"I love the flexibility of knitting. If you make a mistake or don't like the direction of the work, you can undo it and start again. With knitting, the possibilities are endless," said Lucy Williams, the founder and designer of OSCAR Wool.
Williams was taught how to sew and knit by her mother, leading her to sew clothing for her dolls, friends and family. Although she focused on sewing at the beginning of her fashion journey, Williams found the permanency of a cut or sew line frustrating and began to dabble with knitting.
Her obsession with knitting skyrocketed during the first lockdown. Williams utilised her time trapped indoors to experiment with knitting patterns and crafting various projects, making an Instagram to display and document the process.
During this time, Williams observed that many hand-knitters were predominantly crafting chunky cardigans and jumpers. She noticed that there was a gap in the market for more specialised and complicated handknits.
With the support of friends, who clamoured to purchase the hats and sleeves Williams was making, she decided to give a few of her knit items to her friend Emma Jing, who displayed them at her 2021 fashion show.
"Seeing my knits styled together with pieces from Taylor Grove and Emma Jing gave me the confidence boost I needed to start OSCAR."
Williams said that what makes OSCAR stand out is that she questions what knitting is in the traditional sense by creating handknitted eye-catching, inventive pieces that are either one-off or limited production items.
"I want OSCAR to explore, test and stretch the boundaries of what can be knitted."
She particularly enjoys experimenting with a range of natural yarns.
"It's important to me that all of my knits are soft, cozy and not harmful to the wearer or the environment."
Although Williams sources inspiration from a range of places, including movies and vintage sewing books, she is currently entranced by Victorian lace work and is in the process of thinking how the shapes and details can be reproduced in a way that is wearable and contemporary.
"It also helps having a creative group of friends around me to bounce ideas off," added Williams.
In the future, she hopes to grow OSCAR by finding other knitters to help reproduce her patterns. Williams is also keen to learn machine knitting, making knit footwear and potentially publishing her knit patterns for purchase.
