Li Wentong: The Young Knitwear Specialist We've Got Our Eyes On
The knitwear renaissance in fashion has put names such as Rui, Chet Lo, Paolina Russo et al in the spotlight. Could this Lasalle College of The Arts graduate be the next one to join the club?
By Margaux Levy,
This year's edition of the Lasalle Show – the annual graduate showcase by Lasalle College of The Arts – has just wrapped up on June 1. As always, the outing offers a good avenue for industry watchers to spot the next big fashion talents – and one name that stood out was Li Wentong.
A student from the BA(Hons) Fashion Design and Textiles Class of 2022, the China-born Li is a knit specialist who brought an editorial eye to sumptuous and sculptural designs in her graduate collection that included oversized turtleneck sweaters, exaggerated cardigans and a stretched tank top.
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Her collection Shan(缮), was not just an ode to her childhood memories growing up in Weihai in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, but a deft display of her artful experimentation with details and organic and natural materials that are partly dyed with seeds and flowers.
Practicality has equal weightage to design and aesthetic when it comes to the work of designer Li Wentong (above). "My knitwear is not overly exaggerated that the customer can't wear it and at the same time, doesn't diminish in design," she says.
"The heritage and memories of my hometown are an endless treasure trove of inspiration for me. I love my hometown so much that I want to translate its heritage into more modern design elements in my collections for more people to see," says Li in an e-mail interview with FEMALE.
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Naturally, slow fashion has a role to play in her career path as a knit designer. She adds: "I was influenced to a great extent by the idea, and after learning more about it, I agreed with it. The idea of slow fashion motivated me to change my knitting from a passion to a future direction."
For now, the 22-year-old who has been in Singapore since 2017 is already pulling together the threads (pun intended) for the launch of her debut knitwear label Wren Li before heading back home. Ahead, she tells us more of her plans for the future and more.
How did you first discover your love for fashion?
"When I was a little girl, my favourite thing to do was to make clothes for toy dolls. Ever since then, I have envisioned a day in the future when people could walk down the street wearing the clothes I designed."
What drew you to knitwear in your fashion practice in particular and where did you pick up the skill?
"I underwent the Diploma in Fashion programme at Lasalle for three years and during that time my designs were more focused on fabric cutting.
When I continued my BA(Hons) degree in Fashion Design and Textiles at the school, I thought I should make some changes. So I chose textiles as my specialisation. That's when I first came across knitting, around the second half of 2020, and since then I've been fascinated by the technique. I learned hand knitting and crocheting by watching videos on the internet, while hand machine knitting was introduced to me by my tutor. I also learned from my internship experience with the Singapore- and Swiss-based knitwear brand Zoraober."
Who do you look up to in the world of fashion? And how do they influence your work and creativity?
"The late Alexander McQueen – not only for his amazing talent and designs but also for how he managed to balance artistry and commerce with customer needs and design."
Talk us through your graduate collection, Shan(缮).
"I was inspired by my hometown's traditional craft of 'curium porcelain' which means using flat metal nails to put broken porcelain back together. I used this as a starting point to imagine putting different sizes or shapes of porcelain back together to get some silhouettes or patchwork patterns as the inspiration for the Shan(缮) collection.
The colour palette of the collection comes from the tea leaf paste glaze in porcelain, which is mainly yellow and green. I used traditional Chinese natural dyes in the collection. After several dyeing experiments, I chose gardenia fruit and saffron as the dyes for the yellow and orange colours, and the yellow and orange colours were then added with indigo dye to get dark green and reddish-brown.
For the details, I embroidered metal spring wire on the surface to simulate the marks of porcelain restoration. From the design to the garment, I think the most challenging part is balancing the visual weight ratio of the chosen fabric and yarns as well as the colour ratio."
There is a strong artisanal aspect when it comes to knitwear. Can you share a little more about this and how it's reflected in your designs?
"In terms of craftsmanship, my graduation designs used a combination of hand knitting, crochet and hand machine knitting. Hand knitting is the most flexible, with large areas of jacquard, cables and ribbing being done by hand.
Hand and machine knitting is used for fine, more regular patterns, such as the lining of the green wool coat and T-shirts. The crochet technique is tighter than hand knitting, so I have used it on the sleeves of the orange top so that the shape is better maintained."
Having said that, how do you elevate knits from the homemade reputation they have?
"When it comes to homemade knitwear, people mostly think of grandmothers sitting by the fireplace knitting sweaters, but knitwear can also be cool and artistic. This is mainly due to the selection and matching of different textures of threads and the matching of colours and patterns.
During my time in school, I've created works that saw me combining feather embroidery and wooden beads on top of knits. In another collection I made during my second semester, I crocheted a lot of pieces and sewed them on a crocheted dress to achieve a 3D effect."
You've chosen to design your graduate collection as a seasonless collection. Why so?
"I don't like the concept of seasonal trends. People's pursuit of fashion trends leads to a lot of pointless consumption and waste. So I want to break it — I think fashion should slow down. In one collection, from coats for winter to shorts for summer, I can create garments that can be worn all year round, balancing wearability and fashionability, rather than designing clothes to catch up with seasonal fashion trends."
We also noticed that you have a fashion line coming up called Wren Li on Instagram.
"Yes, it's a slow fashion knitwear brand I'm planning to build, and it will be a practice of seasonless fashion. I am currently designing and preparing to produce the first collection of Wren Li, which will be produced in small batches using organic materials in an environmentally friendly way.
How do you want to make your audience feel when wearing your garments?
"Comfortable, confident, and free from ethical pressure."
What advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers or creatives like yourself?
"Be clear about your goal as early as possible and keep doing it firmly. Don't give up easily – daily accumulation and practice will make you successful in the future."