Lauren Manoogian

I’ve been working professionally as a knitwear designer now for fourteen years. Originally, when working for other companies, the jewellery was a way to keep some type of studio practice going by doing material experiments. The end product and success of the jewellery was very random, but it was another creative outlet and helped me meet a lot of people.
I started travelling to Peru about ten years ago while working for another brand. I wanted to explore working in a new place and I knew sweaters were produced there with the same methods that I used in my own studio practice. Previously, my experience working as a knitwear designer for other large companies in different places was often demoralizing. Most of the time, factories automatically interpreted what I sent them to be more mechanized, efficient, or use a very commercial technique they already knew. I would receive the sample back and it would have completely lost the spirit of the idea, so I had to start designing in a different way other than my own.
I was really starting to lose interest and connection to that part of my work and even though I was young, I began questioning what I was doing. Moving focus towards working in Peru was a breath of fresh air, and the people I met when I originally started working there have been so influential in my life and business – and unbelievably, I still work with all of them today.

I really enjoy the direct process and working with the mills, factories, and artisans. I find the people we work with to be extremely creative, talented, and open-minded to trying new things while at the same time having a depth of traditional knowledge. Peru is so diverse in nature and landscape which translates to the depth of our process. It’s becoming harder and harder to find people that want to make a living out of producing handmade, tangible objects which is why we try to stay very committed to our production partners in order for them to be able to keep pushing forward.

I didn’t really start out with a clear vision for the brand; I just started by making things. So that is the place I always try to go back to even though the process and scale have changed. I try to keep that intuitive, non-calculated approach but remain very focused both in life and work. I try to get rid of things that are unnecessary. Working very directly with production and the development process is what I have found keeps me interested, engaged, and able to come up with new ideas. Sustainability motivates me to be optimistic and forward-thinking and push to do things in a better way. It’s all very imperfect.

That’s a difficult question because I think on a fundamental level, I feel uncomfortable with the idea of icons. I think design can be iconic, but I think in our culture there is a disproportionate amount of focus on individuals.

I guess time… and there are always things I want to keep improving about the designs, which is often done in the production process, so a lot of times it feels very rushed to just move onto the next thing immediately when I am still deeply invested in working out the previous collection. I think that progression is important to stay connected with as it’s very informative, tangible and always contributes to the next collection in not-so-obvious ways. I guess in a perfect world, you get to finish something and move on to the next, but I accept now that it’s more of an ongoing conversation and process that never stops or is truly finished. It’s a slow evolution of details and styles that make the brand as a whole rather than any one collection.

A lot of the silhouettes are connected to the specific knitting technique of the garment and how I want to empathize with that and place them on the body. I also always look back to traditional folk clothing, which usually evolves from the limitations and possibilities of the base textile. The colour palette is just what I think honours and highlights the materials I use and makes them look their best. I could dye yarn any imaginable colour but more and more, I just want them to be what they are and not make any more decisions or interventions. I like the neutral palette as it is an extension of the animals and plants palette, which is my consistent baseline. Then I can add an unexpected colour or alter shades when inspired.

What has always inspired me since the beginning is the broad depth of customers attracted to our work. I don’t think we have one specific ‘client’. I think the person that buys our clothes does so for themselves first and foremost. I do think the clients, varied a range as they may be, have evolved with the brand.
I think the type of clothing we make, people wear primarily for themselves. There are no logos or ‘it items’ – the clothes aren’t overt or flashy. It’s more about providing a tactile experience, as you the wearer is having – it’s about your mood and emotions and not so much about outward signifiers designed for other people to recognize. Which is itself a statement, I guess.

So much of contemporary life takes place online and is represented through imagery that it can all feel superficial to the extreme. I often struggle with this so I assume our customer does too. But I think that clothing itself is very experiential and there are intangible elements that are reserved exclusively for yourself. I also think there is a need to create your own space within clothing.
I think people who look inward seem to naturally gravitate towards the collection as we notice in the new and interesting professions and paths of our customers. Knitwear, especially, can be kind of abstract when you see it on a hanger or as an object, and it’s very mutable. The person who wears it really transforms and realizes the piece when they put it on – maybe more so than other types of clothing. There is a very symbiotic relationship with the wearer.

mediums, more products, more things to express, it felt natural to experiment with how we present the collection to our own audience and find new ways to collaborate with people and places that inspire the brand. It also felt like a good moment to step outside our comfort zone. The experience has been challenging but rewarding. It’s been great to bring other people into the process and see what the outcome would be. We have tried to follow our inspiration in terms of format and setting rather than one way of doing things, taking it season by season and observing our own evolution.

That body of work really appealed to me when I saw it for the first time. There is an uncanniness about the pieces since they read as ceramic but are comprised of a completely unique and layered process. The pieces are made of very accessible materials but the handwork and invention that went into that process are what I think makes them very emotional and intriguing. The vessels are both inspiring on an individual level and in mass. I think that material transformation is something that I always strive for in work.

I think that our casting is very intuitive and that is how I see things evolving. We cast people based a lot on personality, their presence, whatever is unique about them; we don’t have a standard. Additionally, we are a small company doing somewhat unconventional presentations or location shoots, so oftentimes, working with the agencies, particularly during fashion week, is challenging. To stay inspired and positive, a lot of our casting relies on the support of friends and acquaintances, word of mouth, which I think adds to the depth, sincerity and organic groupings.

I had visited the Nakashima property many times over the years and had always drawn inspiration from not only the objects and architectural environment they have created, but also their working production process, philosophy, the family and its continuity over time. We began talking to them about the idea a few years ago, but something was sparked when designing the Fall/Winter 2019 collection and we knew at this moment, it would be the time to do it.
This collection was really based around many undyed yarns and I am very inspired by the use of natural materials and how he lets the materials be as they are in the final pieces. His pieces are very modern but also speak to the natural materials and let’s nature have a say in the final piece. I was so honoured by the opportunity to work with the Nakashima Foundation.