Liam x Geo Knits Slow 12.10.21

"Standard practise in the industry is to have 25% of fabric discarded as waste during the cutting of a garment. You know the curve of the neckline on your t-shirt? the inverse of that is a weirdly shaped scrap of fabric that is very difficult to find a commercial use for.

Earlier in the year, we held a training workshop for people wanting to join the patternmaking and machining side of the industry, using the “waste material” from our production processes as the fabrics for the garments they made. While we were there, I started knitting strips of fabric together, experimenting with colour and texture. It turned into a full-blown obsession, with my needles and trails of fabric scraps inappropriately accompanying me to meetings, dinners, friends’ houses... and then I discovered Geo Gregory of Geo Knits Slow! Geo is Wellington-based, and Geo Knits Slow is a project that she has been working on for years, knitting beautiful pieces out of found materials. Via many zoom sessions, and a few trips up to Auckland, Geo and I collaborated on a collection of knit pieces that use the fabric offcuts from the collection.

With the offcuts generated during the production process being cut into strips and sent to geo and her posse of knitters, it’s a zero waste collection! The hand knitted pieces will be available in limited runs from end of October."

"I’ve always been into making clothes and fashion but a few years ago I went through a period where I didn’t make a single thing. I was worried I was just messing up the planet with everything I touched and was just producing more waste ahhh. But then, once I got over myself, I realised I could still make things, but I just needed to be more mindful with my materials. I started using fabrics and bedsheets that already existed in the world and started knitting with these instead."

"I really love colour, so I get excited by the colours I find and putting them all together to make something. Luckily bedsheets come in such a beautiful array of pastels so I happily get to use a lot of pink in my knits. I also get inspired by people around me and my community which I value a lot, often when someone asks me to make something for them, I spend the next few weeks thinking about them and then putting that energy into a piece I think they will love.

Another source of inspiration comes from the message of Geo Knits Slow. It’s about mindful fashion creation and consumption. It’s a reminder to myself to slow down and be thoughtful in the process which is sometimes hard with capitalism constantly knocking at your door…"

"There have been so many favourite parts about collaborating with Liam, but firstly the main thing that stands out has been meeting such an amazing and dynamic team of people, there really are a lot of amazing minds that help make up Liam and RUBY!

I really admire the genuine way the whole company is run and how they not only are always open to their customers and community asking questions, but also how they ask questions back. Liam really listens and values their community’s input and makes them feel seen. I love how they aren’t afraid of getting it wrong but instead use it an an opportunity to be even better, uplift and set good examples of how things can be done in this industry."

"You can literally use anything to knit with! I’ve done things with denim and fine silks in the past, but there are also some really interesting things I’ve seen people doing with knitting up old plastic bags and using an assortment of wools from op shops. It doesn’t matter if they don’t all match, I think that’s the beauty of creating and coming up with something new- it doesn’t have to be perfect. Knitting is very forgiving and if you aren’t a perfectionist like me, it gives you more room for error and play."

"My favourite piece from the collab is of course the mini bags. They are just so silly and fun! I keep thinking about how the process of making and producing clothes should be taken seriously but what we create in the end doesn’t have to be serious at all. I feel this whole collection is such a good representation of this- there’s a lot of joy in this collection."

"Honestly my advice would be to just stick with it, oh and try to relax! You probably won’t make a jumper on your first go, but the more you keep with it and keep practicing the more something will click.

Hot tip to mention: if you use chunky needles you will see your results a lot quicker and who doesn’t like a little bit of instant gratification?"