Photo courtesy of Andrea Mihalyffy website.

In a sea of seasoned designers, it takes more than quality knits and flattering fits to stand out for a line of knitwear. Contemporary designer Andrea Mihalyffy looms to the forefront with her Couture Collection and Essentials Collection of profusely soft threads and relaxed elegance. Raised in Hungary and trained as a knitwear designer at the famed Hungarian University of Art & Design in Budapest, her regard for timeless pieces with salient comfort have made her into the creative she is today. Mihalyffy’s artforms are currently based at the newly launched Raine Studio on Gillespie Avenue for the public to touch, feel and fall in love with (appointments are recommended).

The Essentials Collection reaps effortless style in the form of basic apparel and accessories to complete a full wardrobe—practical and cozy to be worn from day to night (including bedtime). The pieces in this line are actually made with all organic cashmere yarn, sourced from Inner Mongolia farms from Kashmir goats raised with organic grazing standards. The fine natural fiber is produced without chemicals and dyed only with non-toxic, natural dyes. The handmade Couture Collection is made right in her local studio directly on a knitting machine, and displayed as ready-to-wear luxury wares. Sophisticated yet eternally comfortable to wear, “this line represents my freedom as a designer,” she expresses. Customers can purchase the classic, one-of-a-kind pieces as is, or have Mihalyffy personalize/customize to your liking.

“My designs are guided by simplicity,” she says. “I’m focusing and taking advantage of the diverse nature of the knitted material which results in free movement of the fabric picking up the body's natural form and transforming by the body's movement—creating a fluid silhouette and very feminine, soft look.”

Photo courtesy of Andrea Mihalyffy website.

Shop the collections online or at Raine Studio, 728 Gillespie Ave., Sarasota, 34236.