Our Story

  

Loopy Mango is the brainchild of Oejong and Anna, two friends who met in New York.  One day Oejong randomly found a crochet hook in her suitcase.  She crocheted day and night; so much that she quit her job!  Anna was so amazed by Oejong's creations that she wanted to share them with the entire world!  Loopy Mango believes that anyone can be creative - all you have to do is give it a try. 

 

We make knitting fun and accessible to everyone with our All You Knit Kit - My First Scarf or My First Hat.  Designed for absolute beginners these kits include all materials and online video lessons.  You will become a knitter in no time!

 

LOOPY MANGO is a knitwear and DIY brand that was founded in New York City in 2004.  With beginner friendly DIY (Do It Yourself) Kits anyone can make luxury accessories and home decor items in a matter of a few hours and sometimes even minutes.  All knitted products are handmade in the USA.

Loopy Mango hand-knit products, yarn and DIY kits are available on our website and at over a hundred specialty stores around the world. 

Oejong Kim was born in Korea. She moved to Japan for college and after graduating from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies she worked as an interpreter and later opened a Korean fusion restaurant in Nagoya, Japan. She moved to New York right after 9/11 and worked for a corporate housing company. She taught herself how to crochet, took a long vacation, and never returned to the corporate world.  

Anna Pulvermakher was born in Soviet Union. She moved to Seattle, WA with her family in 1991 and after graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in Mathematics she worked for Microsoft and Expedia as a Software Test Engineer. In 2003 she moved to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a professional artist.

Oejong and Anna met at a fabric painting workshop at Fashion Institute of Technology and together they founded Loopy Mango in 2004.  Oejong is the Designer and Creative Director of the company. Her medium of choice is merino wool fiber. She is attracted to the tactile experience of working with wool. The entire process from sourcing the fiber, developing colors, picking and carding the wool, spinning it into yarn, designing and hand knitting each piece is an elaborate but ultimately immensely gratifying process. Her goal in every piece that she creates is to maximize the beauty of natural wool to ensure that the end result is something that can be appreciated by those who share her aesthetic. She hopes that her creations will be passed on to future generations. Knitting is an ancient craft and her designs are simple and relevant to modern lifestyle.

Our first book "Loopy Mango Knitting: 34 fashionable pieces you can make in a day" authored by Oejong has been published by Abrams books in the fall of 2019. 

Learn about our social impact and fundraising initiatives.

 

 Oejong Kim & Anna Pulvermakher - co-founders of Loopy Mango