‘I always liked the poem Inventur by Guenther Eich. It describes someone collecting, naming and counting everything he has left after the war. He describes their new function, like using a pair of socks as a pillow and cardboard as a mattress.
This mirrors my own concept; I gathered materials I like and tried to forget their conventional function. I experimented with wool and ended up finding a way to create a textile from wool without knitting. The technique is inspired by the way “moving blankets” are made industrially. The result is something that looks more flat than a knitted textile and has a different structure. The technique does not require special equipment. You can do it at home on your sewing machine and it is easy to learn. I always wanted to create a way of production that I can teach my friends and collaborate with them.’
Before I started my final project, I did a three month internship with Conny Groenewegen, an Amsterdam based designer known for her innovative knitwear collections. It influenced my way of looking at material. I learnt to manipulate texture and the weight of materials and I practiced creating silhouettes by following the material.’ ‘I only use wool yarn. The different qualities I use define the look of each garment. One looks and feels like a woven structure, one like a knit, and the weights vary from very light to heavy like a rug.
I got the idea for this technique the moment I saw the work of German artist Rosemarie Trockel in real life. It is her work too that made me decide to keep my own technique minimal.’