Hard economic times aren’t always good for fashion but having already weathered two World Wars and the Great Depression, has unsurprisingly proved itself to be recession-proof. Now the luxury French fashion house is spreading a bit of fashion love by buying up an entire Scottish knitwear business that would otherwise have been closed.

Barrie Knitwear, which is part of a conglomerate that went into administration this year, was of interest to Karl Lagerfeld's label because of its fabulous cashmere output. A spokesperson for Chanel said the deal, ‘secures the jobs of all 176 employees and safeguards a historic brand known for the manufacture of high-quality cashmere for some of the world's most prestigious couture houses.’

Great news for the company in question – and for knitwear fans everywhere.

Find out more about Karl's hula hoop handbag here