One particular infant teacher called Mrs Cross must feel proud. She was responsible for teaching a young Martin Storey to knit and sew. Martin Storey now has the reputation as one of Britain’s best knitwear designers, and has a huge following.
Martin Storey’s first job was working for an estate agents and auctioneers in East Yorkshire. Unsurprisingly this wasn’t for Martin, who gave it all up to work on his father’s pig farm for a couple of years.
A chance meeting with an old friend who was studying at Hull Art College encouraged Martin to follow his interests in art and fashion. Martin gained a place on an Art Foundation course in Hull, and followed it up with a BA(hons) in Fashion and Textiles at Middlesex University in the early 80's.
Speaking of qualifications, Martin was keen to tell us about his Stage 1 qualification in Typing, which he says “has been a godsend when typing up my written patterns, which are upwards of 50 per season.”
After leaving university, Martin got his first design job with the innovative and prestigious knitwear design house Artwork, where he worked for 15 years. Following this he was ready to work as Chief Designer for Jaeger.
Martin now works for Rowan. He designs the Classic range of brochures, which includes knitwear for men, women, children and babies, as well as accessories and homewares. He also contributes to the Rowan magazine which is published twice yearly.
Martin has also worked on three Rowan books – Classic Knits for Real Women, Classic Knits for Men and most recently Knitting goes Large.
With such a prolific output we asked Martin what he enjoyed designing the most. “I suppose,” he says, “I particularly enjoy designing for men. It’s usually with myself in mind, so I know that I can get something I want knitted! Something textured or cabled is my signature handknit design – though I am starting to enjoy designing pattered Intarsia and FairIsle. Pattern is big again on the High Street.”
Martin’s inspiration comes from everywhere – from fashion stores and boutiques, fashion and trend magazines, vintage sources and museums. “I also get inspiration from the street,” Martin says. “It’s probably the best source of inspiration. I make sure I have a handy little sketch book with me at all times. I like to think my work has a touch of wit and humour, so I think I am probably also influenced by designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Kenzo, Gaultier, Sonia Rykiel, Dries Van Noten and Anthropologie who all use clever combinations of pattern, texture and colour mixes in their work.”
We’ll be seeing a lot more of Martin on our site, so keep checking back the news on Martin’s latest work.