Studio SKARV x VanMoof Inside the collaboration
A hit of colour. A quiet nod across the street. SKARV scarves definitely keep you warm. And turns out, they also connect people. Something that’s pretty similar for VanMoof riders.
Two design-led brands. One shared mindset. Built for everyday movement. We had a chat with SKARV’s founder Jelijn Verhoeven on the process and creation of the Electric Blue scarf.
Q: When and why did you start SKARV?
A: I started SKARV in 2020, during the Covid period. I was working as a freelance designer for different companies, but I felt the urge to build something of my own again.
Q: How did your background influence SKARV?
A: I studied graphic design, but I’ve always been drawn to textiles and knitwear. In high school, I even ran a small knitwear brand with a friend, knitting everything ourselves. SKARV felt like returning to that, on a bigger scale.
Q: What was it like building SKARV from the beginning?
A: My brand started very small, with friends and colleagues I was working with at the time. The people around me really shaped the brand, and because it came from a small creative community, it slowly grew to the next layer of people. We are still quite a niche brand, which is what makes it unique.
Q: Why scarves as your first product?
A: I realized I was wearing mostly black and dark blue and wanted more color. Since people often experiment with color through accessories, a scarf felt like the perfect starting point.
Q: What drew you to working with VanMoof?
A: People who own a SKARV scarf often tell me they feel a connection when they see someone else wearing one. They smile at each other on the street.
Q: Has that led to any special moments?
A: There was a small love story where two people, wearing different colored SKARV scarves, started chatting about them and ended up going on their first date.
Q: What makes SKARV and VanMoof feel like a natural fit?
A: With VanMoof, I feel you’ve created a similar community of creative people who care about beautiful, well-designed products. There is a shared simplicity in the products and a clear focus on function. Both products are part of everyday life.
Q: How do you come up with your color combinations?
A: For me, finding the right colors is always a feeling. I look around me a lot; sometimes I see colors in old tiles or details in the city and feel they could really work well together.
Q: Do you try many different combinations?
A: Yes, I try to make as many different color combinations as possible so the scarves can fit everyone.
Q: Do you follow trends?
A: I do look at trends. When I notice certain colors becoming popular, I like to combine them with another color to give them a SKARV twist.
Q: Tell us about the process for Electric Blue.
A: From the moment we got the go-ahead, we moved forward immediately. Because we produce all our scarves in the Netherlands, and our knitwear company can work quite fast, we were able to move quickly. The process with VanMoof honestly felt like a dream collaboration. I couldn’t have wished for a better one.
Q: What’s it like to go from inception to finished product?
A: Seeing the scarf colors for the first time is always such a special moment for me, because that’s when it truly becomes real. The biggest wow moment is always seeing it in real life for the first time: a random person biking through the city with your scarf is the best feeling.
It’s one thing to talk about connection, movement and how soft merino wool is. It’s another to feel it on your ride home. The Electric Blue scarf is out now.
