uncultured: knitwear
meditation mood ideations
open knit structure samples + fiber exploration
Heralding sustainability and craft over cultural fads and rapid production, Uncultured is my personal design philosophy put into practice. Through this methodology, I sought to hone my craftsmanship to produce unique pieces with artistry by utilizing self-discovered techniques. Uncultured showcases my expertise as a designer aesthetically and conceptually. This knitwear collection is constructed using only natural fibers and second-hand yarns. It is designed with mastery—not mass marketability—in mind. I believe designers and consumers alike can shift the industry in an ethically-minded direction by focusing on creating high-quality, timeless pieces with longevity.
uncultured design process…
Open knit structures are created by rearranging the placement of individual stitches on a designated frequency. For my designs, this meant moving stitches and swapping yarns every couple of rows. Designing and executing these patterns is a very methodical process with as much room for error as there is expansion. The visual and textural possibilities are endless!
Typically, the design process begins with garment ideation sketching but I ended up deviating from my initial ideas once I decided to center this collection around craftsmanship. Instead, I developed a wide array of open knit structure patterns, while experimenting with as many different fibers as possible. Through this process, I designed close to 200 unique open knit patterns. I devoted a large facet of this exploration to working out the most effective and unconventional methods for adding structure to these delicate knits. I integrated knowledge of traditional sewing practices and original knitting machine techniques to successfully stabilize open knit structures into functional forms; employing corsetry materials to create wearable art.
gauge swatches + construction…
