Charlotte Ryan speaks to Irish designer Mihai Mar of Mar Knitwear about challenging the norms of the fashion industry, Dublin Independent Fashion Week and working on Netflix's Wednesday.
"I think the fashion system, excuse my language, is f****d."
Said in a clear, calm and forthright tone, it's as clear a mission statement as you're likely to get from Mihai Mar, the creative director of Irish-Romanian fashion brand Mar Knitwear.
Despite being early in his career, Mar has devoted himself to throwing off the restrictions of the fashion industry, whether that's the speed of production, stepping away from non-sustainable practices or opening up conversations between designers and fashion fans.
Born in Romania and brought up in Ireland, Mar has already garnered acclaim for his expressive and meticulously crafted pieces with his brand.
From fine knit sweaters and vests adorned with images of rabbits and flowers, to chunky woven pieces that celebrate the art and potential of knitting, Mar's work is a slow labour of love that pulls inspiration from unlikely sources.
When asked what those inspirations are, rather than name drop whichever trending designer is in fashion at the moment or industry OGs like Balenciaga or Miuccia Prada - both of which would have been great shouts - Mar points far outside of the industry: puppetry, Korean architecture and pop music, Final Fantasy.
"I don't look at fashion very often, actually, for inspiration", Mar tells me over the phone, choosing instead to limit the amount of fashion accounts he follows online, "It can become quite overwhelming as a designer with a comparison."
Mar discovered his love for craftmanship in secondary school, where he was consistently drawn to the puppetry projects in his art classes, he says, where he revelled in making 3D, story-driven characters.
He went on to study at the National College of Art and Design where he discovered knitwear, awed by the ability to "create any structure just from thread". Stints in Central Saint Martins in London, Korea and Barcelona followed.
As a co-founder of Dublin Independent Fashion Week (DIFW) - which takes place from 22-28 September - finding ways to keep his designs accessible is important for Mar, who is planning an interactive life drawing presentation with music and dance instead of a runway show for his slot at DIFW.
"Sometimes I feel like maybe my brand isn't the most accessible because of the high price point, but I really don't want that to be the case. So I wanted to create an event that made fashion really memorable for the audience so they can engage with independent Irish fashion in a way that isn't necessarily about purchasing a product."
DIFW, he says, is "not just about the product. It's about culture. It's about creating a cultural statement."
"Fashion as an industry, it's really quite an isolating industry. A lot of people don't want to share their secrets or their contacts or anything because obviously, success is so rare.
"But I found most of my success through Dublin Independent Fashion Week and building that network and sharing resources. So things like Copenhagen Fashion Week, I don't think would have been possible for me and my brand without the network I made through Fashion Week. So it's really meant a lot to me."
It was through DIFW that Mar was brought on as a knitwear producer for season two of Netflix's Wednesday, which was partly filmed in Ireland. The costume department found his work on social media after the inaugural DIFW and got in touch.
"I didn't know what I was getting into because I couldn't find out until after I had signed my contract. When I found out, my jaw dropped. I I remember when I was a kid for Christmas, I actually got the box set of the original TV show, the black and white one. No way. So I had the fondest memories growing up watching the original show. So to be part of a franchise that has such a legacy means the world."
Mar says that perfecting Pugley's iconic jumper took months of sampling and tweaking the original design by Colleen Atwood and Mark Sutherland from season one.
"Each stripe had to be absolutely perfect. So there was definitely a few versions of it before we finally settled on the right one with the right yarn, the right tension and everything.
"From the smallest detail, if the sleeve had to be half a centimetre bigger, then it was almost like a new pattern. So it was really labour-intensive, but very enjoyable."
