Laura Theiss
United Kingdom
Laura Theiss creates contemporary and timeless knitwear collections for women. 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.
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 is also designing stage costumes for ballet performances by choreographer Marguerite Donlon and choreographer Stijn Celis. Recently, 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.
The global pandemic brought limitations to our collective lives and slowed down the relentless pace of the fashion industry. Knitwear and crochet designer Laura Theiss is used to slow rhythms as her designs are based on time-honoured traditional techniques. Yet the harsh reality of lockdown, the pains of the pandemic and her own experiences gave her a new perspective on life and on the industry.
For her A/W 21/22 collection, Theiss dug deep into her personal archive of stitches and looked at it with renewed eyes. She recreated and reinvented her most successful intricate stitches inspired by nature, geometries, fractals and architecture, coming up with a collection balanced on elegance and comfort. Sensual see-through crocheted dresses in powder pink or fierce one shoulder asymmetrical designs in dark shades represent a hope to go back to normality; warm and comfortable hand-crocheted oversized sweaters in bright and bold colours such as neon green and metallics – colour combinations that reference the exuberance of the '80s - shake up the monotony of loungewear and boring smartworking uniforms.
The final inspiration behind the collection is the strength and flexibility of fibers and yarns: strong and resilient, they can help us becoming more confident and courageous in uncertain times, just like Laura Theiss' empowering designs.
