A city can be compared to a biological entity, a living, breathing organism in a constant state of evolution and change. Knitwear designer Laura Theiss moved from this concept and from the way architectural spaces are conceived for her A/W 2019 collection.
Theiss built some of her new designs as if she were an architect drawing a building or a urban developer planning a city – slowly, stitch by stitch, piece by piece.
Quite a few of the geometrical motifs incorporated in her designs have an architectural derivation: her trademark zigzags evoke Art Deco patterns decorating the facades of buildings; squares call to mind the rows of windows in minimalist skyscrapers.
Yarns were employed to reproduce street patterns and to make grid and trellis-like textures pointing at aerial views of cities, with braids twisting and turning evoking networks of roads, rails and walkways in urban metropolises that connect everyday millions of people.
Theiss's new dresses and knitted and crocheted separates can be interpreted as modular geographies for the body: a burgundy dress was made joining together 400 small knitted squares with delicate yet solid metal thread to form a multi-dimensional effect; dense cross-strata formations characterise jumpers and tops, while traditional cable knits are reinterpreted, recreating in their patterns Santiago Calatrava's studies revolving around tension and suspension.
The palette for the A/W 19 collection focuses on soft shades such as pale pink, gray and off-white, juxtaposed to stronger autumnal nuances including burgundy, ochre and black, interspersed with metallic yarns for a futuristically glamorous touch.
Theiss also tackled the theme of duplicity and duality in the collection: after researching the dichotomy between tailored masculine moods and soft feminine knits and couture cardigans, she came up with a conceptual but functional blazer-cum-sweater designed to empower women.
The cryptic title of the collection - "P43" - is a reference to the address of a "trikotagen" (knitwear) factory in St. Ingbert, Germany.
Opened in 1924, the factory disappeared from St. Ingbert's cityscape after it closed down, but in its heydays it was ranked among the most beautiful southwest German industrial buildings.
Women were allowed to work in the factory in the '30s and, by referencing the factory in this collection, Theiss pays homage to all the workers, and in particular to the women who gave their contribution to the knitting industry.
Laura Theiss's "P43" is an exploration of body architectures, an interdisciplinary study of fashion, architecture and femininity by a designer with a passion for traditional crafts and for modern state-of-the-art techniques with the heart of a dreamer.
Image credits for this post
Photographs © Jennifer Weyland
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