Last Friday was more productive than usual. I managed to be up and out of the house to make the first showing of the latest Fashion In Motion show at the V&A, which is no easy feat on my day off when I revert to adolescent waking-up times. The reason I was up before midday was to see the work of Ipswich-born designer Craig Lawrence, known for knitting with unusual materials such as Scoubidou wires and sweet wrappers. The series allows the audience to gain a greater understanding of a designers' work, showcasing multiple collections which span a fair few years, if not decades. I'd previously seen such a wide breadth of ideas at the more established Yohji Yamamoto, Kenzo and Peter Jensen brands, but what could a designer with a graduation year of 2009 have to offer in such a short period of time?
Luckily I had nothing to worry about. A few trips to the exhibition at London Fashion Week had given me a closer look at some of his innovative techniques but it was a long time since I'd seen Lawrence's pieces come to life. One of the best things about Fashion In Motion is that a few key looks from several collections are featured, telling a wider story about a designer and allowing you to see their development within the span of a fashion show. Even though the pieces became more relatable towards the end, it didn't stop me from being excited by them and wanting to study them in more detail (the front-row seat helped immensely with photos). There is always an element of consistency, with the metallic Kyotoex yarn always present and creating a delicate yet futuristic feel for his work. There's no limit to the amount of textures you can create through knitting and I particularly liked the amount of interest created in some of the black pieces, proving that you don't necessarily need to use heaps of colour to keep things fresh.
Who's next for the V&A I wonder? I'd definitely recommend getting a ticket next time it happens and enjoying the spectacle, did any of you make it down?
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Such amazing textures and tones. I adore your photos, Kbel, I've never quite mastered catwalk imagery myself, better get stalking some Formsprings haha! :P xx
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a great show, love the different textures!
ReplyDeleteCaroline x
Caroline's Catwalk
love these pieces!
ReplyDeletedevorelebeaumonstre.com xx
So lovely! I'm dying over these textures, omgggg. That black knit with the PVC Louboutin's....perfect.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'll be studying abroad for a semester (or planning to, rather) at Central Saint Martins next Spring! What events will be going on around then that I should know about? I wanna get on top of that before I lost my chance!
Melanie
thosethingstheysaid.com
Good lord Craig Lawrence is talented. I am in awe of all of this!
ReplyDeleteYou summed him up perfectly.
More designers need to play around with knits
The Lovelorn
Wow wow wow, these are all gorgeous! I love the massive volume of the dresses! The gold and silver one had me completely captivated - though I wonder if it would be heavy to wear with all of that fabric! ; )
ReplyDeletex
Lost in the Haze: a Fashion Photography Blog
Your photos are just amazing - glad you made it out of bed for this! Thanks for sharing x
ReplyDeleteLovely blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://xtheperfectmess.blogspot.com.au