Discover the muse and inspiration behind our Winter ‘20 capsule collection, Anni Albers, as our Creative Director, Liam discusses why he was so drawn to her works and practice, and how.

Who was Anni Albers?

Anni Albers was an artist born in Germany and then trained at the Bauhaus School, having a prolific career for the rest of her life. Everything that she created was hand-loomed and hand-crafted. She didn’t actually create a large amount of work, but the work that she created was instrumental in pushing modern art and textile design forward. 

Which of Anni Albers’ works were you most drawn to? 

The piece that we were drawn to most from Anni Albers’ archive was the Red Meander weaving. It featured geometric shapes and puzzle pieces that were all weaved together in a work that was created in the 1950’s. 

My favourite piece from the Anni Albers capsule would be the new Mr Cinch style. It’s a gathered kind of pouch shape; featuring the Red Meander print. Through the gathering, it reinterprets the print in a new way by adding a maze effect, but also with gathers, shadows and chains, so it adds a more modern element to the artwork.

What was it about Anni Albers and her works that inspired you? 

The thing that we find really inspiring about Anni Albers is the hardship that she’s gone through. When she entered the Bauhaus School, she was directed down into the weaving department which was the usual path for women at the time. But she flourished with a number of other weavers and really took command of that department and her practice, forming something that was very unique and stand-alone of  the time. She turned something that was quite a domestic task or craft into something quite artistic and modern. She then went on to work with large manufacturing businesses to upscale her designs, where they were used for upholstery and rugs. 

The other thing that we loved about her work was the way in which it was very practical. She designed with not only a purpose in mind but also a piece of art at the same time. That’s where we feel that there is a correlation between what we do, and what she does. Where we are trying to create something quite artistic, but also wearable.