In the climate of accelerated technological change which has prevailed over the past twenty-five years, new technol_ogies and new fibres have transformed knitting from a homely discipline into the most innovative and exciting textile medium, and knitwear has gained a place at the forefront of contemporary fashion. Never before have so many designers and artists experimented with knit as a basis for their work, exploring structures and finishes, materials and meaning, and exploiting the unique sculptural qualities of knitted construction. A new generation of fashion designers who are pushing the boundaries have reinvented the art. By presenting a wide spectrum of hand-knitting,hand-frame knitting and industrial production, Knitwear in Fashion offers a fresh look at this ’common art’ in the context of current creative fashion and design.

In the climate of accelerated technological change which has prevailed over the past twenty-five years, new technol_ogies and new fibres have transformed knitting from a homely discipline into the most innovative and exciting textile medium, and knitwear has gained a place at the forefront of contemporary fashion. Never before have so many designers and artists experimented with knit as a basis for their work, exploring structures and finishes, materials and meaning, and exploiting the unique sculptural qualities of knitted construction. A new generation of fashion designers who are pushing the boundaries have reinvented the art. By presenting a wide spectrum of hand-knitting,hand-frame knitting and industrial production, Knitwear in Fashion offers a fresh look at this ’common art’ in the context of current creative fashion and design.

 Fashion has emerged during recent years as a discipline worthy of study in its own right; as a socio-cultural economic and high-profile design phenomenon, expressive and reflective of constant change, and open to multiple readings and interpretations.This fashion discourse has been conducted through a growing range of pubtications,both popuLar and academic, and increasingty through exhibitions. Given that the attention of the academy to fashion as a discipline is so relatively recent, knitwear as an element of fashion has received even tess attention, perhaps due to its specialist nature and its hybrid position as both clothing and textite.

  INTRODUCTION

  - REINVENTING THE ART

1 KNITWEARIN FASHION

  - FASHION IN KNITWEAR

  Reinventing the Classics

  Decades of Change

  Creative Fashion Accessories

2 INNOVATION AND EXPERIMENT

  - MAKING THE FUTURE

  Materiats, Structures and Processes

  Radical Knitwear

  The Seamtess Revolution

3 BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES

 - CONTEMPORARY ART AND DESIGN

  Artworks and Sculptural Form

  Knitwear in Performance

  Design for Interiors

 INFORMATION

  The Technotogy of Knitting

  Devetopments in Design

  Yarns and Fibres

  Designer Biographies

  Glossary of Technical Terms

  Further Reading and Resources

  Picture Credits and Acknowledgments

 Index