Alison Tsai

Some say knitwear is the new black, others think it has nothing to do with high-fashion, but meanwhile the Taiwanese-born young generation fashion designer Alison Tsai proves that material, that in her case has always been knit fabric, is after all the most important and also inspiring part about the whole creation process.

As a knitwear designer Alison takes a strong mathematical approach to design and pattern construction and believes that innovation comes from a systematic approach, which makes all the difference. In order to achieve the ideal outcome, Tsai works very precisely creating codes for the design that actually isn’t very common these days anymore.

Using the material as the starting point, Alison tries to process various beads, fringes and tassels to create whole new fabrics. Very organic and creature-like shapes can often be seen in her work. Tsai’s palette is monochrome but her creative impulse knows no constraints. Alison doesn’t simply knit items; she combines techniques of macramé, beading, and crochet stitches to bring her otherworldly sketches to life.

Rich, ornate, oversize garments with peddling details that seem to almost become entirely new creatures from every angle is what best describes Alison Tsai’s designs. Besides each piece also feels pleasantly imperfect, rather than confined to the strict geometry that determines where each bead is held in place.

Interestingly enough, this young talent hasn’t always been a fashion insider, as it might seem at first; in fact, she even worked at a cancer center for almost four years before fully discovering her love towards creative industries. It was at Parsons the New School for Design in New York that Tsai first began to experiment with knitwear. She found an inherent kinship between the precision and analytical skills she once applied to medicine and the technical agility needed to create her complex designs.

Being this diverse and original has obviously made Alison the next big fashion superstar. Her most significant recent achievements include becoming one of the ten finalists from more than 12,000 practitioners in ITS Competition in July 2014 where she successfully proved herself in the Fashion area. Before coming to New York City, Tsai was also the Champion of Taiwan Fashion Design Award in 2010. Her work has been featured in such titles as VOGUE Italia, Style.com, Nymag.com, The Last Magazine, Parsons Fashion 560, Surface Asia, TACK Mag, Maglieria Italiana, L’Officiel, as well as numerous fashion blogs, and something tells me that it is just the beginning.

Daiga Zimele

THE QUEEN OF KNITWEAR