Ephemeral art is nudging knitwear toward a new aesthetic: irregular, process-led surfaces designed for durability, circularity and lower waste.
Waste, climate risk and the collapse of “business as usual” are reshaping what counts as desirable in textiles. Instead of smooth perfection and seasonal novelty, designers are borrowing from contemporary art’s fascination with the provisional—materials that look used, layered, geological or improvised.
From gallery ephemera to engineered knit
Studio Eva de Laat’s new publication, STUDIO WORK // VOL 1, argues that this shift is not a trend cycle but a redesign of value. Artists who work with humble or short-lived materials—installations that can be mistaken for rubbish, structures built from cardboard or polystyrene, or ceramics echoing volcanic landscapes—reframe surface as evidence of process. In knitwear, that translates into textures that feel stratified and alive: undulations, patchworks, uneven rhythms and deliberate “imperfections”.
Seamless and circular knitting are central to the proposition. Building garments stitch-by-stitch allows form, comfort and function to be engineered with minimal yarn waste, while making variation a feature rather than a defect.
Why it matters for brands and mills
The economic logic is straightforward: as regulators and consumers scrutinise waste, the cheapest sustainability gains come from better construction, less cutting, and longer-lived products. A new aesthetic that celebrates irregularity also relaxes the tyranny of uniformity—potentially reducing rejects and broadening acceptable material inputs.
What comes next
If fashion is serious about slowing down, it must change what it rewards. Treating such reports as enduring reference material—published only when insights warrant—signals a shift from trend-chasing to system-building: fewer launches, more learning, and knitwear designed to circulate rather than be discarded.
