Every month Brave Island runs a Young Creative of the Month fund, where we spotlight a local young creative with an interview on our blog, and support them with funding of £100. For May, its textile designer, Megan Grant aka @Mink.bits! This fund launches at the beginning of every month, you can apply to be Young Creative of the Month for June here.
Please can you tell us about your creative practice?
I am a textile designer who primarily works with crochet and knitting projects. I love to mix media and materials that I use to create one-off modern pieces. Projects I work on range from clothing and accessories to lampshade and home decor. Sustainability is at the center of my work – I mainly use second-hand and recycled materials. This challenges me to look differently at how I can use materials and means my finished pieces are one of a kind.
What’s a piece or project that you’re especially proud of?
The Florence Skirt is one project I am very proud of (pink skirt). I spent a lot of time planning and learning lace crochet. I went on to create a pattern for this skirt. This took two months and involved a group of international testers who tested sizes xs through to xxl. The end product is a customisable pattern that can be adjusted to the wearer’s liking. I am really proud of how I was able to translate the free-hand skirt into a pattern for others to make.
What would your dream project look like?
A dream project for me would be creating a lighting installation that plays with different yarn and fibre textures – using handmade lampshades to cast layered shadows and colour hues across a space. I’ve experimented with this on a small scale, but I’d love the opportunity to build something larger and immersive that people could walk through and interact with. There’s something really special about the way fabric and fibre filter light; the textures create patterns and warmth that you just can’t replicate with hard materials.
Where can people find your work if they’d like to support you?
You can find my work on Instagram/TikTok @mink.bits To shop my crochet patterns, head to Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/minkbits. I will also be attending Open Studios in Department, Ryde where you can see and purchase some of my work!
