I'm republishing today a piece about the new yarn collection by Scottish company Todd & Duncan that I recently did for Zoot Magazine.
It may be not that obvious to fashion fans, but there is definitely art in yarns. Those of us who may not be convinced by such a statement, would just need to sit down with yarn and textile experts or creative directors of established manufacturers to realise that the art we see in a fashion collection actually originates in a simple yarn.
The Autumn/Winter 2013-14 yarn collection by historical Scottish cashmere spinner Todd & Duncan (just launched at Pitti Filati) is a perfect example of such connection: featuring 24 new colours in 100% cashmere, the collection moves from the theme of tracing, borrowed from the work of American artist Ingrid Calame.
Los Angeles-based Calame is famous for tracing all those unidentifiable smudges, stains and graffiti that often cover streets and pavements and for transposing them first onto paper and then onto her paintings, creating abstract landscapes of textures and colours.
Todd & Duncan's Creative Director Melissa Strong moved from Ingrid Calame's tracings mixing this inspiration with the subtle tones of the norther sky line and coming up with a range of colours including solid darks, deep blues and calming neutrals with sparkles of bright energetic shades.
The new collection features new products Arran and Burleigh, both mid-weight 100% cashmere yarns for 5 gauge knits, ideal to create high surface effects and volumes while retaining lightness to the touch.
What was the starting point behind the Autumn/Winter 2013-14 collection?
Melissa Strong: The tracing concept in the works of American artist Ingrid Calame, used as a pun to “trace” the company's history and “retrace” the company's colour archive, so as a way to look at the past while projecting ourselves into the future. It was fascinating thinking about the artist tracing things on pavements or on her studio floor, from marks to smudges of paint, but also to try and inject into the yarns the matt and sheer effects she creates in her enamel paintings on aluminium or in her simulated numbered steel sheeting in which high gloss abstractions create surfaces that look almost eroded by acid and that are characterised by space and depth contrasts. From the tracing concept we also looked at historical maps and cartography, and at the subtle nuances of the Northern hemisphere and the sky line at dusk and dawn with those fading colours going from blues and greys to red, this is actually a very important part of the colour palette for the next season.
What's the most exciting part in creating new colours for yarns?
Melissa Strong: Coming up with something that excites you visually, presenting your colours and combinations to other designers and then seeing their own interpretations of your work.
Which are the most important shades in this season's colour offer?
Melissa Strong: We did a lot of investments in new colours for what regards the greys and greiges that go from subtle undertones to more classic ones, but we also worked a lot on clean darks and solid blues. Another vitally important areas for us is the natural and neutral section for both men and women's. We also tried to get more sporty and got a burst of energy in bright key colours that display some links with Calame's works as well, while developing also shades with a slightly Shetland tweed feel about them. All the nuances have a very clean and smart look, but I particularly love the effects that some yarns can give out when stitches are blurred with undefined edges through different colour and yarn combinations.
Do you have a favourite shade?
Melissa Strong: I love the reds, such as our “Lipstick” shade, as I find them quite uplifting.
The new products in this collection - Arran and Burleigh - come in 100% cashmere: do you think the market has definitely settled on high luxury products?
Malissa Strong: We had a lot of requests for 100% cashmere products, so there is a tendency towards luxury, but at the same time the trend seems to be for relaxed looks.
Which countries are your key clients?
Melissa Strong: Our clients come from all over the world: we have some clients in Germany, but America, France and Italy are very important countries as we work with established brands, contemporary designers and couture houses over there. We obviously have quite a good following within Scotland among companies that sell internationally. I would say that the most important companies at the moment are the ones who are expanding into Asia and being on the back of their expansion programmes is at the moment of key strategic importance.
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