Renaissancing Diagonally : An investigation in the handicraft of knitting and crochet with diagonal construction.

In this project a collection of clothing, based on the handicraft of knitting and crocheting, has been developed. Today most garments are produced on industrial machines, cheaply, fast and with a low quality. An alternative to this is slow fashion which aims for long-lasting, locally manufactured clothing, primarily made from sustainably sourced fair-trade fabrics. The aim of this project is to raise awareness of slow fashion by working with the handicraft of knitting and crochet. The work has a slow process of making, and the items are carefully made by hand which raises the value of the garments and is a more sustainable way of using the materials. Traditional flat pattern construction is based on symmetrical squares and vertical and horizontal lines. This work's construction is based on diagonal lines around the women's body, as a suggestion that it fits the knitted fabric property and the women's body better. Design decisions were made by looking at renaissance fashion and paintings. To highlight an older way of making fashion and to push the expression in knitwear and show the potential in the craft.