when I discovered that Vladimir had featured our KOCO blog post on vladknit.comalongside pieces from The New York Times and Vogue. That is not something I take lightly.

It matters to us because it reflects a shared set of values around craft, complexity, and the future of hand-knitting in fashion. The industry is moving toward a greater appreciation for what artisan production can do, not just in terms of aesthetics but in terms of sustainability, authenticity, and the story behind a garment. Teriokhin’s work sits at the centre of that conversation, and I am proud that KOCO does too.

Ready to Bring Complex Knitwear to Life?

If you are a designer working on knitwear that demands this level of technical execution, we would love to talk. Book a consultation with KOCO and let us show you what our artisans can do.

You can also explore our hand-knitted garment manufacturing services and our bespoke hand-knit design service to get a sense of the range of work we handle.

The best knitwear in the world starts with a great designer and a manufacturer who genuinely understands the craft. That is the combination we are here for.