Timothy James Andrews, an RCA grad, is one of the few designers that doesn’t take his work too seriously, making the process as fun as possible and in turn projecting a sense of play from his cartoon-like knits. “I design very organically, working first on colour and pattern and then later silhouette, I suppose a bit like you would work on a painting. The pieces speak to me as I make them and they grow, change and morph into something different and unique. The pieces often turn out quite exaggerated, maybe because I like them to make me smile! I often wear them whilst making them, laughing to myself as I look in the mirror, if the pieces were simple I wouldn’t have the same enjoyment making them. I like to think, if its fun for me to make, then it will be fun for somebody else to wear them.”
Andrews can assert control over knitwear as a medium because of the element of mathematics involved: “I think it’s the control freak in me. Knitwear allows me to not only control the shape and form of the garment but also the fabric of which it is made. There is something truly satisfying about making clothes from a few big balls of wool. I love the craft of knitwear, experimenting with technique, texture, pattern and colour. It might be a bit old fashioned to some but to me it’s quite scientific and mathematical, though my gran did teach me whilst I was little, which I love the idea of too!”
With a growing list of designers making a name for themselves in knitwear, unsurprisingly Andrews is eager to break conventions and illicit surprised reactions: “It really surprises people when they see my work and I tell them that I knitted every pieces. Knitwear has moved on leaps and bounds over the last few years, new machine technologies and yarn developments are changing the industry all the time, but I think the stereotype of old grannies knitting whilst watching Coronation Street is actually really cool! I mean, who do people think make all the amazing chunky hand knits that the designers produce these days. They don’t all sit at home knitting shreddies like the adverts lead us to believe. Yay for grannies!”
Akio shot the images here, which feature Timothy James Andrews’ capsule collection for 2008-9, playing up the supersized structures and their undeniable strength. Click on the Image Gallery for more images.CreditsPhoto: AkioStyling:Justine JosephsBespoke Masks:Joanna ScotcherHair: Charlie le Mindu Make-up: Thomas De KluyverModel: Marina @Premier ModelSpecial Thanks to: Hannah Barry @Hannah Barry Gallery
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