Nielanell is an innovative textile designer specializing in contemporary knitted textiles for clothing and accessories. Her eclectic mixing of fibres, stitches and colour form highly textured and extremely unusual fabrics which she then translates into wearable art, or ‘artwear’ as she describes it.

In her current collection animal furs, feathers and skins form both a visual and conceptual foundation. Their lively, vibrant, almost unexpected colours are enhanced by intricate structures. This combination of extraordinary colour and texture provides camouflage and security in an often hostile world. Clothing, too, can offer protection and security within a society which can feel perilous at times.

“In my practice, I reflect on the relationships between man, culture and nature. I endeavour to design knitted fabrics that confront these frequently opposing forces by experimenting with combinations of natural yarns and man made fibres. I strive to translate my quest to find equilibrium within our sometimes unstable surroundings by manipulating fibres into knitted textiles, at times creating unbalanced but nevertheless stable structures that form atypical fabrics in differing weights.”

Despite the complexity of these thought processes, nielanell is adamant that her fabrics are then transferred into clothing and accessories using the simplest of approaches to garment construction. For instance, she has studied the shape and drape of the Indian sari and pashmina shawls, and used those shapes and uses to develop contemporary knitted ‘wraps’. Despite the simplicity of garment design, her styles appear somewhat quirky with, what she describes, an ‘urban bohemian edge.’

“I believe that we form relationships with what we wear - how we wear clothes assists us in identifying our own creativity. I try to design simple styles which we will each wear in a different way. My clothes will look unique on each individual person, purely because we all wear things with our own sensibility. Thus, for the most part, my designs are unadorned and unembellished despite their own mild eccentricity, leaving the wearer to use his or her own instincts to create the look and feel they want. I would like to think that the beauty of each item lies in the combination of the fabric, the simple construction and the wearers’ aesthetic.”

Nielanell feels that the way a person wears an item of clothing is directly related to their place in his or her environment. In many ways, this idea ties in not only with the theory of camouflage as the inspirational source of the fabric design but as an underpinning of the garment design. Camouflage is the art of being seen, or unseen. “We have days which we need to feel secure and protected from the world, when we feel quietly content to carry on unnoticed. At other times, we are out there - challenging, questioning and full of fresh enthusiasm. I would like to think that my clothing can be worn in any situation, that it adapts easily to any surroundings. One of my jackets can even be worn upside down – each way of wearing out sends out a totally different signal!”

Thus, nielanell’s designs are made, not for those in a certain age or geographical group, but for those who enjoy a certain attitude and realize that feeling good in what you wear is as important as looking good. For those who can marry the arty with the elegant, or the casual with the sophisticated. For confident days and not so confident days. For real people.