TREND ALERT: THE CROCHET MOVEMENT

Friday, we highlighted the Australian line Romance was Born and showcased a crochet dress that Cate Blanchett wore a few years back. We have also highlighted the crochet trend in Fall’s #8 trend “Crafting the Frontier“, and we recently found new evidence supporting this trend as a global movement across the world.

Last week, the New York Times featured an article on Yarn Bombing, aka “Grandma Graffiti” ,that validated this DIY trend that is spreading across the globe.

The article focuses on a growing trend of Guerrilla knitting where artists “tag” street objects by knitting and crocheting covers, sweaters, socks and other designs on top of them to make statements in the street. The first signs of this movement were spotted almost 8 years ago, and today there are several knitting groups across the globe that have taken onto the idea. Artists have adorned famous monuments in Paris and Bali as well as everyday objects such as bicycles, parking meters, sidewalk cracks and doors.  The idea is to bring a level of DIY craft to everyday objects which in turn offers the viewer a second look at something they might glance over everyday without anotherlook.  The art can be most closely compared with Graffiti in a sense that the act is illegal and that each Yarn Bombing has its own mark.

Agata Oleksiak hails from NYC and has spent the last 8 years enshrouding humans, bicycles, swimming pools and more in neon colored crochet.

Artist Agata Oleksiak, NYC

The "Charging Bull" outside of Wall Street by Olek

Olek's homage to Banksy

Olek's mustang convertible in Miami

When I was recently in NYC, I spied one of her pieces on the corner of Ludlow and Stanton in the Lower East Side.

Bicycle by Olek

Other artists mentioned include Magda Sayeg who is considered the “mother” of yarn bombing.  Sayeg is from Texas and has made this art a career as she has recently been commissioned by several Fortune 500 companies such as Prius, Etsy and Mini Cooper to design knitwear for some of their major ad campaigns. Making her mark all over the world (with the help of several knitters), Sayeg is a force to be reckoned with.

Statue in Bali

Sayeg's mark in Paris

Staircase by Sayeg

I could just die over this picture I love it so much..

Crochet is an age old craft that has been around for a long time, but with the increased interest in “all things old are new again”, its becoming a thing of the present and the future.  Fashion has certainly taken its cue as many designers started to feature the craft in the Spring/Summer 2011 collections. Take a look at some current offerings below:

Mark Fast Spring 2011

Chanel's crochet and chain link necklace

Isabel Marant Spring 2011

Dolce and Gabbana's gold lurex crochet clutch

Alexander Wang's open-weave knitwear

Celine's macrame crochet tote bag (one of my favorite Spring items!)

Look for the crochet and knitted trend to enter the interiors market as well with designers focusing on pillows, bedding and upholstery to bring this craft into the future.  The resurgence of Textile art from the 1960′s will be a big part of this trend within interiors for their take on this crafted knit revolution.

Textile art from the lobby of the Ace Hotel, Palm Springs