Interview by Bella Koopman.
Founded by young creative Xin Lee, Looping Faces is a crochet brand unlike any other. Focusing on outlandish and fantastical designs, Looping Faces is a brand to have on your radar this winter.
How did Looping Faces start?
Crocheting has always been a hobby of mine since I was 12, but I started to explore the craft from a more conceptual point of view when I was in uni about 2 years ago. I got pretty bored of crocheting projects available online and wanted to start creating my own designs and patterns. These realisations also coincided with a time in my life where I wanted to use my craft to explore the idea of self-identity; which led me to balaclavas and head accessories. Ballys and hats are really exciting objects as they have the potential to conceal and reveal identities at the same time, pushing me to explore the capabilities of wearable art in redefining how we define ourselves.
What are the main inspirations behind your designs?
Movies inspire me a lot as they act as an infinite database of worlds that I imagine my designs existing in. I like to see my designs as part of a greater narrative which allows me to play with various visual and tactile elements, experimenting with various crochet techniques that allow me to produce something that truly excites me. My friends are also huge inspirations behind my work. I sometimes catch myself drawing up designs that I could see on subjects in my friend’s films or photographs; which helps me create pieces that reflect the reality of my creative surroundings. The core of my designs hope to embody an imaginative, escapist reality that allows people to see some part of themselves in.
What garments are your favourite to make and why?
Definitely custom orders. I absolutely love it when customers send me a drawing on their notes app of an idea they had, or pictures of scenes from movies and just tell me “I want something that feels like that”. It feels so amazing to get the chance to turn an idea someone has had in their head into something they can hold in their hands. The process of chatting over DMs, making sample sketches, picking out yarns to construct the piece and finally seeing the completed pieces on the customer brings me so much joy and excitement! I really appreciate the trust people have in my “eye”. Custom orders allow me to collaborate with all sorts of people with such an eclectic range of styles – while still being my truest self.
What’s your favourite thing about running Looping Faces?
Looping Faces has allowed me to meet and work with other mind blowing young creatives. Getting to speak to other creative individuals and sharing our experiences and skills through the pop-ups I’ve participated in is something I wouldn’t have been able to achieve without Looping Faces. I really treasure the opportunity to learn from other young creatives with various skills and ideas. The creative scene in London is constantly active with diverse personalities and perspectives, which makes me really excited to see the type of future that will be built by young creatives.
What’s in the future for Looping Faces?
I’m currently working towards a couple of pop-ups I’ll be participating in this December while finishing up some orders. I’m also looking to create a fashion film and have the pieces showcased in a styled shoot with some of my mates as a sort of collaborative project. I haven’t really had the opportunity to explore the conceptual potential that my designs could be staged in. I want to explore other digital techniques to build up the visual and audible world of Looping Faces while creating work with my mates; adding to the never-ending ridiculous and outlandish crochet narrative that is Looping Faces.
