Knitwear in Fashion

Knitwear in Fashion is the first book to comprehensively analyse the development of contemporary knit design in the context of international fashion and contemporary design practice. Drawing on my knowledge and expertise as a knitwear designer and manufacturer, and an academic, the text is distinctive for its analysis of construction techniques (old and new) and synthesis of design, craft, technology and global industry. As a unique hybrid of textiles and fashion disciplines, links between knitwear design and its underlying technology are little understood. Through integration of text and image, many key aspects are illuminated, such as engineered seamless garments or experimental materials and processes. Publications on knitting have fallen into three types: technology text books (Spencer 2001), craft books of knitting patterns, or histories of hand knitting (Rutt 1987, McDonald 1988). By re-examining the familiar and placing knit design in a thematic framework (technological and fashion innovation, radical knitwear, blurring the boundaries of disciplines.) Knitwear in Fashion positions the under-researched subject of knitting within the textiles and fashion academy. The visual narrative, 300 design images researched and selected personally, is key to my contribution. Primary design research was conducted in Japan and Europe, triangulating object analysis with semi-structured interviews and technological research in knitwear manufacturers and machine builders. This complemented critical interpretation of images researched from photographers’ archives, contemporary press cuttings and texts, creating a coherent visual and textual exposition. Second edition published in hardback and paperback in 2005