The granny square is taking over fashion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/05/2021 (1905 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What does nostalgia feel like? I describe it as a warm, almost tingling feeling of precious familiarity; a happy side effect of rediscovery. Sometimes we even crave the kinds of things that predate our existence and take us out of the present (anxious, uncertain) and into the past (invented, and therefore untainted by reality).

Right now, fashion’s preferred nostalgia delivery system comes in the form of crochet — specifically the so-called granny square. Often the first thing budding crocheters learn how to make, the pattern appears in joyful colour combos and often features flowery motifs. In the ’70s these squares were combined to make blankets — perhaps your grandmother had one on her couch. But over the past year, the delightful things have leapt onto dresses, cardigans and coats. Crochet made appearances on the Spring 2021 runways at Eckhaus Latta and Alberta Ferretti and crocheted creations fill the digital racks of cool-girl e-commerce shops like Lisa Says Gah and Edmonton’s New Classics. Even Bottega Veneta’s latest release of handbags features crafty knotted yarns, and will set you back a cool $5,000 (my grandmother would never!).

Ella Wiznia, the designer behind The Series, a line of jackets, crochet tank tops and shirts made from upcycled textiles never expected to end up in fashion. An NYU architecture grad, Wiznia was diagnosed with an eating disorder when she was in high school. “There weren’t a lot of examples of body positivity or body neutrality in mainstream fashion,” she says. So, Wiznia took to thrifting and shopping second-hand for most of her clothes. “It was the best thing for my recovery because I wasn’t measuring my worth through the size of the clothes I could fit into. It was just like, I like this material, or this colour; it wasn’t about the size of my waist.” Her love of thrifting inspired The Series — all the materials are sourced from second-hand shops and flea markets — and the brand is fully size-inclusive.

Crafts like knitting and crochet are commonly used to manage anxiety in eating-disorder recovery programs, explains Wiznia, whose personal favourite hobby is actually embroidery. “I was taking old jeans and basically drawing on them, but with thread.” Friends and family started noticing her creations, and a fashion line was born.

“I remember my grandmother having a crochet blanket and being like, ‘Please don’t put that near me,’” laughs Wiznia. “I still might not use it as a blanket, but I’ll totally wear it,” she says. To that end, The Series released “granny tanks” — boxy little tops in cheery colour combos.

The crochet look is also a wearable way to get closer to our grandparents — a generation that’s been hit hard by the effects of the pandemic, and one many haven’t even been able to see. “I do wonder why I’ve been seeing so many of these blankets at flea markets,” says Wiznia. “Why are they popping up more and more. Does it represent the end of that generation?”

On a lighter note, our appreciation for all things knit and crochet can be read as yet another reaction against fast fashion. “We are finally starting to value the time it takes to make something,” says Wiznia. “These are true works of art.” There’s also something almost subversive about taking something so traditionally domestic and proudly wearing it out in the world.

Inspired by all the crochet up for grabs online (and aided by lockdown), my mother taught herself to crochet. Already an expert knitter, it only took her three days and a handful of YouTube tutorials before she started turning out square after square. They litter her home, like soft coasters laid out for a party; they are the building blocks of something beautiful.

SHOP THE TREND

The Series tank top, $146, theseriesny.com

Sea dress, $709, nordstrom.ca

Nanushka top, $486, net-a-porter.com

Ulla Johnson top, $665, modaoperandi.com

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Liz Guber writes about style and culture for The Kit. Reach her via email: lg@thekit.ca