Development of the perfect knitted bra in collaboration with Johanna Eskelinen and Havina Jäntti.
Melonit is a knitted underwear project that originated from the shared vision of the working group to explore sustainable methods of underwear production. The process began in summer 2021 with a survey to 50 people about their underwear buying and using habits. The research revealed that participants valued comfort and support without underwiring in their bras. These results, together with the aim for sustainability formed the functional starting point of the design of a high-quality bra for everyday wear. Drawing inspiration from the Finnish word “melonit,” meaning “melons,” the artistic ethos centered on infusing humor and quirkiness of the everyday into the design.
Seamless knitting was chosen for the making technique to avoid residual waste. For the knitwear development, we collaborated with the TextielLab in Tilburg and worked from the start remotely due to the pandemic. Finding the suitable elastic and sustainably produced yarn approved to be a real challenge, but luckily TextielLab’s material department was able to commission a custom lyocell yarn especially for this project.
Exhibited in:
TextielMuseum, Tilburg, Neatherlands 21.5.2022 – 4.6.2023. Secret of Making #2 exhibition
Supported by Arts Promotion Centre Finland