BY VALERIE CRONENBOLD
Some things never change. Spinning, weaving and knitting threads into well pieces of clothing is an ancient practice that has persisted through the trials of time. Despite the industrial revolution’s shift from manual threadwork into automated processes like the one’s found in today’s massive factories has shaped the fashion climate; The art of knitting is very much alive.
By the hands of three New Orleans designers who share an intention to innovate knitwear with eclectic designs, the challenge in the evolution of knitwear stands present as ever.
Heaven Barriere in the IAM awakening dress by IAMNOVAZO
IAMNOVAZO
Based in New York City, fashion model and designer Nova Krasner wants to bring couture to knitwear with sexy silhouettes made out of crochet. In their own words, IAMNOVAZO is “not your grandmother’s crochet”, a brand self-described as colorful and unapologetic.
The idea came to life less than a year and a half ago, when the designer started sewing thrifted finds out of a desire to cultivate a meditative process for self-care. They imagined a DIY bikini shirt in the form of crochet, something they never saw before and this has jump started what would soon become IAMNOVAZO.
Making everything solely by hand, Krasner creates panels of fabric by hand with stitches and making the cool from the unconventional.
“It's just such a beautiful art form that isn't really necessarily talked about a lot. And I really like the weakness of it, if you will. I don't know the correct word to use, but, um, I just love the fact that you can really take it and run with it,” they said.
The Vibrancy collection and IAMNOVAZO’s first runway show featured a vivid palette vivid in pastels and neon colors true to its title, an ode to the designer’s spirituality, relating the color psychology of clothes to energetic frequencies.
The sustainable possibilities within yarn keep Krasner motivated to continuously experiment and repurpose, due to its ability to take form and be taken apart with ease. The next collection will upcycle materials from the previous one with a totally different creative approach taking on a new form, with threads sourced from unsold pieces, in order to avoid waste and discard clothes that no longer resonate with their vision.
“You don't really find that in other textiles like cotton or polyester, because once you kind of make it, it becomes their, you know, silhouette. And I think with knitwear and crochet and things like that, you're able to take it and make it something that's going to go into sustainability as well,” they said.So to me, it is like going into knitwear while I keep doing it. It's because, you know, it's like a canvas thing, you know, paint over it again and again.”
Keith Lymuel in the Alpaca tank by 8.16 studio
8.16 Studio
The southern heat of 8.16 Studio is embraced by summer friendly, open knit garments suitable for all genders and sizes. Made with natural fibers such as alpaca, mohair, cotton, and indigo dye, the brand represents an avant-garde blend of art and fashion created from a Afro futuristic perspective true to the designer’s heritage and stylistic identity.
Making artistic references to African tribes such as the Samburu and the Masaai, the designer’s background in architecture and studio art is uncomfortable with staying safe, and chooses to dedicate each piece to himself by challenging Western notions of masculinity.
“A lot of the men that I see in these tribes are super masculine, but they are the most flamboyantly dressed, they're the most heavily decorated, but they're considered warriors in a sense, because they have been training and doing this thing since they were little kids,” said designer Josh Smith.
The launching pad for the brand’s story was the conceptual Journey to Zion collection. The hand-dyed assembly of pieces was a retelling of the designer’s Christian faith in relation to the tribulations of his personal creative breakthrough.
“I was afraid to be such an avant garde menswear designer, to be a black man. It was daunting to go there because I've always wanted to go there. Like I said, I was studying fashion my whole life, so I was able to understand what that's for, what avant garde looks like, and not necessarily see myself represented in that way. I didn't take that on as a challenge, but I was always confronted with my internal realism. You want to portray yourself this way, you want to do things, so just do them,” he said.
The Negro Cloth New Collossus collection was exclusively denim, as a tribute to the origins of denim in America’s racist history. Despite the mainstream use of the cloth, a woven mixture of indigo dye and cotton (a cash crop), little is known of how the slaves brought different trade techniques for producing cotton from West Africa and didn’t get any credit. Surprised after learning its Louisiana roots, the designer decided to honor “one of those stories that never got told” by working solely with the fabrics and fibers, finishing the pieces with hand bending techniques.
“I just want my clothes to tell the truth, and that truth is rooted in my identity. I’m not one of those designers that showcases themselves and the clothes and trying to get people to identify with me. You learn who I am through my clothes,” Smith said.
Transparency keeps 8.16 Studio hot with the use of warm furs such as alpaca wool and black bamboo for the signature tunic silhouette, in contrast to the freshness of the large perforated materials.
Smith said he didn’t know why he was attracted to open knit when he went into fashion. “I can make a tighter knit but I’m not interested in it. My clothes tell the truth because I’m always hot, I need ventilation. So where I’m learning and how I’m staying true to my clothing is identifying, showing skin continuously in my work. Stay true to finding myself in my clothes. If I had been scared of it I wouldn’t have been as confident as I am and rooted in who I am.”
Alexis Pierre in knit skirt by Donaka Katherine
Donaka Katherine
Stylist, designer, and a student of the Material Institute of New Orleans, Donaka Katherine found freedom in crafting knitted pieces using the body as the main accessory. Driven by the endless possibilities in knitwear, Katherine values the importance of creation as her clothing embodies this meaning in their texture.
In her own words, “functionality in fashion has already been mastered, so I look at my clothes through the lens of wearable art.” Her vision for her clothing aims to create detailed oriented pieces of a grandiose concept with an elaborate finish, fit to be showcased in a museum. Whatever she creates is fit to push the boundaries and “going against something that’s ready to wear,” she said.
Featuring one her most popular pieces, the long-sleeve black dress was inspired by a Victorian morning dress. “I wanted to display the morning in a different way, how you feel caged by the morning and responsibilities so I went and added weight and tension,” Katherine said.
The iconic cloud dress represents a pattern of how the condensed water drops move across the sky, with different pieces of knit placed throughout the body by openings.
Her venture into the art of crochet started as a therapeutic hobby, which expanded by experimenting by natural dying in class. Katherine begins the process by sketching first and taking notes to keep in mind once she begins pattern making. As she enjoys experimenting with strings, she said she likes to keep an organic approach. A recent purchase of a sewing machine now allows her more freedom for speed. “I literally cannot get enough of knitting,” she said. “It relaxes me.”
So what’s next? As she completes her Hand Knitting Guild certificate, the upcoming Hearts collection will be an assembly of ready-to-wear clothing and accessories, shaped like the name of its title.
From TBD Issue 3: 'AGE OF RESILIENCE', Available Now!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALFRED COLEMAN III
CREATIVE DIRECTION BY LAURYN HINTON
STYLING BY TYRONECIA MOORE
MAKEUP BY NAOMI BLAUSAPP
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