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Jumper

2017
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

A merino wool knitted jumper with a ribbed round neck and ribbed hem and cuffs. A design of trompe l’oeil knitted rows is broken in a diagonal across the torso. The jumper has an 'L' monogram on the chest.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Merino wool, machine knitted to order.
Brief description
A merino wool jumper made by UNMADE in collaboration with Opening Ceremony. The jumper design was customised online by writer, curator and editor of SHOWstudio, Lou Stoppard using the personalisation platform developed by UNMADE and machine knitted to order.
Physical description
A merino wool knitted jumper with a ribbed round neck and ribbed hem and cuffs. A design of trompe l’oeil knitted rows is broken in a diagonal across the torso. The jumper has an 'L' monogram on the chest.
Object history
The jumper was part of a collaboration between UNMADE and New York-based fashion company Opening Ceremony that was launched in November 2016 on the FARFETCH online retail platform. The sweater was customised by writer, curator and editor of SHOWstudio, Lou Stoppard.

The collection consists of simple knitwear pieces with bold trompe l’oeil designs that can be personalised by the customer online before purchase. Opening Ceremony also created a bespoke monogram alphabet to integrate personalised monograms into the design. The items are then made to order by UNMADE and sent directly to the customer. Every UNMADE x Opening Ceremony garment is unique.

UNMADE was founded by RCA alumni Ben Alun-Jones, Kirsty Emery and Hal Watts, and is based within the Makerversity studios at Somerset House, London. UNMADE provide new technology that uses coding to power industrial knitting machines as though they are 3D printers. The technology can be added to an existing industrial knitting machine and enables the user to create one-off, customised knitwear pieces at the click of a button. The team have developed their own file format (.KNIT) for knit designs, which talks to the piece of technology built onto the knitting machine, and generates the code to knit the garment. UNMADE have linked this technology with ecommerce integration meaning that online shoppers can personalise the knitwear design before purchase, and the garment can be automatically knitted immediately. With this automated production system, unique knitted garments can be made for the same unit cost and speed as mass production.
Production
UNMADE provide new technology that uses coding to power industrial knitting machines as though they are 3D printers. The technology can be added to an existing industrial knitting machine and enables the user to create one-off, customised knitwear pieces at the click of a button. The team have developed their own file format (.KNIT) for knit designs, which talks to the piece of technology built onto the knitting machine, and generates the code to knit the garment. UNMADE have linked this technology with ecommerce integration meaning that online shoppers can personalise the knitwear design before purchase, and the garment can be automatically knitted immediately. With this automated production system, unique knitted garments can be made for the same unit cost and speed as mass production.

UNMADE only produce to order, and the UNMADE technology allows other firms to switch to a solely made to order model.
Association
Bibliographic reference
Dilys Williams, '1990-present' in Fashioned from Nature, edited by Edwina Ehrman (London, 2018), p. 168
Collection
Accession number
T.1711-2017

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Record createdJune 20, 2017
Record URL
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