Craig Lawrence - Knitwear Designer

Earlier this evening I went to a talk with the knitwear designer Craig Lawrence at the V&A.  Craig seemed quite reserved and not what I expect people in the fashion industry to be like but then I can't say I really know any!

Some of his work is sculptural and more like a piece of art than something you would wear.

But there is a lot that is very wearable......wearable if you are younger, slimmer and braver than me, that is. His clothing has been worn by Lady Gaga and Bjork, not people known for their understated outfits.

 

I must admit that when I received the V&A brochure, although tempted, I decided not to book for this event but when a friend offered me a spare ticket, I decided to go. As usual these type of events always give you food for thought and this was no exception.

One of the audience asked him how he dealt with the conflict of being experimental and being commercial and his answer got me thinking on the way home. He said that he didn't see them as a conflict, as he couldn't be commercial if he wasn't experimental first. His experimental pieces feed ideas for his wearable pieces.

This made me think (again) about my drawing and my design work. I often restrict my thinking by having an end goal in my mind. If I thought of it more as 'just' an experiment then it's possible that I might generate some better designs.

Thinking back to the Grayson Perry talk, he said that artists need to take risks. Although these messages are different they come together to me. Will all of this help me to experiment and take risks? I hope so but only time will tell.