Wilson Stearns
Materiality
This project is a women's wear nautical-inspired knitwear collection. Most of the knit garments were created using recycled cashmere yarn comprised of half-new and half-old cashmere fibers. The project follows themes of sailing, the beach, and Saint Barthelemy. Entitled Regatta, I wanted to use my background of sailing and family tips to the Caribbean as inspiration. I specifically took inspiration from the annual bucket regatta held in St. Barths Last year, I was lucky enoughto be there to watch the regatta and watch the boats come in and out of the Gustavia harbor. The spectators also served as an inspiration for my collection with many of the women wearing simple yet elevated casual items. My thesis collection sits close to home for me because of the summers I would learn to sail and dive in the British virgin islands with my family. This thesis project is an ode to my fondest memories of childhood and to my time on the islands.
Most of the yarns used in the collection were sourced from Botto Giuseppe. Botto Giuseppe e Figli Spa has been producing fine yarns and fabrics since 1876. Botto Giuseppe are pioneers in the initiative of creating a cradle to cradle design process. Specifically the collection was made of a yarn that is spun with 50% new Cashmere fibers and 50% recycled Cashmere fibers. This does not effect the soft texture of the Cashmere knit nor does it effect it's color. Botto Giuseppe's Green Cashmere is Global Recycled Standard certified.
Bio
Wilson Stearns is a New York based Knitwear Designer specializing in Cashmere knits. Only learning how to knit in the last two years, his work has quickly developed for being completely self-taught. Working on both single and double bed knit machines, Wilson is able to plan out and execute knits in a much more effective manner. Much of his work is clean and simple with an emphasis on quality and sourcing. Wilson graduated from Parsons School of Design with a BFA in Fashion Design in 2023. During his time at Parsons he has had the opportunity to intern with brands like Ralph Lauren, Common Projects, and F.E Castleberry.