style L’Of f ic i eL37The Textile experts
KenneTh ize
Kenneth Izedonmwen’s
Lagos-based menswear label
is best known for its use of
aso oke, a fabric made from
traditional Nigerian weaving.
The craft requires special
skill, which the Nigerian
designer employs local
artisans and design groups for
when creating his colourful
suits. (Naomi Campbell and
Childish Gambino are already
fans.) As a result, Izedonmwen
is putting West African
artisanship on the map of
luxury fashion while keeping
a quintessential part of his
culture alive.eDWArD c ruTchley
As a specialist in fabric development,
Edward Crutchley has consulted
for the likes of Kanye West, Clare
Waight Keller and Kim Jones
at both Louis Vuitton and Dior
Men. It makes sense that his own
designs should be just as worthy
of the spotlight. Recently, they’ve
earned him two wins at the 2019
International Woolmark Prize,
unprecedented for any designer.
With a vast range of textiles
techniques from around the world at
his fingertips, the London designer
develops his own artisanal fabrics
for each collection and later works
them into sharply tailored suits for
men (and occasionally, women).
susAn fAng
You’d expect a designer inspired by
mathematics – namely, fractals – to have an
equally unconventional design process. Susan
Fang does; the Central Saint Martins graduate
uses a unique air-weave technique that she
developed on her own to create intricate, three-
dimensional woven pieces, some of which
automatically stretch to fit any body shape.
Those one-of-a-kind knits are often paired
with Fang’s “Bubble” bags and accessories,
which are handmade with crystal glass beads
in geometric patterns. Who knew wondrous
textile innovations could stem from math?