With knitwear proving increasing popular among British designers, Judy wasn’t surprised to find some exceptional knitted collections among those on show at Graduate Fashion Week this summer.

Standouts included Lotte Willis’ homage to the Cottingley Fairy photos and Freya Rabet’s military influenced collection.

Lotte, whose designs encompassed more than 15,000 Swarovski crystals, says that her collections explore the concept of growing up and what happens to the fantasy and freedom of youth. “Adults are just big children, which is why so many people were enthralled by the Cottingley Fairy photographs,” Lotte said.  “But every so often our imaginations break free from the routine of everyday life and it is in these moments that we capture a little of that youthful magic again. This is what I hope people feel when they see my collection – a glimpse of something colourful and fun.”

In a curious way, Freya Rabet’s warzone wear was equally romantic. . “My starting point was to imagine a couple who had been separated by war,” the knitwear designer said. “The man has been sent to the front line while the woman is left at home to cope. I wanted to create a meeting point between the man’s life as a soldier and the women’s home comforts.”

She adds: “Although I’m making womenswear, several of my looks are oversized and slightly androgynous with shapes that connect elements of him and her.”

I adore the unexpected playfulness of Freya’s designs, best seen in a caped yellow knitted catsuit featuring a large figure of a soldier on the front. She explains: “I visited a flea-market in Paris where I bought four antique tin soldiers and I incorporated the most interesting features of each of them into the design.”

I'm just hoping to see this ultra-imaginative knitwear trend continuing with the catwalks of London Fashion Week this September!

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