Inspired by Bauhaus, theatre performance, and fancy dress parties, Merseyside-born Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication graduate Sarah Sweeney designs mischievously fanciful knitwear that is brimming with style, humour and grace. Her flowing, delicate garments – with their sunny-day-haze colour palette – are a refreshing antidote to the muted, solemn tones of traditional autumn/winter collections; and their surrealist aesthetic comes over all acid-infused circus daydream. You can hear a mad clown laughing maniacally, but the sugary candy floss is too good for you to care.
Trippy, curious, and marching to her own beat; we caught up with Sarah to talk British creativity, car-boot sales and having courage in your convictions…
Where’s your hometown, and where are you based now?
My home town is Prescot in Merseyside, near Liverpool but I’m currently living in south-east London.
Do you think location affects creativity?
I think it can do, for me personally I think if you’re a creative person it doesn’t matter where you are.
Is Britain’s creative industry too London-centric?
I think it is really, there should be more galleries and museums throughout the country.
How would you describe British creativity?
Free-thinking, not afraid to take risks, traditional.
Has being British had an effect on your discipline?
I think it has, my mum used to knit when I was little, and so did both my nans.
The Swinging ’60s, punk, Hacienda-era Manchester… is there one period of intense British creativity that you’d like to have been a part of, and why?
I think I would have liked to have grown up in the ’80s, when my mum and dad talk about when they were young and the different styles there were – punks, new romantics, etc. – I think people must have had more courage to just wear whatever they wanted, and to express themselves through their own styles. There’s too many people who just wear whats advertised in Topshop windows now.
Are there any quintessential British traditions that inform your work?
I have always been fascinated with British subcultures even from when I was little. I like finding old photographs at car-boot sales and bric-a-brac shops, and seeing the clothes people wore from a past generation which can then inspire my own work.
Where in Britain do you feel most inspired?
I normally feel most inspired when I’ve found something at a bric-a-brac shop, it doesn’t really matter where the shop is. I often start a project by becoming inspired by something I’ve found.
The top 3 British creatives who have inspired you?
I’d have to say Vivienne Westwood, David Bayley and Francis Bacon.
Will you be watching the Olympics?
Yeah some of it, although I’m not the biggest sports fan.
If creativity was an Olympic sport, who’s the one person you’d want to represent Britain on the global stage?
Laura Marling, you can’t help becoming inspired when listening to her music.
Which sport would you like to compete in at London 2012?
The relay, if I was any good at running!
You couldn’t live without…
A good cup of tea.
What makes you smile?
My friends and family.
The best piece of advice you’ve ever been given…
All you can do, is do your best.
We’re going to the pub and we’re buying, what are you drinking?
A glass of rose please.
What’s next for you?
Hopefully I’ll be starting a masters next year, but in the meantime I hope to work as a freelance knitwear designer.
