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Unravel. Knitwear in Fashion.

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A few week ago I took the route to Antwerp, the fashion city of Belgium, where I visited the Fashion Museum of Antwerp. This time the museum presented an exhibition about knitwear.

I was so excited to learn about

The wide variety of knitted garments from accross the last centuries;

Knitwear's popularity both on an off the catwalk;

The status of relationship between knitwear and fashion;

The knitted designs of top designers (like Vivienne Westwood, Sonia Rykiel, Alexander McQueen etc). 

I would like to share some interesting information here. I hope you enjoy it!

The Fashion Museum of Antwerp took me in the spirit of knitwear at the single moment I entered: At the entrance to the museum a large knitwork and a large spools of wool with print on the wall of a knitwear.

Ann Salens

Ann Salens the Antwerp designer, accredited for her colourful crocheted Bird of Paradise dresses:

                  

Machine-knits

In the 16th century, William Lee invented the hand-operated knitting machine that was used for knitting hosiery (= socks) for the next two centuries.

Knitting machine invented by William Lee

Thanks to technically innovated knitting machines among several centuries, it was possible to produce more, less expensive and more fashionable knitwear. By the end of the 19th century, artificial silk and nylon had been developed. The nylon of Du Pont de Nemours, became common.

Nylon socks in original packaging by Du Pont de Nemours

Knitted lingerie

For a long time, knitwear has been also used for sleepwear and undergarments (sleeping caps, slips, pyjamas).

Sportive knitwear

In the 20th century the 'new woman sporting lifestyle' began to develop. Designers such as Gabrielle Chanel and Jean Patou were visionary in their combinations of sportive woven fabrics and fashionable designs for the emancipated woman. As a result, sports and fashion now became permanently linked. 
At the 1912 Olympic Games, women first took part in the swimming competitions. This official Olympian seal of approval of swiming as an appropriate sport for women worked as a catalyst for the development of a modern and practical swimsuit.
The Edwardian two-piece bathing costumes were replaced in the 1920s by knitted one-piece swimming suits. The new swimsuits were more suitable for activities in the water and were perceived as "The suit that changed bathing to swimming". The modern woman wearing modern swimsuit became a true icon of the times that even the media stated that 'Every woman who wants to be "in the swim" of fashion, simply must posses a knitted bathing suit'.

Two-piece bathing costumes

Knitted one-piece swimming suits

Knitted Status Symbols

Angelo Figus created knitted versions of various status symbols, ranging from handbags from knitted Hermès, Vuitton and Chanel handbag to Louboutin shoes and Burberry trench coats, fruits, flowers, etc. His intention was to demonstrate a strong vision of a world in which everything was knitted.

Supermarket of Style by Angelo Figus

Knitted Gucci Shoes by Angelo Figus

Sculptural knitwear

Three-dimensional experiments by designers including Sandra Backlund, Maison Martin Margiela have resulted in impressive sihouettes. Especially amongst the young designers, we see the return of natural materials and seemingly primitive threads that are knitted with awls as thick as broomsticks.

Crocheted and hand-knit dress  by Sandra Backlund

French Read-to-wear

France is the land where countless knitwear evolutions and revolutions have taken place. Designers built a bridge between sporting knitwear and both ready-to-wear and haute couture.

Silk dress with crochetted flowers by Chanel

Woollen dress made by Jean Paul Gaultier as gift for the 40th anniversary of Sonia Rykiel fashion house

British classics

The British woollen industry is still today one of the most important in Europe. The knitting machine was invented by the Englishman, William Lee, and as the birthplace of the Industrial Revoluion, Great Britain set the stage for many revolutionary steps that would take in the knitting industry. Protests against the mechanization and cultural rehabilitation of the craft of knitting, brought a more highly appreciation of handcraft than the advanced technology of machine-knit clothing. The intermingling of contemporary and past, classic with punk, is never far away in knitted fashions from Great Britain.

Cotton ensemble including a top and trousers with decorative stitches by Peter Pilotto

Italian luxury industry

Italy is the most important manufacturing nation for knitted fabrics for the high fashion world. Partly thanks to Italian inclinations towards comfortable luxury, Italy has had a blossoming knitwear industry ever since the 1950s, thanks to manufacturing centres of quality materials and luxury fashion houses that make use of knitted fabrics in all their forms.

Cotton dress and hairband, earrings, bracelets by Missoni

Hand-knitted evening dress by Gianfranco Ferré

Unravel

The so-called unravelling is the non-knitting of individual stitches, whereby large holes are created, which is a true deconstruction of knitted fabrics, Rei Kawakubo states: 'machines that make fabric are more and more able to produce uniform, flawless textures. I ilke it when something is not perfect. Hand-weaving is the best way to achieve this, but since this isn't always possible, we loosen a screw on the machines here and there so they can't do exactly as they are supposed to.'

Cotton dress with open knitwork by Mark Fast

Woollen dress with open knitwork alternated with floating threads by Iben Höj

Pictures: Liz Hurley Pop-up Store Maasmechelen Village

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Liz Hurley Pop-up store in Maasmechelen Village is so adorable. The store is actually a small little house, where all women ready for the summer, can find lovely colourful bikini's, slippers, bags, earrings and tunics. The Beach Collection has also special beach wear for kids, so cut they are!

A few weeks ago, I visited the boutique and took a few pictures to show them here on my blog. Enjoy!

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Özlem Süer Pop-up Store

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After her astonishing guerilla marketing campaign "Blackboxx" at Akmerkez in Istanbul (I still have to post you about the amazing time I had there!), Özlem Süer did it again. This time she launched a Pop-up store at Kanyon, Istanbul's tremendously huge open-air shopping center with world's best brands.

When I was in Istanbul for the Istanbul Fashion Week 2011 I visited that lovely Pop-up Store. It was the first week of the opening, so lucky I am! This project concept was very carefully organized not only regarding sales but also parties and networking opportunities.

Özlem Süer-labelled collection was specially designed and made for this project. The theme of that collection was inspired by Romance and Avant-Garde touches in pastel colors. On top of that new items were launched every week for discounted prices!

Twice a week the store was turned to a party called "Delicious Shopping" with Virgin Radio DJ's boosting the atmosphere and invitees networking and tasting the delicacies.

Me and Özlem Süer posing in her Pop-Up Store

The things of her collection that mesmerized me were especially the uniqueness of design, the garments beauty and colors. So, I ended up with buying two lovely silk blouses. 

Özlem Süer,  is a successful Turkish fashion designer,

 Who is followed by the fashion world with great interest and undersigned many successful projects;

 Who's collections are sold wordwide at 150 sale points;

Who's dresses are worn by Hollywood celebrities, like Meg Ryan, Lydia Hearst, Jessica Simpson and  Mallike Sherawat.

Walter Van Beirendonck

For my first time I visited the multilabel store of Walter Van Beirendonck, located at Antwerp (street: St.Antoniusstraat 12), but definitly not the last time!

This place is extraordinary where you I got inspired by

 the multicolored, innovated and controversial clothes and product designs  

the atmosphere of art and graphics

the extra-creative store concepts 

Here are a few pictures I took:

Walter van Beirendonck's office is hidden behind these inspirational walls !! I glanced to his office through a small hole in the walls, the only thing I could immediately notice where bundels of piled up books about art, literature and fashion...

Mango VIP Night

ELLE Belgium announced on its website to Mango-fans a competition for the best IT GIRL style and looks!

The best IT GIRL elected by ELLE editor and Mango stylists will be offered a Mango- voucher of 500 euros. The IT GIRL with the highest votes will win a Mango-voucher of 150 euros.

Prior this announcement ELLE Belgium organized a MANGO VIP NIGHT on 7th of April at Mango Boutique in Brussels. And guess what, I was invited! I thought to share my experience with you.

That MANGO VIP NIGHT was glittering with marketing and sales touches: 

• Mango offered exceptional discounts up to 40% as of a purchase of 120 euros. The idea communicated to the invitees was that thanks to this promotion you could become the new IT GIRL by creating your own looks and style. A good success... in the end the boutique was packed with girls tempting to buy as much as they can. 

And yes, without doubt, this promotion influenced me as well and I bought this lovely red leather bag!

• Niveau promoted its products by having professionel make-up artists on the spot who offered demonstration to the invitees.

• Schweppes brand was appearing all over the place and had its own corner-bar.

The process of making Hermès scarves

Throughout its long history, the Hermès scarf has attracted many rich and famous people: Queen Elizabeth II, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, Sharon Stone, Sarah Jessica Parker, Hillary Clinton, Mariah Carey, Elle McPherson and Madonna. 

One scarf is being sold every 20 seconds.

Grace Kelly

Queen Elizabeth II

I was just wondering what makes Hermès scarves that exquisite and expensive... and of course it lies all in the THE CRAFTMANSHIP.

The process of making silk scarves is relatively complex and time-consuming, it will take people about 18 months to use the silk scarf’s topic, design, match colors, make out the plate, color printing as well as curling by hand and other process. An ordinary silk scarf is woven by the silk spit from the five to six silkworms, while a Hermes silk scarf is made out by eight silkworms’ silk, in doing so, the silk scarf’s draping sense would be stronger, and its effect would be more three-dimensional after it is folded.

Firstly, it would be the color matching. Use a variety of pigments to make out the dyestuff used in the printing. Then mix the pigments together in accordance with the formula proportion, and then cooking and heating them. Each mixed dyestuff is gone through so many checks by the professional technical personnel so as to ensure the made-out silk scarf’s color is the same as that on the sample. 

Secondly, it would be plate making. Once the scarf patterns are finalized, the technical personnel should carefully make the plate of each color on the silk scarf pattern, and paint out the every detail of the pattern on the transparent paper, to ensure that all the colors can overprint accurately, so that it can make out the predetermined pattern. In addition to time consuming, this process also requires the relative personnel’s high degree of patience and sensitive sense for colors. According to statistics, the plate making for one scarf can be up to about 600 hours.

Third, it should be the turn of color printing. After finishing each color’s plate making, the dyeing craftsmen thus begin to print color. The colored silk scarves thus have become the rare art works. After the silk scarf is printed, they would use the steam bath to do the color setting, and then remove glue which plays the fixation role on the color. Watch the video: 

The final step is the curling. After printing, each scarf is cut into the proper size, and then it is washed, dried and other solid-color process, the skilled artisan begins to do the artificial curling for scarf. After that, the process of silk scarf is perfectly done.

Every year, Hermès releases two silk scarf collections featuring a dozen designs in each. While some of the designs are new ones, there are also several older prints that are produced with a new array of colors. In addition, limited edition prints are released periodically. Some of the designs that have been featured over the years include equestrian drawings, banners, coats of arms, French cuisine and flora and fauna, among many others. The company also releases two collections annually of scarves made from a silk and cashmere blend.

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