A recent graduate of Central Saint Martins, Lara Pain is a woven textile designer living and working in South East London. With a multi disciplinary approach and a particular interest in narrative craft, Lara creates unique woven designs for both the fashion and interiors industry.

Her graduate collection, ‘Drifter’ was inspired by the traditional folk crafts of her birthplace in Switzerland. The collection showcases a variety of experimental handwoven A/W lifestyle fabrics which explore the act of narrative storytelling. Particular inspiration was drawn from the art of Swiss Découpage, including the works of Louis Saugy and Johann-Jakob Hauswirth. When looking at the works of these artists, certain questions began to arise regarding Lara’s own practice; How could she create her own contemporary stories? How could she convey that narrative through woven textiles? With these questions forming the start of the collection, Lara set out to present a contemporary take on traditional forms of narrative craft.

A celebration of hand dyed wool, cotton and silks, the collection features a variety of eclectic dobby and jacquard fabrics in differing weights. Alongside the final fabric collection, a ‘zero waste’ patchwork piece was also created; this was made from the test scraps produced during the development stage. The patchwork piece acts to highlight the potential of production waste whilst also acting as a physical documentation of my own making journey.

With special thanks to The Textile Society for funding this collection. Drifter Editorial: Photography by Jonathan Tam, modelled by Zo Wu (skirt and vest models own).