Featured in this month’s i-Sustain, Angela Cassidy is the Scottish textile talent with a pure sense of design.
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In the penultimate installment of i-Sustain, we celebrate knitwear designer Angela Cassidy. Graduating from Glasgow School of Art with a Textiles degree in hand, Angela continued her study at the Royal College of Art, gaining an MA in Knitted Textiles in 2006. Since then, she has worked with Richard Nicoll, Missoni and Browns, and been awarded the 2012 Scottish Fashion Award for Textile Brand of the Year.
As the i-Sustain series draws to a close, we want to celebrate the network of people who give this new breed of designer a chance by forgoing the inimitable pull of big business and mega brand to engage with a deeper, more relevant story. These are the marriages we believe will endure and the unions that will stand the test of time.
i-D online caught up with Angela to talk design philosophy and the ins and outs of knitwear.
Why do you think you’re part of this project? I don’t make any huge statements about my work. I’d like to think that I’m a thoughtful designer, making decisions based on what fits in with the ethos of the brand and how I see people living. I don’t replace my wardrobe every season, or my taste level for that matter.
Do you have a philosophy? Get more out of less.
Who or what inspires you? I get inspired by seeing simple design working effectively.
What’s unique about your work? As a knit specialist, I am lucky to have creative control at every stage of the process. I not only aim to design quality, wearable, knitted product, I also take care when sourcing and choosing yarn based upon properties and performance. I develop original stitch structures, exploit the use of double-sided knitted fabric, design integrated garment detailing, and generally create styles that make production processes more efficient and that keep waste to a minimum. To create something from nothing feels special, and I want people to feel special when wearing it.
What could you do better? Everything.
Where can we buy your clothes? I am currently stocked online at hunterdunn.co.uk and in Noble; a Japanese store which is part of the Baycrews Group.
What are you working on now? Aside from my new collection, I’m developing some home and accessory products, taking stitch structures and colours from my knitwear and adapting them for the home. These will also have a sustainable angle. I’ve just created a reversible knitted cushion cover in the hope that the owner will want to use and keep it longer due to colour/pattern options. I will be using Scottish lambswool for these products due to certain characteristics of the yarn and with a wish to promote Scottish produce.
Click here to see our i-Sustain series in full.
Text: Alex McIntosh
Photography: Kerry Dean
Styling: Sam Willoughby
Hair: Selena Middleton @ Soho Management using Kiehls
Make up: Zoe Taylor @ Jed Root
Photography Assistance: Lindsay Watson
Styling Assistance: Gemma Butterworth
Models: Pirina @ Ford & Anastasia @ Elite
