LORENA LAING: INTERVIEW

Designer/Maker Lorena Laing graduated with a fashion degree from RMIT in her early 20s. Adopting Australia as home coming from Chile as a child and settling in Australia she has brought with her a burning passion and love for quality, handmade fashion and accessories. Lorena is uncompromising and committed to using the best of Australian materials in her work. This has made her the toast of Melbourne taking home the Gold award at the Melbourne Design Awards in 2015 after re-launching her own label ‘Amano’ in the same year. Her collections are an outstanding testament to a true textile design artist who pours her passion into beautiful, hand knitted one of a kind pieces. Lorena is one of the pioneers of slow fashion here in Melbourne and I was interested in getting a ‘behind the scenes’ view of how it all works.

Sam: Why did you want to become a designer?

Lorena: That was a decision I made a long time ago. I was a junior when I went to Uni. My personal intention to be a designer changed along the way. Essentially it was the creativity. The decision was based on being creative because that was what fulfilled me I needed to find an avenue to be creative and work at the same time.

Sam: How did you get into textiles and Knitting?

Lorena: I don’t see them as separate things. It’s all just one and the same. It’s a component that I had played around with when I had my own label years back. I pretty much offered across the board everything including wovens, suiting, shirts, cut & sew knits, and hand knits.    Recently I made a decision that I wanted to go back to having my own thing again.

When I had my own brand, one of the elements was knitwear and that’s why I wanted to go back to that because I did enjoy it and felt like for me it was an element that I wanted to explore further and deeper. It had so much potential that it needed to be expressed.

Sam: Who taught you to knit?

Lorena: My mum. When I first picked up knitting needles I would’ve been maybe 6.

Currently Lorena is doing some weaving which she learned using YouTube. She wanted to offer that as part of her work. It was something she wanted to include. You gotta love Youtube!

Hand dyed woven Hoodie in Suri Alpaca

Sam: What challenges did you face starting your own brand?

Lorena: This is the second time I’ve launched my own fashion label. Because it was the second time round that I’m doing this I’ve come back in all the wiser. I know where my strengths lie and where my weaknesses are and how to plan it out properly so that I’m not faced with so many challenges and I can get on with it. This knowledge has come through the experience of working for others and having launched my own label before.

Sam: What would you consider to be your most successful piece of work and is it your favourite?

Lorena: It’s usually quite separate but usually my best seller is not necessarily always my favourite.

‘Kimono’ in Suri Alpaca

It’s important for me to include some pieces in there that I like but I don’t necessarily love. Right now in the collection my favourite being the kimono is my favourite and it has actually been picked up by most retailers. It’s also my most expensive. It’s always a concern because your favourite always ends up having everything in it and that’s why it’s the most expensive. People have surprised me (retailers) and taken it on board.

For me, the way I design I have to diffuse the pieces so that they become more commercial and something that people can relate to and not be scared by because often when designs are too strong unfortunately at a commercial level they freak out and think ‘I can never wear that’ so you have to make it a product.

Sam: Do your customers want to know more about the supply chain and who makes their garments?

Lorena: There’s an international movement that is taking place at the moment but it’s early days. There’s a small percentage of people who are looking to make that shift but it’s definitely moving in the right direction. In countries like Belgium it’s really embedded in their culture now. They’re real leaders in that area. Hopefully we’re not far behind in adopting those changes and being responsible people. You’re seeing this trend in the way people are buying their food and it’s becoming a trend for sure in more consumable goods and I think that will eventually catch up into the rag trade. There’s a few people who do my knitting for me including myself. These are mostly retired women that have been out of work and I’m constantly looking for new people as well.

Sam: What materials do you prefer to work with primarily?

Lorena: I always stick to natural fibres. I don’t have a compromise there. That’s part of my ethos and it’s also the best you can work with in my opinion. Alpaca is for a few reasons. In exploring alpaca there’s many variations like the Suri alpaca and different greys etc. Definitely alpaca because it’s a luxury fibre and a local resource. I’m really focused on that and working with that.

Alpaca is very new in Australia as opposed to the rest of the world where it’s already an established luxury yarn. Australians, in general, prefer disposable fashion. Working with luxury fibres and natural fibres is something that we need to educate our consumers on about their value.

Sam: Does that become a part of your marketing and your business strategy?

Lorena: I think definitely it’s an underlying thing for me. Certainly I’m always promoting it and always talking about it. It’s just because that’s also what I believe. I’m not trying to sell that product because I want you to have that product, it’s because I genuinely believe in it. It’s my life philosophy to be honest. It’s the way we live, what we apply, I’ve always chosen the better rather than the volume. That applies to everything. The food you eat, the way you dress your children, the way I decorate my home. Across everything quality over quantity. I’d rather save for things like a decent design that will last a lifetime as opposed to something that you buy at Target or wherever. It’s a lifestyle.

Sam: Would you say then that your work was trend driven?

Lorena: I don’t even look at trends. I’m not in that cycle at all and I don’t want to be. I think it’s important to be aware and be educated but I’m certainly not going out of my way to create the new thing that’s on trend. I think you’re influenced by your environment and your surrounds.

Sam: Do you have any design heroes?

Lorena: I used to but not so much anymore. I find it’s really nice to not have my head buried in magazines all day long because you’re just much fresher. I feel a lot fresher when I’m designing or coming up with any idea it just comes out. You just go with it. It’s not overworked it’s not overthought. I have had design heroes in the past. There’s nobody I’m really following. There’s a lot of beautiful things out there. I used to love McQueen and I love Vivian Westwood. They used to be the trend setters.

Sam: What advice would you give to future designer makers entering the market?

Lorena: The advice I would give is learn lots from other businesses you work for. The student never stops being a student. Stay humble and be the best you can be at all levels.

Lorena’s beautiful woollen pieces are available at her website  or you can follow her on facebook

Thank you Lorena for giving us an insight into your amazing slow fashion designed, beautifully handmade collections.

The information in this interview came from a conversation with Lorena Laing with light editing done in consultation with Lorena herself. Content and photographs are used with permission.

References:

Amano by Lorena Laing webpage, http://www.lorenalaing.com/ , Viewed on 2 March, 2016

Australian Alpaca Association Ltd magazine, ‘Alpacas Australia,’, Issue 76, Winter, 2015, pp11-12, ‘Lorena Laing: Amano by Lorena Laing’, Mitcham, Victoria, 2015

New Zealand Alpaca Association magazine, ‘New Zealand Alpaca’, August 2015, pp 21-22 ‘Amano by Lorena Laing’, AANZ, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2015

Super Suri Yarns Webpage, ‘Designers Information’, http://www.supersuri.com.au/, Amano by Lorena Laing, Viewed on 20^th March, 2016

The post Sam Harlow-Black interviews Designer/Maker Lorena Laing appeared first on RMIT.

This is the first of a series of posts and we are proud to start off by offering an interview that Teresa Chong Gum conducted with the wonderful Louise Saxton  – keep watching this space!

LOUISE SAXTON

INTERVIEW

Ellis’ Paradise 2011 after Ellis Rowan 1917 Reclaimed needlework, lace pins, nylon tulle H 142 x W 99cm Photo by Gavin Hansford

Teresa: You have said ‘needlework will never be done in the way that it was’ and that craft revival is on the rise. Do you believe you could be introducing a new form of this revival in your own visually spectacular way?

Louise: I hope that my work contributes to the re-evaluation of craft traditions in contemporary art. I refer to my work with reclaimed textiles as ‘assemblage’ and many people work in this way, but I am not aware of anyone else working with reclaimed needlework, on masse in the way that I am. I have what I believe is a unique collection of materials, built up over the past decade. However, I don’t make any of the textiles myself, as many “crafters” or traditional “textile artists” do.

Teresa: As many artists collaborate with other artists, your unique perspective of working with the original artists of your reclaimed textiles is as poetic as it sounds. Could you describe what you feel working with these anonymous artists, whom may sometimes be simply women at home who may have occasionally embroidered within the home?

Louise: I refer to my process as a “silent collaboration” as most of the original makers are no longer living, which is how I come to be working with their discarded and disinherited materials. I feel that my work gives voice, and new form, to their original handiwork and in that way it is a type of collaboration. Also, as I could never have created these exquisite and varied materials myself and, because they are all so unique, I feel the credit for my work does not just belong to me, it also belongs to the previous makers.

Teresa: As your profile has grown how have you processed people donating their treasured textiles to be transformed into your amazing designs?

Louise: Some of the beautiful family collections that have been donated to my collection for use in my art practice have come to me from friends and, now that I have a profile for working primarily with reclaimed textiles, I have also been given heirloom pieces from several complete strangers. These are people who have seen my work, either in exhibition or on-line, and have contacted me through my website. One woman, who is a clothes-designer and writer in Canada, with family in France, sent me a large parcel of 3 generations of French needlework, along with photos of the women who made it. Coincidentally, I also have several other people in France who look for unique pieces in markets there and have sent me two large parcels of antique lace and embroideries. They do this because they love what I do with the materials and they enjoy collecting.

Teresa: Similar to the feel of a ‘custodian of the material’ have you connected with owners of donated pieces once their piece has been used in a finished piece? Do people ask for any updates as a way to stay connected to their donated pieces?

Louise: This is a very good question. I have become close friends with some people, who were unknown to me before they knew of my work, and it was the materials and my use of them, that drew us together. I also communicate with several people in other countries who have given me things, via email and cards. If it is a significant piece or amount of donated material that I am using, I try to let people know when their donation has been incorporated into an artwork. This is usually greatly appreciated and I feel it’s important to honour their family member in that way. I also keep a ‘journal’ on my website which documents these gifts and some of the pieces that have come from them.

Teresa: Can you describe the feeling once a design has been finished, especially with the time and patience involved, which as you describe can take years to put together for a showcase?

Louise: I don’t often think of my work in terms of design, as I’m a visual artist. However, there is definitely an element of design in my process, which I developed during my drawing and printmaking training at art school. I often reinterpret historical imagery and by choosing one element from that artwork and making it my own, I am designing a new work.

A single work can take weeks or months to complete and there are several stages in each piece, including the added layer of painstaking work of mounting pieces for framing. It can take several years to develop a whole body of work for exhibition. Each piece is very labour intensive and so I often feel hugely relieved once it is finished. I try to work on different pieces at different stages of process if I can, to break up the intensely repetitive nature of the work.

Teresa: You have a quite a long process with any piece you tackle, how do you stay inspired to finish? Have there been difficult times?

Louise: This is also a very good question, as it is often the case that I begin a work with great excitement, about the image and about sourcing the right materials from my collection or elsewhere, but this can soon dissipate into a sense of struggle, especially at the final stages. The process is very physically demanding as I pin, unpin and repin and so, it takes commitment and love of the materials to keep going.

Teresa: Your colour palette is quite vibrant and lifts in itself with the textile art. Are these represented from the illustrated subject matter, which inspire you or your own visual perspective? Colour is difficult with paint alone how difficult is your colour process with your practise of finding the right one within an already made textile?

Louise: Part of the joy of working with reclaimed needlework is the colour and the way in which light refracts through the different threads. Also the particular dyes used, especially the luminous nature of silk threads, is very different to traditional art materials and adds to the vividness of the work. It’s true that I have made a lot of colourful work and this can be driven either by the imagery I’m choosing to work with, or by the materials themselves. However, I have also made work with more muted tones, such as the Lyrebird of 2010 called “Madeira’s Lyre after JW Lewin 1815 and an Emu of 2012, titled “Going to Jackson after George Raper 1791”.

Teresa: How incredibly lucky you must be to be living atop a discount shop which we students find ourselves in many times finding new mediums for our current textile projects. Do you find your space can reflect in your work in some form?

Louise: Actually the discount shop is a complete contrast to my studio as it mostly stocks bright and shiny imported goods, whereas my studio is like a haberdasher’s emporium, filled with vintage and antique objects from all around the world! But, the shop owner allows me to rent the “best room in the house”, which is upstairs with a lovely north-facing sunroom. I have been there for almost a decade and I love the domestic nature of the space, which was originally the living room of the 1800’s shop dwelling.

Teresa: You have trained in printmaking and painting through Visual Art, which I feel has similarities to my major in Print through textile design. Do you find your own illustrative handwriting is found within this recycled textile art form?

Louise: My training in painting and printmaking has definitely informed my approach to recycled/reclaimed materials. I feel I am still painting – just not with paint! I have used textiles (as stencils and for embossing) in both my prints and paintings in the past however; this was before I began using the needlework as an art material in its own right.

Teresa: As an established artist would you have any suggestions for an aspiring textile design student, on how to find their own unique practise as you have successfully demonstrated?

Louise: Being an artist is your own individual journey. My main advice is to allow your practice to develop and change as you do and when you find a process and material you really enjoy working with, explore it as much as possible. Also don’t feel pressured into feeling you have to be a particular way in the “art world” – be true to yourself and what feels right for you. It’s good to be involved with other artists in creating your own opportunities for exhibitions; enter your work into prizes and bit-by-bit you start to develop a career as a creative professional. I’ve always found that having a studio or a space, which is allocated to making art, is really important. It is always a juggle between working on your creative pursuits and other commitments and fortunately, I am now in the position of being able to work full-time as an artist.

Louise Saxton in studio pinning Feint Heart 2015 after Adrian Feint 1944 Photo by Gavin Hansford

Weep 2009 Reclaimed needlework, lace pins, nylon tulle Installation: H 300 x W 185cm Photo by Gavin Hansford

Louise Saxton in studio, pinning Weep 2009 Photo by Gavin Hansford

Last Gasp 2013 after Maria Sybilla Merian c.1670 Reclaimed needlework, lace pins, nylon tulle H 98 x W 106cm Photo by Gavin Hansford

Process photos of the making of Feint Heart 2015 after Adrian Feint 1944. ABOVE (left): Needlepoint birds and flowers, found at Camberwell Market. Backed with silk organza and vlizofix to prevent fraying. ABOVE (right): Needlepoint poppies found at an opportunity shop in Bairnsdale, ready for pinning to tulle. LEFT: Detail showing the edging lace construction of feint’s clam shell.

Feint Heart 2015 after Adrian Feint 1944 Reclaimed needlework, lace pins, nylon tulle H 210 x W 185cm Photo by Gavin Hansford

To see more of Louise’s work go to http://www.louisesaxton.com/

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