SECRET MUSE #1
NAME: Lucy Shaw
PROFESSION: Freelance knitwear designer
CURRENT ROLE: Head of Knitwear, Alaia Paris
I chatted to the High Priestess of Knit at her roof top East London studio.
L.B. You grew up in Bristol, do you think it influenced the way you create? – do you think it made you more creative being outside of London in your formative years?
The music scene in Bristol at that time was Massive Attack, Portishead, Tricky and club culture - I was a full-on clubber. My mum would drop me off at a rave outside Bristol or I’d go to Lakota wearing a cat suit with trainers – It was all about cool sports brand – Reebok and Fila which is kind of what the kids are wearing now- it all goes full circle!
I knew I wanted to do fashion - my mum was a teacher, but could also dress make and loved clothes. She used to make things for me. There’s a sort of irreplaceable thrill when I think of clothes – they can make you feel totally amazing - you’d think like 25 years on maybe it would get a little bit more jaded, but it doesn’t.
Where did you go to train/go to college?
LS I did my BA in Fashion Textiles in Glasgow - Glasgow was much more glam atmosphere than Bristol with a big clubbing scene and the art college was amazing. I learned a lot of the technical sides of knitting there, I also knit myself and the fact that I can knit, and I know how the machines work, I think does help to inform my design.
I went to Saint Martins to do my fashion MA 3 years after Lee McQueen and Hussein Chalayan were there and I studied under Louise Wilson* I still hear her voice when I’m working, her constant comments speaking to me, to make the effort – she really pushed us.
LB* The late director of the MA at St Martins mentored 90s designers.
LB Why do you do what you do?
LS Because I’m not good at anything else! - practical life skills or anything. I love it and thankfully after 25 years I’m still not bored of it. That’s the key — I still love, really love it. If I stop loving it, I’ll stop doing it.
LB You’ve worked at many of the top fashion houses, from Tom Ford, Chloe, McQueen, Alaia – how do you interpret each creative director’s vision? Can you describe your approach or is it a secret? (which is fine!)
LS The focus at Saint Martins was on creative thinking, and I have to say the technical side I’ve learned while working in the industry. There's been so much advancement since I left college. The vision needs to be realised by the factories, and the relationships are key. We develop these incredible things—the programmer at the factory, she’s a genius—and it’s a combination of, you know, those relationships that make things happen. The factory is essentially an atelier for the knit.
I have to like what I’m working on. I think now that I’m older, there are certain jobs I would have to say no to. I guess I'm lucky in that I've been working for the last 15 years with creative directors whom I've really liked, you know, and respected.
It’s important to understand the CD’s vision, so after the brief has been set, I have an element of freedom as well as autonomy in the way I work, because the creative directors employed me as an expert. I'm still learning all the time, going in-depth with new techniques. There’s such technological evolution in stitches—I don’t just design sweaters anymore, I’m creating structures.
The process is very collaborative, especially with a big brand. You need the support of the atelier, assistants, fit models, product developers and programmers from the factory—there are a lot of people behind the scenes. I work with a new generation of young designers, and that combination of my experience and judgment alongside their enthusiasm and energy makes it exciting.
LB If you hadn't been a designer, what do you think you would have done?
LS I don't think I'm very good at other things, but I'm incredibly curious and nosey about people and their relationships. So, I think I would quite like to have been a therapist. I would love to listen to other people. I could listen and maybe help them.
LB Why did you choose the Secret Drawer necklace, and are we allowed to know what you're keeping in it?
LS I love the simplicity, and I wear it every day. I generally look very scruffy, and I feel like it adds a little bit of polish. It’s so simple, and I love the fact that I can carry something in it. It feels like more than just a decorative necklace.
I'm traveling a lot, which can sometimes make me feel quite anxious, and when I was in Paris for 10 days for the show, it was lovely because I had these little pictures in there that the boys had drawn for me. So that's what I put in there—two drawings. I didn’t want a photo. I’m going to change the drawings, so it’s my own walking personal gallery. It’s a reminder of home and the people I love.