Who made your clothes? For most London designers, it’s probably Loop Studio

What was the initial idea behind Loop Studio?

Ben: We launched back in 2018 to be a design and development destination for knitwear in London.

“If you don’t have the technique, you can’t create.” – Ben McKernan, Loop Studio

Nora: The majority of knitwear production doesn’t happen in the U.K., most factories are in Italy or outside of Europe. For designers, that makes it very difficult to communicate your vision. Because we experienced those difficulties ourselves, having worked in the industry, we saw a gap in the market. We wanted to be that bridge between design and manufacturing.

Ben: In knitwear, there is a merge between technique and creative design ‒ you can’t do one without the other. If you don’t have the technique, you can’t create.

Who comes to Loop Studio? Is it mostly independent designers?

Ben: We have a very wide range – anybody from students doing their MA collection to young graduates setting up their label, but also more high-end brands, like J.W. Anderson, who need help with sampling or swatches. For them it’s great that we’re in London because we’re reactive, we can do quick turnarounds.

Richard: We also do the things that most companies would say no to. Because we’re smaller, we have time to do the things that are more challenging or out of the ordinary. Then we’ll develop the technique that bigger companies need to do the production. Kiko Kostadinov came to us recently with a design. Another factory had said no to production, but once we proved it could be done, it was suddenly possible.

Oh, so sometimes designers come to you for the solution, not the execution?

Nora: Exactly, our ideas can be brought to other factories with similar machines.

Looking at knitwear as the combination of those two poles, creativity, and technique, do you find that most students are only educated on one aspect? 

Richard: It comes down to the individual really. It depends whether they’re interested or driven by that technical knowledge. Most of our clients are incredibly skilled in technique, but then some of our favourite clients might be those with no experience at all. Their references will be unexpected and that can be really challenging and exciting to reinterpret. I personally really like that, because you get more input. You need to challenge the way you would conventionally construct knitwear, moving in between woven, pattern-cutting, and knitting.

Ben: The more unresolved, the better. High-end clients will often give us a strict brief, a clear idea of where to go, so there is less space to play around.

“The only limitation is the yarn – that is your starting point and the possibilities are endless. ” – Richard Szuman,Loop Studio

It sounds like what you’re offering is really different from client to client. Does that mean you need to constantly adapt?

Nora: We start every project with a creative consultation. Even deciding on the yarn can take hours. That is why we always invite clients to come in, we can spend an entire day with them. It can be quite an educational experience.

Richard: With knitwear, you can make something incredibly bespoke. The only limitation is the yarn – that is your starting point and the possibilities are endless. So you need to ask yourself: how am I going to achieve the effects the client wants?

Ben: Every single designer that comes in here has a completely different way of communicating. Some have clear tech packs, others have a specific fabric that they want us to reproduce. That is why the consultation is so important. But truth be told, if everyone came in knowing exactly what they wanted to do, that would be great! When people have little understanding of how knitwear works, they get easily distracted by the options we have.

Like a kid in a candy store?

Ben: Haha, yes!

I assume you see a lot of very stressed students under a graduate deadline.

Richard: Actually, the students have been pretty organised recently.

Nora: It’s more the designers who suffer under deadlines. When we started, we didn’t respect our own limits enough and we said yes to everything. Now we’ve learned not to take the project if there is not enough time for the development to be sufficient. If it’s not possible we’ve learned to say no.

Ben: That is something most freelancers or self-employed people need to learn.

“With knitwear, you can try to conceptualise it, but at the end of the day, you just have to make it. The prototyping is crucial. You need a lot of perseverance.” – Richard Szuman, Loop Studio

What has been your favourite project to work on?

Ben: Oh, for you Richard, I imagine it’s the Kiko neckline!

Richard: Oh my god, of course! I worked on Autumn Winter 22 for Kiko and I was working very closely with Deanna Fanning – who is great to work with, by the way, she really gets knitwear construction, so she has that sweet spot of creative and technical. There was one design with a deep yoke panel in a ripple stitch construction, which curved across the front of the chest.

Hang on you’re losing me.

Nora: Well, knitwear is always produced in rows, so anything rectangular is very easy, but when there are curves it gets tricky. Richard had to find a way to make this U-shape sit elegantly around the neck.

Richard: I think it took a total of five prototypes to get right. With knitwear, you can try to conceptualise it, but at the end of the day, you just have to make it. The prototyping is crucial. You need a lot of perseverance. You need perfectionism as well, which wasn’t something I had when I started here.

This is where the problem-solving skills come in? 

Nora: We’re not a heritage company and in the U.K. in general there is very little knitwear production left, so we don’t have a senior staff that you can run to when you’re in trouble. There is no one to ask for help and that can be very frustrating.

Ben: But 99% of the time, the problem is solved through patience. We learned a lot in the four years of being in business together. Most of the problems I solve have to do with transitioning from sampling to production. There are specific issues that arise when you work on a larger scale because yarn can be so unpredictable.

Richard: You should also talk about Paolina’s illusion knits, those were quite the challenge!

Ben: Oh yes! Okay, let me see if there’s an easy way to explain this… Basically, knits are done in rows and you usually work in one direction. To create those illusion knits, you need the various patterns to lie in different directions. Previously, producers had always cut out the various parts and then reconnected them, but that creates a lot of waste. I found a way to do it in one piece!

“It’s not always about inventing new techniques. Sometimes it’s just about exploring other options.” – Richard Szuman,  Loop Studio

That is incredible! Tell me, how long was the process of getting there, how high was the frustration, and how satisfying did it feel when you finally figured it out?

Uhm… I’d say 10/10, 10/10 and 10/10, hahaha.

Haha, okay gotcha! Nora, you still owe me a favourite project.

Mine is less to do with manufacturing, but I was doing a design consultancy for Ninety Percent, a sustainability brand. Their criteria are quite strict and I was asked to develop a wool-like material without using any wool. I had to replicate that feeling of warmth in those vegan yarns. It felt good when I figured it out.

“It’s better to see your sector as a small community to learn from, rather than a field of competitors.” – Ben McKernan,Loop Studio

It’s incredible how much experimentation and development goes into your work. You’re not copying the conventional routes. That also informs the sustainability narrative ‒  you’re the ones coming up with innovative solutions.

Richard: Yes, but sustainability isn’t necessarily just about innovation. For example, the other day a student wanted to do a transparent design so they were working with fishing wire. That is pure plastic, so I suggested using other techniques to create the illusion of transparency. It’s not always about inventing new techniques. Sometimes it’s just about exploring other options.

“You might be taught at fashion school to think of the most experimental idea, but working in a place that does manufacturing, you learn the fundamental skills to make that happen.” – Richard Szuman, Loop Studio

Do any of your ideas ever get stolen?

Nora: When it comes to improving our industry, the more our ideas get shared, the better. And because the options in knitwear are endless, even if we do share, the result is so different. There is enough space for everyone.

Ben: It’s better to see your sector as a small community to learn from, rather than a field of competitors.

Nora: That being said, we do have NDAs with our designers! The technique we developed for Paolina, for example, we wouldn’t give that away to another person. That belongs exclusively to her.

Richard: But we are always so happy when we can pass on technical knowledge. Thinking of our interns, they leave their internship with a lot of new skills and knowledge. You might be taught at fashion school to think of the most experimental idea, but working in a place that does manufacturing, you learn the fundamental skills to make that happen.

Ben: Yes, you’ll be able to execute your ideas better.