Alicia Robinson Dismantles the Stigma Behind Granny Knitwear with her Eccentric Collections
COURTESY OF AGR
If you do not know who Alicia Robinson is, you will know now. After seeing her newest collection at London’s Resort Fashion Week, I knew I had to dig deeper into this brand because it is so eye-catching and intriguing. She has cut her teeth into knitwear but with an eccentric twist- neon colors, retro references to old knitting techniques, spray paint-esque effects, and stripes.
The beginning of Robinson’s love for knitwear started when her mother introduced her to knitting as a child. Fast forward to recent years, working rent-free at Cockpit Arts with her scholarship in 2018, Robinson studied the technique thoroughly at university and had time to build her brand in their studio space. She took the time to do other work in her bedroom and also created knitwear for Yeezy and A-Cold-Wall.
COURTESY OF STEPHY POCKET
That same year, Robinson made some clothes for her friends for the Notting Hill Carnival. She ended up building a mini capsule collection with Ssense thanks to the mini shoot she did to document her work with the help of her photographer friend, Stephy Pocket. With Nike supplying shoes thanks to her carnival customer, Harry Fisher, and her friend photographing the looks, it blew up social media. Buyers called from all over, and sure enough, AGR was born.
Robinson knew it was time to pull out the big guns, so she invested in a $36,000 Stoll knitting machine in 2020. In addition to updated equipment, she also needed an updated space with more room. She moved her work to Surrey Quays space that same year.
The London-based brand climbed 122 percent in 2021, according to the company, and even reached the semi-finals for the LVMH prize. You can find a lot of her knitwear in wholesale stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Ssense, Net-a-Porter, and Browns to name a few. Celebrities such as A$AP Rocky, Khalid, Burna Boy, and Anderson Paak have been seen out wearing AGR as well.
COURTESY OF AGR
In 2020, AGR and Nike were going to create a capsule collection called, “Nike By You” to bolster brand exposure, but because of COVID it was postponed. The collection consisted of AGR and Nike’s logos on technicolor puffer jackets and other knitwear.
On the postponed date the next year, Nike experimented with upcycling old Nike banners and making this project even bigger than they originally had planned it to be. AGR used some deadstock materials and sold their collection in London’s Nike flagship store. The project was such a success that Nike asked AGR to do a series of upcycling workshops with them.
AGR has been working with suppliers from all over including Turkey, India, and Italy. She has been in contact with mills to try to create her own yarns as well. Besides working with retailers, Robinson also plans to have her own website to sell her pieces soon.
“Our website is probably the main thing that we want to get going this year,” she says, “I want to be able to have our own sort of separate AGR line on that. So, it would be some different designs, different colourways. And obviously we'll be able to bring that in at a much lower price point because we're not going via a store.”
COURTESY OF BRITT LLOYD
With her first collection for FW20 of clashing patterns and grunge silhouettes, the kaleidoscope colors of her collections continue to exceed our expectations of what we imagine knitwear to be.
Stay updated with AGR news on their soon-to-be website: https://www.agrknit.co.uk.
