For A/W 09, Louise Goldin delved deeper into her vision of feminity, almost creating a new hybrid of woman, robot and insect. Exoskeletons of leather  (referencing both nature and technology) adorned her creatures beamed in from outerspace.  Fittingly for fall, a darkness had descended on her beautifully exotic species of women. Guided by the darkly elegant touch of super stylist, Panos Yiapanis, she showed a collection nearly entirely in black and a similarly inky palette. But when the Swarovski crystals that studded the dresses and trousers caught the light, they gave off an iridescent sheen that was otherworldly. Though famed for pushing boundaries with her exemplary knitwear, this season she also introduced luxury furs (made in collaboration with Saga) and leathers (from leather specialists, Whittaker Malem) that were sexily sliced in with the knitwear. The astral remix of “All Across The Universe” that played at the end really drove the point home – these intergalactic creations point to a an exciting new future for one of London’s most forward thinking talents.
Dazed Digital caught up with the designer after the show.

Dazed Digital: There seems to be a real resurgence in designers pushing the boundaries of knitwear. Why do you  have this fascination with such a traditional form?
Louise Goldin: I was working on it for years and years but I was learning on machines but I felt there was a lot to be explored with it and no one was really doing anything with it. So I wanted to really develop it. But to push forward with it, you have to have a really strong understanding of how to make fabrics and how to make fashion. It’s kind of a mix of both.
And this season you added fur and leather to the mix. How did you find working with that?
It’s really challenging and exciting to move yourself and try new things at this young, early stage of a design level.  I love to experiment. You just never know if it’s going to be terrible but I just feel like if I didn’t try, then I wouldn’t know so I do it.

DD: You used to divide your time between London and Brazil. How does working in two different countries influence your aesthetic?
LG: I have finished working in Brazil and am in London for most of the time now. But I feel like with any material or yarn or fibre, you can create a fabric. I think that’s always been my strength. I try to translate it into something that’s a new statement. And I can do that anywhere.

DD: What is your design process? Do you start by sketching?
LG: I do sketch a lot. There’s two divisions, there’s sketching and there is fabric making. So you fabricate and hope it comes out really well. With the research I did for this collection, I started with amorphous forms and also transformers.

DD: How did you feel seeing your design on Tilda Swinton in AnOther magazine?
LG: I absolutely love Panos (Yiapanis, who consulted on her show and styled Tilda in Louise Goldin for the magazine) I thought Tilda Swinton looked amazing! Really statuesque and beautiful.