Introducing the collaboration you never knew you needed. Minnesota-based designer Eleanor Leftwich and former Artful Living cover artist Donald Robertson are coming together to launch an iconic cashmere collection that we can’t wait to get our hands on. Known for her intentional slow fashion collections, Leftwich’s elevated aesthetic meets Robertson’s cheeky and playful approach to art in a vibrant and elegant collaboration. As we eagerly await the May 7 preorder, we chatted with the duo to hear how this partnership came to be and how they will be styling their namesake pieces.
Photography by Lauren Krysti | Art direction by Maison Charest Faye
How did you two get connected?
Eleanor Leftwich: I have followed Donald on Instagram for a long time and have purchased some of his art. I had an Instagram friend (frankly, I despise the term follower) reach out forwarding an Instagram story that he was looking for someone to develop his art into cashmere sweaters. Her message was, “OMG, you should be this person!” I figured, why not reach out and ask? The worst response is that he’ll say no. He responded to me within the hour and said, “Let’s do it,” and we were in a virtual meeting with my knit developer within a couple of days putting the details together. It was the power of Instagram and both of our incredible communities that brought us together!
Donald Robertson: This was my post on January 6. A shout out into the unknown! “Who can turn these into CASHmere sweaters?” Eleanor was fast to respond, and we set up a call.
What inspired you to dive into knitwear?
DR: I have been collab-ing for over 15 years now, so I have seen it all. Cashmere was my new frontier in 2026.
Photography provided by Donald Robertson
Can you take us inside the process of developing the collection?
EL: Donald sent us the files of the artwork, and then my knit developer and I began to source knit colors closest to his artwork. We then decided a small factory in Italy would be the best fit as the artwork makes the knit production quite complicated, and will require hand-finishing to really make the art come to life. Sampling itself has taken more than 10 hours for each design — your average sweater takes an hour, for comparison. We decided to do a lightweight sweater in 14-gauge and a 70% cashmere/30% silk blend so that they’ll be perfect for warmer temperatures. Donald is absolutely lovely to work with and even designed all of the co-branded artwork for the brand labels and tags.
How did you decide which artwork was going to be featured?
EL: This was Donald’s area of expertise. He developed seven pieces of art, and they were all so good that we couldn’t cut any. So all seven went into development!
DR: The paintings just happened out of nowhere and sold pretty quickly. I had them scanned before we shipped them and sent the scans to Eleanor to pick the ones she thought would work. My favorite part is when I asked Eleanor which ones she had decided to make, and she said “All of them!” It’s kind of what I was hoping to hear.
Photography provided by Donald Robertson
How will you be wearing your ELC x Drawbertson pieces?
EL: I’ve been wearing the samples most often paired with white denim as it really makes the colors pop, but truly the options are limitless. I also love them with a lot of the tweed from my own collection, as well as my striped cotton pieces. I am giddy with excitement for all of the styling opportunities!
DR: I will probably not be wearing one of these because I am fighting off an angry mob waiting for them to drop!
How long will the collection be available?
EL: We will open preorders from May 7 through May 12. If the collection doesn’t sell out during this time (I’m worried it will!), we’ll carry some webstock.
Photography by Lauren Krysti | Art direction by Maison Charest Faye
Can we expect more collaborations in the future?
EL: I hope so — it’s been so fun! Working with incredibly talented people is the best thing about this endeavor!
