Fresh Faces: Lynn La Yaung
Merging fashion and textile through handcrafted knitwear
By Sharrona Valezka
FAM FRESH FACES is a series featuring young Southeast Asian fashion practitioners and speaks with them about how they embarked on their careers and what propels them as creatives.
Lynn La Yaung.
Lynn La Yaung is a London-based knitwear and textile designer who specialises in creating garments that merge fashion design and textile manipulation. Originally from Myanmar, Lynn moved to London when he was 11 years old and went on to complete his BA (Hons) Fashion: Fashion Design with Knitwear at Central Saint Martins in 2021. Lynn’s flair for knitwear stems from his art and textile background, from which he draws most of his inspiration from the works of various art practitioners. As an emerging designer, Lynn channels his creativity through the intricate and slow process of his handcrafted garments.
To start, could you talk about your background? What was your first memory or encounter with fashion?
My first encounter with fashion began when I enrolled in Central Saint Martins’ foundation course. I was curious and wanted to explore the mindset of designing for the body rather than creating textiles for spaces.
You have cited modernist artist Georgia O’Keeffe as an influence in your work. What aspects of her practice inspire you?
O’Keeffe’s work has influenced me since the beginning of my creative journey. Having come from an art and textiles background, the study of different drawing mediums and image composition was my main drive during my high school years. O’Keeffe’s use of colour that seamlessly blends and her obsession with the study of one single object in various ways has truly intrigued me.
Visual research and process of ‘Beginning of the End’ graduation collection. Image courtesy of Lynn La Yaung.
Visual research and process of ‘Beginning of the End’ graduation collection. Image courtesy of Lynn La Yaung.
What drew you to focus on knitwear in the first place? And how did your time at Central Saint Martins influence your approach to craft?
My journey into knitwear is something that I did not plan. It was an unexpected route that I took that felt organic to the way I work and practise my craft. As a textile student, my initial approach to design was through exploring fabric manipulation rather than designing for the body.
The foundation course was the perfect place to truly commit to pushing my craft as it gave me the freedom to do so. As my time in Central Saint Martins went on, I realised that the lines between textiles and fashion were blurred and from that point on, I started to merge the two practices together and began applying my textiles into the form of wearable garments.
“As my time in Central Saint Martins went on, I realised that the lines between textiles and fashion were blurred and from that point on, I started to merge the two practices together and began applying my textiles into the form of wearable garments.”
Lynn’s latest AW 22 Collection. Image courtesy of Lynn La Yaung.
What would you say has been the biggest shift from designing as a fashion student, to becoming a professional fashion practitioner?
The biggest shift is designing clothes that are wearable and commercial at the same time. Keeping my design identity and making them accessible is something that I’m still currently figuring out.
You mentioned in an interview that your graduation collection ‘Beginning of the End’ revisits your old projects and brings them back to life by refining them. Is there a specific past project that you revisited for the collection? Could you share more of the process?
The graduation collection title referred to all of my past projects that I’ve done from my high school years to my graduation year at Central Saint Martins. I personally think that a piece of work is never truly finished and it can be developed infinitely. With the fast-paced nature of the current fashion industry, producing new collections each season is exhausting the creative process.
For my graduation collection, I revisited all of the projects by taking pieces from each of these projects to re-puzzle my final project. The title ‘Beginning of the End’ represents neither the start nor the ending but what is to come for my creative journey as a young designer.
“I personally think that a piece of work is never truly finished and it can be developed infinitely. With the fast-paced nature of the current fashion industry, producing new collections each season is exhausting the creative process.”
Lynn’s past projects during his studies at Central Saint Martins. Image courtesy of Lynn La Yaung.
Lynn’s past projects during his studies at Central Saint Martins. Image courtesy of Lynn La Yaung.
In the same interview, you also stated that your work is very much about wearable arts and textiles. How does this inform the way you design or market your brand?
Textiles and fabric manipulation will always be the key to my design process. Strong textures and colours were the main focus of my recent AW22 collection.
Behind the scenes process of making the “Denim Bloom” piece of the AW 22 collection. Image courtesy of Lynn La Yaung.
Being a specialist in knitwear, are there any specific materials or techniques that are your favourite to work with?
Wool is my primary material. I enjoy working with it as it has the natural stretch and the weight to create 3D textures that are visually exciting. Natural white wool is also great at absorbing dye which is perfect for the ombre colouring technique.
Given the intricate nature of your garments, there is a decidedly slower and more conscious pace to your process. What is your personal relationship to your handmade works?
It is definitely a slow process from knitting to the final construction. My textiles are always unpredictable in the sense that the final result depends on where and how I manipulate the knit, which results in one-of-a-kind pieces. There is a lot of pinning and readjusting in order to archive the final result that is morphed but perfectly complimenting the natural curves of the body.
Campaign images of the latest AW 22 collection. Image courtesy of Lynn La Yaung.
As a young emerging Southeast Asian designer in London, what are some of the key challenges you face and equally opportunities that you seek?
The key challenge is getting my voice heard and receiving the right exposure in order to grow my brand. In addition, having a point of reference and taking inspiration from somebody from my own community is definitely something I have yet to find.
Campaign images of the latest AW 22 collection. Image courtesy of Lynn La Yaung.
Finally, what plans do you have in store for your practice moving forward?
I’m currently working on my second AW23 collection which will hopefully debut early next year 2023.
Visit @lynnlyaung on Instagram to view more of Lynn’s work.
