Scanned and Knitted

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I've got some wee cynical misgivings towards the physical collision of science and fashion, with specific scrutiny to whether the fusion actually produces wearable clothes (and when I say wearable, I mean clothes with the bare minimum physical practicalities).  You might bring up Hussein Chalayan, to which I would say that the pieces that end up going on sale are not in fact light installations or wooden table skirts alas.  I also once had a rather long and tedious conversation with a professor at university who was hell bent on the idea of LED lights coursing through dresses and I just kept on asking her "Battery pack – where does it go?" and it all came down to that‚Ķ where does that damn plastic box go?

If we're talking about clothes that take inspiration from science as opposed to grappling with it directly then we're onto more well-tred and successful territory.  London-based designer Brooke Roberts has shifted her label with her last two collections to concentrate on fusing science and fashion within her codes of luxury knitwear and digital print.  For A/W 10-11, she sued something called ermm‚Ķ ChemDraw, ENEAS and Photoshop.  I only know one out of the three.  The others, I haven't a faintest clue, though Brooke thankfully enlightens us further on her blog.

Brooke of course didn't just pluck medical scans from nowhere.  She happens to be a trained radiographer as well which is where she got hold of these scans to form the basis of her collection.  From the brain scans of last season, she's turned to the sideview of the sinus.  Yes, that's the sinus – the thing that I've had many problems with resulting in snot feasts and other gross bodily fluids.  The pieces have been quilted along the lines of the pattern as well as incorporating a 3-D surface effect and a slight shimmer achieved by a mix of five yarns (cashmere, techno-plastic!!! and viscose‚Ķ).  The laser-cut metal embellishments at the bottom on the bodies are actually titanium plates used to fix broken bones.  Taking hospital sheaths and nurse's uniforms as inspiration from the workplace was obviously the easy way out for Brooke as this is all on a level beyond my pee-brain understanding.

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I can of course recognise the fact that these are beautifully engineered knitwear pieces that don't require the medical backstory to back them up‚Ķ  though of course if I ever owned a piece, I'd love to keep pointing out the fact that it's a scan of a SINUS and might even harass people on the bus to tell them this. 

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Machines in Italy involving err….stitches, pixel programming and other technical bits that I don't understand…

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Brooke is back at work and in her lab/studio, she's already got a head full of ideas for S/S 11 involving MRI scan jacquards, knitted lace and insect anatomy… what will Dr. Roberts cook up next?

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26 comments

  5. well who knows indeed what she’ll come up with next…. maybe the realisation that the word luxury no longers means anything if it’s applied to clothes like these which are all made on computerised machine in a factory and then overlocked…. oh well I suppose if it has cashmere in it… god help us.. oh and the model is lovely by the way… hope she gets that pain in her arm seen to though.. Maybe the doc could x-ray it??

  7. wow, this is fascinating. what an unusual, and intriguing idea! i’m looking into fashion & technology/science for my Final Major Project at college, so thankyou so much for posting this – i’m definitely going to include it in my research!
    x

  9. seriously-brain-damaging-amazing!!!!! soo excited about the next collection already! x

  10. Wow, this is so interesting. The print she made is so beautiful – I love that it is an xray of the sinus! It’s amazing to think how she created these garments. I like all of the plates she used as embellishment as well. It adds a bit more textural interest.
    Also, how amazing are those shoes! They look wonderful with that outfit. You could have so much fun with printed tights and those shoes.
    Clare x

  11. It’s so beautiful. + refreshing to see such unique and creative knitwear.

  12. Go Brooke! Can’t wait to see the next thing!!! AMAZING!!! X

  19. wow!!
    as a x ray doctor’s daughter and a knitwear designer…i am amazed!!!
    brooke is very very talented!!!!

  24. This is really cool. I don’t even care it’s a sinus; it’s beautiful. Bug anatomy sounds promising too…
    Robyn

  25. I love the designs!! are beautiful! and makeup of the girl is wonderful! sometimes soil modeling for a fashion magazine from my country! I’m taking the desicion between a kind photo secion 60’s or more futuristic! they prefer?

  26. I’m sorry but those padded shoulders are ridiculous! They remind me of the Batman costumes that guys wear at Halloween with padding to enhance their pecks and shoulders.

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