50 years of photoshoots – part one!
This is the fourth post in our series counting down to Bill Baber’s 50th anniversary on 26th May 2027. Read the first post, 50 Years of Customer Stories, the second What hasn’t changed in 50 years, the third Our Shopfronts over 50 years and follow along each month as we share more of our story.
Photoshoots from 1977 to 1998
These are the earliest photoshoot images we have from the first two decades of our business. Some we can place in time but with others we find the memories are rather woolly, pun intended! The names of many of the models and photographers have been lost to us over the years. If you recognise anyone, especially if you see yourself, then please do let us know by emailing info@billbaber.com or getting in touch on Facebook or Instagram. We’d love to hear from you!
We hope you enjoy this look back as much as we do and will be continuing the story in next month’s blog from 1999 to 2011.
Blades pattern jackets
The shoots from this period carry all the hallmarks of the 80’s that you’d expect. The style, the colours, the shoulders! This picture of our Blade pattern jackets was taken in our friend, and fellow knitwear designer, Hermione Spencer’s beautiful back garden in Balloch, Loch Lomond!
Sheila in Harlequin Cardigan by David Darling
This gorgeous picture we do remember the shoot of! David Darling, a renowned photographer walked into our West Port store after seeing this Harlequin Cardigan in the window. He was arranging a shoot for a hairdresser and was looking for something stylish for the model to wear. He noticed this garment in the window and asked whether he could use it. We never met the model. and when he came back a week later with a photograph we were blown away!
We asked him if it we could use it in our publicity and he agreed. We have had a very large printout proudly displayed in our shop ever since. Many years later a young man came into our Edinburgh Grassmarket Workshop and stopped short when he saw this print and exclaimed “That’s my auntie Sheila!”
Sheila lives in Australia now and we’re sure she’s just as beautiful now as she was then. The garment she’s wearing was a classic of the 1980’s. It was called Harlequin and this was the cardigan version. We made it in a rich mixture of different colours and used to hang them upside down from the ceiling like huge multi-coloured fruit.
The Harlequin reimagined in 2023
In 2023 Bill decided to create a modern reimagining of this classic piece. The way we make our knitwear has changed so much since we first created the Harlequin back in the 1980’s. He wanted to see if he could recreate this unique piece with our modern methods – and he could! But the time it took to create the Harlequin meant it would have been commercially impossible so alas, they remain in the past.
Bill and Helen in their own designs at Craigmillar Castle by Sonia Miller Photo around 1995
By the 1990’s we were in our forever location in the Edinburgh Grassmarket and had rebranded as Bill Baber Knitwear. There was an article written about us in Machine Knitters magazine in 1995 and Sonia Miller took pictures of us at Craigmillar Castle in Edinburgh in our own jumpers, to go along with it!
A firm favourite image here, taken on site at harvest time, we couldn’t resist showcasing you our Deep Tar Chain and Petal Rouche Jackets against this rural background. Keep an eye out for our 2026 photoshoot where we were delighted to find hay bales to frame some shots against!
Petal Box Jackets for Men and Women from the 1980’s alongside a Petal Argyll from 2013
Our Petal pattern, shown above, was popular for men and women on jackets and jumpers during the 1980’s and 1990’s and we brought this pattern back into the collection during 2019, albeit in a more subdued style with one chain along the yoke of our Argyll sweater.
Our Baroque swirl pattern
Throughout these two decades, the Baroque swirl pattern was incredibly popular in our Workshops and came in many forms, colours and styles. We even had this pattern painted above the doorway to our Edinburgh Grassmarket Workshop for many years!
By the end of the 1990’s, something was about to change significantly for us. In 1999 we began working regularly with photographer David Darling and his wife Geeta, and the visual story of Bill Baber Knitwear entered a brand new chapter entirely. Join us next month as we explore the impact that our dear late friend David had on our business!
We’d love to hear from you as we prepare to celebrate our 50th anniversary with your memories, pictures or reminisces. Leave a comment below or find us on Facebook or Instagram and tell us which era you remember best! Email us at info@billbaber.com with your pictures!
This is the fourth post in our series counting down to Bill Baber’s 50th anniversary on 26th May 2027. Read the first post, 50 Years of Customer Stories, the second post, What hasn’t changed in 50 years, the third Our Shopfronts over 50 years and follow along each month as we share more of our story.