Since his breakout graduate collection in 2009, Craig Lawrence has been at the forefront of London fashion, creating clothes that combine exquisite craftsmanship, unlikely materials and a playful esprit...
Since his breakout graduate collection in 2009, Craig Lawrence has been at the forefront of London fashion, creating clothes that combine exquisite craftsmanship, unlikely materials and a playful esprit. His dresses are a witty recalibration of the norms of knitwear, sometimes hard, sometimes ethereal, always beautiful; a range which is demonstrated in his participation in the latest of the V&A’s Fashion in Motion series. Alongside the catwalk show, which took place on Friday, the highlights of the show have also been immortalised in an extraordinary photoshoot, shot in the stunning surroundings of the museum, styled by AnOther Magazine’s deputy fashion Editor, and stylist for Lawrence's A/W12 show, Nell Kalonji. "I love how Craig takes shapes and materials out of context and creates something new," Kalonji says, "from pieces made out of barrier tape and sweetie wrappers to the last season's coach seat patterns." This continual innovation is something that maintains Lawrence's momentum year on year, and here the designer talks AnOther through the inspirations and obsessions that have formed these extraordinary garments.
A/W11... "The inky tones and transparency of the ladder stitches, in combination with the circular partial knitted technique created a seductive disguise for the layered pieces in this collection."
Graduate Collection 2009... "This piece was hand knitted from tartan ribbon encased in plastic to re enforce the structural element to the 'loop the loops' to resonate with the excitement and playfulness of fairground rides."
A/W09... "Here I like the juxtaposition of the soft marshmallow, playful knit against the bolshy protective silhouette."
S/S10... "With this dress I wanted to create something new by using a well recognised material – barrier tape – in a different context. This was me being funny."
A/W10... "Hand knitted from gold foil sweetie wrappers, the lightweight nature of this fabric helped create instant movement in the piece and transformed the wearer with its strong statuesque frame."
S/S11... "This dress, also from the mermaid collection, I knitted using the ewrapping technique to create the silver embellished stripes. The two tone metallic yarn added a tarnished, rust-like aesthetic to the dress furthering the ethereal, romantic feel of the collection."
S/S11... "As part of the mermaid collection, this siren dress embodies feelings of otherworldly, bedraggled romanticism conjuring up notions of driftwood washed up upon the shore."
S/S12... "Here I wanted to combine the contrast of the soft rose gold lace knit stitch within a long length fluid dress. It transports a demure, sophisticated silhouette into a seductive, ethereal piece."
A/W12... "This was the Swarovki Elements showpiece. The stripes, inspired from the mundanity of coach seat patterns juxtapose against the fabrication of the dress in luxury yarns with Swarovski embellishment."
Credits
Photography: Philip Meech
Styling: Nell Kalonji
Hair: Stephen Low at Streeters using L'Oreal
Make-up: Laura Dominique at Streeters using MAC
All shoes by Christian Louboutin
Special thanks to the Victoria and Albert Museum for providing the location for the shoot.
