What do coins, CDs, food skewers, toothpicks and knit fabric have in common? This….

There’s creativity, and then there is genius, uber-creative thinking which produces work like Rowan Mersh’s. In this short post, I want to share a few images of works by the English designer, as featured in the book “Fashioning Fabrics”, 2006, edited by Sandy Black, published by Black Dog Publishing.  There are other designers featured in the book, some of the old guard like Issey Miyake, Christian LaCroix, Missoni and pink haired Zandra Rhodes, as well as the “new guard” like Naeem Khan.

Mersh’s work, however, is mesmerizing because it creates maximum impact with the humblest materials, and I would never have purchased this book if Mr Mersh’s work was not on the cover. I judged a book by its cover.

Some of Mersh’s work begins with striped jersey as a base, sewing channels in which another material is inserted just so.

Or, discs such as CDs are placed to align with a stripe, and wrapped around.  Clarification: the image below is not from the book but from a website featuring images of Mersh’s work.  I’ve linked it a few lines below this.

Take a look at Mersh’s jersey/toothpick combination, below. It is, as the term goes, kick-ass!  

Mersh is a graduate of the Royal School of Art in London, and some of his work is part of the permanent collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum.  But, on this blog we’re interested in his genius manipulations of the humble striped jersey. Here is a google page of some of Rowan Mersh’s work.  Not sure if I should call it an image gallery…..

With all credit due to Rowan Mersh, do you think this look can be recreated by you and me in an everyday wearable? Maybe a small detail? Wanna try it?  I would love to hear your thoughts below. Please do comment. Thanks for reading! Now, off to dig out striped jersey from the fabric stash….

Samina