Valérie-Hélène Ngoma*Paris, FRANCE.INSTITUT FRANÇAIS DE LA MODE (BA Fashion design, Knitwear specialty, 2021).FEEL THE YARN (Webinar cycle on yarn and Knitwear, 2021).Currently working as a womenwear and menswear Knitwear designer at The Kooples in Paris. She is a knitwear designer exploring the intersection of clothing, home, and lifestyle. Her work reflects a constant pursuit of strong simplicity: refined yet striking knit stitches, where every detail tells a story.
Her style combines minimalism with complexity, playing with textures and colors to create pieces that are both understated and rich in nuance. Her inspiration comes from the shapes and textures she encounters daily, as well as photography, which sharpens her perspective and fuels her creativity.
Her Congolese and Belarusian heritage informs a hybrid universe, blending the graphic austerity of a Soviet aesthetics with the warmth of African details. These influences are transformed into a refined and harmonious visual language, where cultural richness is expressed subtly.
Through her creations, she aims to reinvent knitwear as an everyday art form—an equilibrium between functionality, emotion, and timeless aesthetics.
PROFESSIONAL SPECIALIZED IN THE DESIGN AND CREATION OF KNITTED GARMENTS. SHE WORKS WITH YARNS AND KNITTING TECHNIQUES TO PRODUCE UNIQUE PIECES OR READY-TO-WEAR KNIT COLLECTIONS. SHE IS DRIVEN BY INNOVATION, TEXTURE, AND CREATIVITY, CONSTANTLY PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF KNITTING TO CREATE ORIGINAL AND ELEGANT DESIGNS.
“Even before graduating, I was always attracted to knitting. I still see myself learning to knit alone and finishing a first piece after spending three months working on it. I remember this feeling of emptiness that followed the end of this project.
What am I going to do with my afternoons now?
I had not yet understood at that time that I had just discovered the activity that I will do every day.
I’m quite interested. I am constantly looking for stimulation and new discoveries. The knitwear is an infinite play space that allows me to fully develop.”
- Valérie-Hélène NGOMA