LAURA THEISS Knitwear

Grey Sheep

laura_theiss

Location

london / England

University

central saint martin college of art and design (london, uk)

Graduation year

2010

Main Manufacturing Countries

italy

lithuania

germany

Contact

Laura Theiss creates contemporary and timeless knitwear collections. The bold, yet feminine aesthetic at the core of the brand gives a modern-edge to knitwear, bringing it into the future.

Theiss, an alumna of Central Saint Martins, launched her eponymous brand in 2012 after her intricate designs attracted the attention of international buyers. ‘OnOff Presents’ then invited her to showcase her designs in London and Paris, gaining exposure through various publications and books, with Jenny Udale naming her as one of the best knitwear designers in her book - ‘Fashion Knitwear’.

Taking an audacious approach to design, she chooses to ignore conventional methods, starting with a simple needle she creates silhouettes and volume by draping knitted fabrics from the human-form. By juxtaposing the traditional with the current, Theiss pays homage to established methods whilst reinventing them in her own original way.

Each collection is an individual and imaginative story that is told through the meticulously crafted pieces. Surrounded by knit and crochet in her home-country of Lithuania, Theiss started to learn the craft from the age of seven. Experimental and innovative, Theiss’ designs infuse her heritage with the advanced technologies of today.

By incorporating these unexplored methods, Theiss has been recognised as one of the most exciting knitwear designers of our time. In 2012, she exhibited designs in ‘MAGLIFICO! Sublime Italian Landscape’, held in Milan’s Polazzo Morando. Theiss was featured alongside the likes of Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Yves Saint Laurent, then in the follow-up book by Federico Poletti celebrating modern knitwear.

In 2013, along with some of the world’s most influential and prestigious designers and artists, Theiss was asked to create a mask by ‘Elephant Family’ for their fundraising event ‘The Animal Ball’, where she met HRH Prince Charles. She created a purple statement butterfly mask in her known crochet style which was then auctioned, with the proceeds going to charity.

Theiss has also designes stage costumes for ballet performances, She has been commissioned by English department-store Harrods to create an exclusive line of handmade Christmas decorations.

By discovering new techniques and methods, Theiss will continue to expand her brand, creating clothing that represents the women of today and tomorrow.

Latest Collection

Autumn/Winter

A city can be compared to a biological entity, a living, breathing organism in a constant state of evolution and change. Knitwear designer Laura Theiss moved from this concept and from the way architectural spaces are conceived for her A/W 2019 collection.

Theiss literally built some of her new designs as if she were an architect drawing a building or an urban developer planning a city – slowly, stitch by stitch, piece by piece.

Quite a few of the geometrical motifs incorporated in her designs have an architectural derivation: zigzags evoke Art Deco patterns decorating the facades of buildings; squares call to mind the rows of windows in minimalist skyscrapers. Grid and trellis-like textures allude to aerial views of cities with braids twisting and turning, evoking networks of roads, rails and walkways in urban metropolises that connect millions of people everyday.

Theiss's new dresses and knitted and crocheted separates can be interpreted as modular geographies for the body: a burgundy dress was made joining together 400 small knitted squares with delicate yet solid metal thread to form a multi-dimensional effect; dense cross-strata formations characterise jumpers and tops, whilst traditional cable knits are reinterpreted, recreating Santiago Calatrava's studies revolving around tension and suspension in their patterns.

The palette for the A/W 19 collection focuses on soft shades such as pale pink, gray and off-white, juxtaposed with stronger autumnal nuances including burgundy, ochre and black, interspersed with metallic yarns for a futuristically glamorous touch.

Theiss also tackled the theme of duplicity and duality in the collection: after researching the dichotomy between tailored masculine moods and soft feminine knits and couture cardigans, she came up with a unique design, a conceptual but functional half jacket/half sweater designed to empower women.

The cryptic title of the collection - “P43 Trikotage” - is a reference to the address of a “trikotagen” (knitwear) factory in Germany (I would mention the name of the city) . The factory disappeared from the cityscape after it closed down, but in its heyday it was ranked among the most beautiful southwestern German industrial buildings. Women were allowed to work in the factory from the 20's onward and, by referencing the factory in this collection, Theiss pays homage to all deleted the women employed in the knitting industry.

Laura Theiss's "P43" is an exploration of body architectures; an interdisciplinary study of fashion, architecture and femininity by a designer with a passion for traditional crafts and modern state-of-the-art techniques, with the heart of a dreamer.

Written by Anna Battista